ShopTok: Lessons from Small Business Owners, Entrepreneurs, Freelancers and Creators

Don't miss our latest conversation with Anita Soni, founder of Cognition, on ShopTok! Discover how she helps children overcome cognitive challenges and excel in life. Learn the power of persistence, the importance of focusing on goals, and the role of parents in nurturing independence. Tune in now! In This Episode(00:01) Intro.(03:23) Customer Acquisition.(05:15) Issues children face.(06:28) Outlier Kids.(07:40) How to make kids outlier. (09:20) How to increase focus.(10:22) Parents over-control their kids.(12:32) Challenges.(13:43) Success(14;25) Word of mouth. (15;20) Edtech in today's world.(16:55) Monetary benefits vs growth. (18:33) Adults and cognitive skills.Our GuestsAnita Soni is the founder of Cognition, which makes it easier for students to engage in knowledge-based learning that is more concerned with improving their cognitive abilities for a better and more promising future. She is enthusiastic about developing the skills of the Children’s Workforce, especially those working in Children’s Centres, and early childhood/years provision in the maintained, voluntary and independent sectors. This includes teachers, managers, teaching assistants, Family Support Workers, early years practitioners and childminders. She has used a range of approaches to enable this including training, group supervision and consultation. Anita’s particular interests are early childhood, Children’s Centres, the Key Person approach, personal, social and emotional development and supervision, video interactive guidance (VIG) and video enhanced reflective practice (VERP).Your HostIn a career spanning 20+ years, Amit Ray has been a corporate leader, entrepreneur and angel investor who has achieved a level of financial independence. In this show he discusses the practical aspects of personal finance based on his own learnings and insights from the experts and fellow financial enthusiasts he’s met along the way.This podcast is powered by CrazyTok: We help dreamers become do-ers. Find us on CrazyTok, LinkedIn, Instagram or Twitter

In this episode we explore the story of Flexibees, a platform that is revolutionizing the way businesses hire qualified professionals and helping women professionals return to work on their own terms. We'll discuss the challenges and opportunities Shreya and co-foudners faced, the importance of communication and filtering for flexible work, and their vision for the future. Whether you're a business owner, a professional seeking flexible work solutions, or just interested in the future of work, this video is for you. Don't miss out on the insights and advice from the founders on how to build a successful startup.Discussion Points(00:30) Introduction(01:35) What is Flexibees?(02:17) Why Flexibees?(04:09) Flexibees gives flexibility to women(07:15) How to convert customers(08:36) Hurdles in the path of Flexibees(11:37) What did Flexibees do differently?(13:35) How to set up clients and customers?(16:47) What differentiated them from competitors?(19:00) How does vetting help?(20:10) Difficult decisions on way(21:32) How the journey aligned to the vision(25:33) How to scale up hindrances(28:23) Advice for entrepreneursOur GuestsOur Guest, Shrey Prakash, is a cofounder and CEO of Flexibees. Flexibees is an organisation with a vision to normalise flexibility in work, via options such as flexi-time, part-time, remote-working, that brings new hiring models to businesses and a new way of living to people.LinksFollow the show on Apple or SpotifyShow notes and full transcript for the episodeYour HostIn a career spanning 20+ years, Amit Ray has been a corporate leader, entrepreneur and angel investor who has achieved a level of financial independence. In this show he discusses the practical aspects of personal finance based on his own learnings and insights from the experts and fellow financial enthusiasts he’s met along the way.—This podcast is powered by CrazyTok: We help experts become influencers. Find us on our Website, LinkedIn, Instagram or Twitter

Can the passion and flair for creatives be a potential career option for you? Rishi Piparaiya, one of the top executives in the corporate world, is one such creative soul who dived into his passion for the written word. But he did it with planning and deep knowledge. This helped him steer clear of unpleasant surprises of the writing world and stick to the core- the fun of the writing process. If you are desirous of stepping into any creative field, this episode of ShopTok is a must-listen for you! Guest ProfileAn Economics graduate from the University of Rochester and a Master's degree holder from the Cornell Johnson Graduate School of Management, Rishi Pipariya has seen it all in his corporate career of more than 20 years- from heading Sales at Aviva to taking care of strategy as Vice President at Citigroup. It was his love for writing that made him quit his well-paying job to venture into the field of literary escapades. He is now a well-known author of some of the best-selling books like Aisle Be Damned and Job Be Damned. He is also well known for his adventure-based books for children. Discussion Points:Sharing your creatives with your friendsThe practicality of pursuing your passionFinancial stability before entering creatives Publisher versus Self-publishingSelf-promotion and marketing your booksHow to stay motivated in the long run LinksFollow the show on Apple and SpotifyView the transcript About your hostAmit has over 20 years of experience with startups and large corporations. He’s the founder and CEO of CrazyTok as well as a consultant, angel investor and content creator. Follow him on LinkedIn, where he shares his experiences in these areas. —This podcast is powered by CrazyTok: We help experts become influencers. Find us on our website, LinkedIn, Instagram or Twitter 

Solopreneurs often feel that they are limited by their business model with respect to their resources- being the sole employee with a fixed geographical presence. But with the advent of technology, transitioning from offline to online has made it seamless for these solopreneurs to make the most of their skills and resources. We have one such businesswoman with us who transitioned her teaching skills to the online model, making her offer her services to a wider audience. If you’re a solopreneur thinking of making the move from offline to online, then this ShopTok Episode is for you! Siti Nurmaisyah is a certified Indonesian teacher, with more than 20 years of teaching experience. She uses innovative methods to teach her students, online and offline. Her clients include people belonging to various demographics like expatriates, workers, school students (teenagers and children), etc. Siti is a great example of a solopreneur who successfully transitioned from an offline to an online model of teaching. With her skills and support from her family, she was able to beat the difficult times of COVID, where she lost a lot of her students and has moved to teach students across the globe from the comfort of her home.Discussion pointsTeaching- going offline to onlineHow Covid affected the businessBenefits of offline - like selling resources along with the classesDifficulty of transitioningChoosing the online platform that suits your skillsGetting your first few studentsOnline profile- videos, documentationChallenges of having sessions online- internet, connection failures, platform bugs/issues, background noiseScheduling your sessionsService support- prompt response, being adjustingFamily supportMotivation from students to keep goingLinksFollow the show on Apple or SpotifyView the transcript here hereAmit has over 20 years of experience with startups and large corporations. He’s the founder and CEO of CrazyTok as well as a consultant, angel investor and content creator. Follow him on LinkedIn, where he shares his experiences in these areas. This podcast is powered by CrazyTok: We help experts become influencers. Find us on our website, LinkedIn, Instagram or Twitter

Ever wondered what you’ll do once you achieve all that you want in your career? Is it then time to fade into the sunset and ease into a life of leisure? Or do you feel like you’re up for new challenges? Well, if you’re one of those for whom a single innings isn’t enough, you’ll love this episode. Arvind Sankaran, an engineering graduate from Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani, and a master's degree holder from Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta, had finished his 1st innings successfully, serving in the banking industry in various positions across the globe. With immense knowledge at his disposal, he did something extraordinary-when most people would look at retiring, he began his 2nd innings. With the zeal to offer value to businesses and in the process of rediscovering and living his passion, Arvind is now a successful advisor who provides strategic direction to businesses across different fields of operation and industries. Discussion PointsUtilizing your experience to serve in a different roleHow you’re perceived in the industryCommunicating your service offering Pricing your offeringGrowing your service businessPicking your area of expertiseSustainability in difficult timesImportance of a support systemLinksFollow the show on Apple or SpotifyView the transcript hereAmit has over 20 years of experience with startups and large corporations. He’s the founder and CEO of CrazyTok as well as a consultant, angel investor and content creator. Follow him on LinkedIn, where he shares his experiences in these areas.—This podcast is powered by CrazyTok: We help experts become influencers. Find us on our website, LinkedIn, Instagram or Twitter

Revolutionary products often have a history of being labelled as “needless” - till people suddenly discover they really need them! That’s how it was with Graphene.Back in 2014, when Santosh Katti first started trying to sell AI as a service to clients, nobody seemed to understand its potential. It took years to build and educate the market, but it paid off in spades as they became one of the earliest players in a major new industry.On this episode of ShopTok we’ll learn from Santosh how he found ways to keep going while trying to sell the value proposition of his nascent product. If you like what you hear, please rate us 5 stars and follow the show so you never miss an episode! Discussion PointsTaking the entrepreneurial plunge after working with established brandsIdentifying what to sell and howStarting off: Finding the first few customersBuilding a team within resource constraintsPositioning yourself differently in the marketCelebrating small joys Click here for the show notes and full transcript. Santosh Katti, CEO, GrapheneSantosh Katti, an engineer from the National Institute of Technology, Karnataka, and a Master's Degree Holder from the Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta, worked in the consumer goods & healthcare segment with Fortune 500 companies like Procter & Gamble and Johnson & Johnson. In 2014, he co-founded Graphene, an AI-based company, that provides unbiased insights from opinions expressed by stakeholders in the health care and consumer goods space.Follow him on LinkedIn.More about Graphene here. Amit Ray, HostAmit has over 20 years of experience with startups and large corporations. He’s the founder and CEO of CrazyTok as well as a consultant, angel investor and content creator. Follow him on LinkedIn, where he shares more of his experiences in these areas. —This podcast is powered by CrazyTok: We help experts become influencers. Find us on our website, LinkedIn, Instagram or Twitter.

A few years ago, I barely knew anyone who put a lot of thought into their health and their wellbeing. Well, I mean, after almost what three years of COVID, I think that has changed very much. Almost everyone I know now is like cycling or going to the gym, or using the time that they've got back from working from home, to try and take care of themselves. And this extends to not just working out, but also eating healthy, living healthy, maybe sleeping at the right time, things like that. So, clearly, this has now created the space for a number of wellness related businesses to flourish, who might have struggled maybe 10 years ago, when people weren't really that into their own health and wellbeing. So today we are speaking with Aanan Khurma, of Wellversed. He's a two-time entrepreneur in the wellness space. And he's gonna tell us about how he's made it in this space, because he's had one successful exit before this, and how he's seeing it evolve, as over the last three years, or maybe the last few years.  The discussion today is also a little bit different, because Wellversed is actually a company that has received some funding, which is very different from many of our other guests who are bootstrapped. Show Notes available here.

Business is all about focus they'll tell you. Focus on one product, one service, one customer profile, maybe one geography. But what if you want to do it all? What if you don't want to limit yourself and instead want to sell a range of products or services aiming for the widest market possible? Can you even be successful that way? Well, today we are talking to Sahil Mehta of Emmbros Overseas, who has not one or two, but actually multiple brands, in multiple areas, spanning skincare, nutrition, fitness, women care, baby care, I mean, men, women, babies, well, that's about the widest market that I can think of. And he's gonna tell us how he got started down this path, and how he manages his portfolio of brands profitably. Show notes available here.  

What do you think about when you hear the words serial entrepreneur? Do you imagine a startup founder raising money growing fast, and then making an exit, and then doing it all over again. But what if I told you that people do this with bootstrap ventures as well, perhaps even more often than with startups. Today, we are talking to Darpan Seth, founder of Nextuple, which is his second business after a successful exit with his first one. We are going to understand from him his learnings from the first exit, and how he's approaching business this time around. If you want to check out what Darpan's been up to with his business, here's the link to Nextuple. Show Notes available here.

Most people don't even get started on one business idea. And it's rare to find someone who's worked on two or three. But six, come on, that's crazy talk, right? Well, not really. Today we are speaking with Sharad Lal, Founder and currently chairman of 24 Inc, a Singaporean advertising agency that helps large clients execute on digital and retail campaigns. He also runs a successful podcast called “How to Live”, which was recently number 3 in Singapore. And I'm really frankly quite jealous, because that's a higher rank than my podcasts have ever achieved.  And that's not all. He's founded six different businesses in actually quite a variety of spaces. Some succeeded, like 24 Inc, and others did not like his first startup. So we're going to understand from him how he thinks one can be successful with Bootstrap businesses. Show notes available here.

What would you say if I suggested that you should build a new brand in a mature, highly fragmented, price sensitive industry? And what if I also challenged you to grow it at the same speed as a tech startup? Well, you'd likely say that's crazy talk. But it really isn't. Today we are speaking with Sneha Visaria, Founder and Director of PDD Falcon, a leading Indian stainless steel home and kitchenware brand, that started just about a little over four years ago. And it's been more than doubling revenue every year. A feat that I think is beyond many VC funded startups as well. So we're going to ask her about her journey, and also some of the tips and things that she's learned to get so successful in such a difficult industry.  If you liked the episode, and I'm sure that you will, do give us a five-star rating and please follow ShopTok to get the best small business insights from across Asia. Show Notes available here.

Starting and running a business isn't easy. A good idea is just the starting point. From there on, you need to build the product, find a way to market it cost effectively, get enough people to buy it, and try to achieve at least a breakeven point quickly. So, you can become self-sustaining. These are all hard things. And I know personally having had a startup in the past it didn't work out. So these are all hard things, that not all businesses are able to make it happen, even if they have a good idea and put in all the hard work. One such business is the children's post, which despite being a great idea, was just not able to gain enough traction to be able to sustain itself. And today, we will be speaking with Nidhi Arora, founder and CEO about her journey, and the lessons that she learned on the way. We hope you will enjoy it. Show notes available here.

When we talk about business success, we usually think about the Founder, the person who set up and grew the business in its early years. But in many cases, a successful stable business, especially a family business is passed on to the next generation who then take it forward into the future. So how does the new generation make their mark? And what are the challenges in making a transformation towards a new way of doing business?  Today, we talked with Mridula Shridhar, CEO of Kido enterprises, an early childhood education firm. And unlike the fabulously well-funded ed techs of the world, they run a sustainable profitable business that's been  making a profit and has been around for nearly 20 years before passing on to the next generation. And we learned from her what it takes to take a mature business forward and find the levers for growth and take it to the next level of skill.  Show Notes available here.

We all have business ideas from time to time. Speaking for myself, I think I get one every week but when we think of it, we convince ourselves that the market is too crowded, there won't be any takers. Yet another shop, another consulting firm, another podcast even. So with so many well established choices available, why would a customer want to try yet another option? And yes, that may be true in the broad sense. But who says you have to go broad? When you're starting out, you don't need much to be successful and success could well come from targeting underserved niches. Segments of the market that others haven't spotted or cannot serve effectively or profitably. Do check this episode and let us know what your thoughts are on our Linkedin.  Show Notes available on our website here.

What do you think of when you hear the word business? I for one, imagine a shop or a restaurant, or maybe like an accounting firm. But stop for a moment. What about artists, writers, musicians. They have to make money selling their work as well. What are the challenges they face and is that a tension between the desire to make high art and the mundane everyday business of making money? Today we talk with Tania, an architect by training. And the extremely talented founder of Padme Hum and Tanya studio which are ceramic studios based in Singapore and India.  We're going to ask her about her journey and the lessons that she has learned that you could apply to your own art based venture.  Check out our newly updated website for show notes here.

Are you a budding entrepreneur who thinks you need to have the perfect idea to get started? Or someone with a great idea who’s unsure whether you can actually build it? And then you aren’t even getting started. Who knows how many good ideas died that way before they ever saw the light of day? But you know a secret? It doesn’t have to be like that. You don’t need to have the perfect idea and that idea doesn’t need a million dollars to start Today we talk with Karthik Sridharan, founder of Flexiple, a talent marketplace, who found a way to start AND grow his business to seven figures on just a $60 tech stack. We’re going to discuss his career journey and how he came upon the opportunity that he’s now building into a powerhouse. And also get from his secrets on how to build out a grand vision on a shoestring budget. Show Notes available here.

Articles about entrepreneurship make it sound almost as though you start a business, work hard on it for a few years and then reap the results, as if it all goes in a smooth straight line. But reality isn’t like that. Entrepreneurship is more often like a maze, a few steps forward, a roadblock, a pivot, then a few steps forward again, till you eventually figure out how to make money or realise that you’ve hit upon a dead end. What do you do then? Do you give up and get a job or do you start all over? And when do you know you need to keep going? Today we talk with Nishit Rawat, my friend and batchmate from the Institute of Management who’s started and persevered through multiple businesses, learning, pivoting and refining his ideas till finally realising his dream with his latest venture, Bluvium. We’re going to ask him about his journey as well as lessons he has learned that you could apply to your own venture. If you want to check out the work of Bluvium, here is their website.  Show Notes Available here. By the by, we have set up the CrazyTok community to with a mission to deliver quality professional content so you can accelerate your career, grow your business and build wealth. If you want to continue the conversation and delve deeper into topics of interest, join our community.

After starting your own venture, you'll think you are the master of your own time and no more pressure of meeting deadlines and constant anxieties. Maybe you think you can truly enjoy the freedom of your own venture. It sounds like a dream but mostly it feels more intense than the corporate job. There's a constant call for accountability on yourself and no one else to blame for failures. Today, we discuss how to avoid burn out in your own venture with Shagun Malik , who quit her corporate job to follow her passion after working for international companies  and founded Yoga Superfuel. Check this out and see if you could feel a little bit lighter. Show notes available here. By the by, we have set up the CrazyTok community to with a mission to deliver quality professional content so you can accelerate your career, grow your business and build wealth. If you want to continue the conversation and delve deeper into topics of interest, join us here.

Have you ever had a brainwave and couldn’t wait to leave everything and start on it, only to realise that things didn’t exactly work the way you thought it would? A lot of times reality check, the actuall implementation, execution etc makes one realise that the idea needs tweaking, and possibly even a proper mutation for it to work. And through the journey, the end result may end up differing a lot from the initial seed idea.  And that is imperative. You have to be flexible like in everything else in life,  to adapt and morph the idea in sync with reality. A stubborn approach to not deviate from it, ay not be the right response. Today we have Priti agarwal, who has lived the journey of going through multiple iterations in her personal entrepreneurial venture spanning a decade. Show Notes available here. By the by, we have set up the CrazyTok community to with a mission to deliver quality professional content so you can accelerate your career, grow your business and build wealth. If you want to continue the conversation and delve deeper into topics of interest, join us here on circle.  

It's fantastic to run a consulting or service business. Unlike product businesses and tech startups, you get to meet clients and see the results of your work firsthand. And, best of all, you start making money right away. Your shed. The deals are contingent on your customers. And business growth is entirely dependent on the number of people you can hire. So it's no surprise. Uh, venture capitalists prefer to fund SAS businesses over service businesses. So, is that a way to connect both worlds? Can you create a profitable service business? Let's listen a few tips from Sandeep Mittal who has done this transition recently and share what you think in our newly founded community. Show notes available here.