Anand Banerjee always had the knack of beign a proficient salesperson, enabling people to buy into his ideas. Right from his childhood days, he used to coax his mates to play the games he would always want. Few years down the line, he was influencing his friends to frequent only his favorite bars. Now he is applying the same ingenuity to his career, by making myriads of customers buy his products & services.
As a marketing professional, you need to have the traits of a skilled marketer. Equipped with a keen sense of observation, sharp analytical skills and backed up by a so-called silver tongue, he has attained much expertise in his field of work. More than 16 years of experience Sales, Retention, Customer Service, Market Research & Product Management provides him with added advantage. All of this has helped him in starting his latest venture Diapers4Baby.com. It is India’s Online Store for Baby Diapers.
Please provide a brief overview of your product/ service.
Diapers4Baby.com is India’s first diapering hygiene focused online baby store catering to baby product buying needs of Indian parents. Our vision is to empower the Indian parent with the right to choose from a wide variety of quality baby products at competitive prices.
What inspired you to build the above product/ service?
The idea of a Diapers4Baby.com struck me when I cam across a particular scene from one of my favorite movies, “Marley & Me” where Owen Wilson changes his baby’s diapers. That’s when the idea of a diapering related eCommerce store struck me. On further research I realized that a real world problem existed in this area for customers as well as businesses. Businesses are unable to reach out to customers easily, while customers are restricted in their access to quality hygiene product for their babies.
What is your life mantra?
“Live as if you were to die tomorrow; learn as if you were to live forever”.
What was the most challenging part of your journey till now?
People, and always people! I firmly believe that there exists no challenge that a human mind cannot conquer, except another human being’s complexity. That forever will remain to be challenge in every walk of life and the key to success is to be able to manage people, and they in turn will manage things for you!
How did you overcome those challenges?
Being a patient listener, treating everyone with respect, showing genuine care and concern for those around you, and while doing all this, being genuine.
Share some details about the investments that you have been able to fetch for the business till now.
We’re seed funded by a private investor who’s been a fantastic support throughout. We’re on the verge of closing the next round of funding very soon.
How do you protect yourself from the problem of Brain Drain?
People spend most of their time at places where they feel loved, belonged, secured and comfortable. If you can get at least three out of the above right, most people will stick around much longer than otherwise. But if you can get all four right, not only will people stick around but they’ll also be extremely productive. The fifth element – money, becomes important as the organization matures and becomes bigger. Every single day, I ensure that I get the first four right.
According to you, what are the three qualities an individual must have to achieve success?
Courage – to take risks, Perseverance – to stay on course, Vision – to get there, Gumption – to tackle the unknown, Patience – for those long winding roads, and Humility – to stay grounded.
Which online tools/ services/ apps do you use the most and would like to recommend as well?
- LinkedIn – For Networking
- BaseCamp – For Project Management
- MailChimp – For Bulk Email
- JustinMind
- Wireframes Google
- Analytics
- Uber/Ola/Meru Apps – Travel
Share any one habit which you think makes you more productive.
I always have a To Do List, which has my short, medium and long term tasks clearly listed.
Share any one habit which you wish to change in yourself.
My average sleep time of less than five hours every day. This has to change!
Answer in less than 50 words
• One tip to success:
If you don’t love what you do, either learn to love it or move on to doing something you would love doing!
• One mistake you believe every individual must avoid:
The biggest mistake one can make is not take the risk to make a mistake. Failures teach us a lot more than success ever can!
• One most important lesson that you have learnt till now:
Success has many partners, failure almost none!
What are your plans for next 3 years?
Our three key areas of focus in the next couple of years is to widen our product range,expand our services to newer geographies, and achieve larger scales.
If you get a chance to start your career again what would you do differently this time?
Not matter how tough it has been thus far, I wouldn’t want it any other way.
What are your top three getaway destinations?
Goa Any Wildlife Resort Home
Share a quote that inspires you the most.
“Freedom is not worth having if it does not include the freedom to make mistakes.”