A computer science graduate Rohan Dighe worked in few companies before actually starting his venture in 2008. He is a passionate geek who always wanted to do something around social media. His prior jobs had great contribution towards this tendency as most of them engaged him in similar business activities.
ViralMint is a viral marketing platform that assists businesses in customer targeting, sales enhancement & conversion multiplication by strengthening user engagement levels. The platform entails one-time integration and some monthly charges while rest is taken care by the marketing team. As of now, its clients’ list includes both the paying ecommerce giants like Snapdeal and several free-trial users. But Rohan’s journey was no less difficult, especially the beginning. Being from a middle class Indian family, he struggled for establishment and faced quite a few challenges. This interview with Yo Success briefs all about his proud startup journey.
What is your life mantra?
Like Buddha said, “If anything is worth doing, do it with all your heart.” Take every opportunity that comes your way and strive your best to turn things for the better.
What is your startup all about?
ViralMint is an e-commerce marketing platform that helps Marketers maximize their revenues. It helps brands acquire new fans/followers, increase sales, improve conversion rates and build engagement. ViralMint reaches out to retailers/brands and helps them achieve maximum ROI on their marketing campaigns using the power of Social Media. What’s more interesting is that it is a self-service platform which helps Marketers run and analyze their campaigns in real-time!
Founded in 2011, ViralMint’s products are a concoction of Social Experiences which enable marketers to boost sales, increase conversions and drive engagement. They have a diverse portfolio of products which are built with the aim of delivering superlative experience to both marketers & customers.
Based out of Pune, ViralMint is a rapidly growing entrepreneurial start-up by Rohan Dighe. It has a team of young and vibrant employees who are extremely passionate about Social Marketing!
What inspired you to establish ViralMint?
We realized that there was a dearth in the availability of tools for marketers to run campaigns independently. Even after a campaign was ready, Marketers would have to rely on their tech team to make it go live. This was resulting in a lot of time consumption and campaigns had to go through multiple funnels before being implemented.
That’s exactly why we decided to create a product which is designed to make every marketer’s life hassle-free! It is a self-service platform which enables them to run campaigns instantly and independently.
Would you like to share some details about the investments that you have been able to fetch for the business till now?
Seedfund invested in ViralMint back in 2012. We are currently looking to raise a Series B funding in the forthcoming year.
What was the most challenging part of your journey till now?
India is the one of the most difficult markets to work in!
In our country, the complexity is always high, cash flow is limited and the general perception towards new technology products is very restrained.
Our biggest hurdle was to make marketers understand the potential of on-site customer engagement!
How did you overcome those challenges?
We ensured consistency in delivering the best products and services to the industry. Our customers have always been our highest priority! We helped them at every phase, encouraged healthy feedback, tried to understand their needs and provided them with exactly what they wanted.
Additionally, we also conducted Webinars to create a distinct identity for ourselves in the industry and highlighted our success stories and milestones achieved with the media.
How do you protect yourself from the problem of Brain Drain?
We focus on our work culture. If you get your employees to start believing in ‘why’ instead of ‘what’, that’s when retention is guaranteed.We make our employees understand the purpose of our organization instead of focusing on the features of what we do.
Additionally, we also allow our employees to invest in the stocks of our company. This helps them feel more connected with the growth of the company and ensures retention. Our core leadership team already owns a fair amount of shares of the company.
According to you, what are the three qualities an individual must have to achieve success?
I think the biggest quality that helps an individual succeed is emotional durability! Then followed by persistence and strong conviction. Always remember, only when you believe in yourself will the world believe in you.
Which online tools/ services/ apps do you use the most and would like to recommend as well?
I use Twitter, Quora and Trello the most and would recommend them to one and all.
Share any one habit which you think makes you more productive.
I’m very particular about listing things and having a perfectly defined road map. I like being well-planned and I always write things down, even the smallest of ideas to avoid letting them slip away. I list down my tasks and let the lists run me. Be definitive, because being clueless will get you nowhere.
Share any one habit which you wish to change in yourself.
Sometimes, I allow my heart to take over my head which strongly hampers rational thinking. This is the one trait that I would like to alter. Also, at times I’m too much of a perfectionist which causes unnecessary hindrances. I’ve gradually come to terms with the fact that not everything in life can be controlled.
Answer in less than 50 words:
Never give up! DON’T focus on failure. Have faith and be so persistent that the entire universe works together to make it happen for you!
Also, be inquisitive. Question everything!
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One mistake you believe every individual must avoid:
Never forget your past learning. Learn from your failures and optimize them on your endeavor to success.
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One most important lesson that you have learnt till now:
Don’t wait for the perfect moment. Make the perfect moment happen for you!
What are your plans for next 3 years?
Our mission is to be the ‘GO TO’ platform for marketers to engage measure and monetize their audiences. We want to scale internationally, grow our presence across multiple countries and become the category leader in the forthcoming years.
If you get a chance to start your career again what would you do differently this time?
Honestly, I could have used my own learnings. Whatever I suggested that start ups should do in the above response, I could have used it myself back in the hey days. However like they say, better late than never, I believe that our growth rate has been more than satisfactory since our inception and our goals will soon be accomplished.
What are your top three getaway destinations ?
My top three favorites would be:
- Myonos, Greece
- Yosemite National Park
- Leh- Ladakh
Share a quote that inspires you the most.
The one quote which is the closest to me is, “Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will get you everywhere.” Albert Einstein.