Silus Reddy Chintapalli is a simple minded person who believes immensely in hard work and is ready to take risks. He studied B.E (Hons), Electrical & Electronics at Birla Institute of Technology and Science worked in various companies before co-founding his startup, MyWash.in. Prior to this venture, he worked in sales and marketing departments of 1Click and TopTalent.in. The experience gathered while taking care of sales wing proved crucial in establishing online laundry delivery service.
The idea to start MyWash.in came to life when he and few of his friends faced trouble to get their own clothes washed. This was how they realized that laundry service in Bangalore could be a trouble for many people like them. As one of the co-founders, he is actively involved in team management and acts as team leader, who always hunts for new opportunities to learn and grow. Read more about him in this interview
Please provide a brief overview of your product/ service.
We offer a pretty simple and basic service – laundry. Our service offering is pretty simple we come to your house, pickup your dirty laundry, wash & iron them and delivery them back in a neat eco-friendly bag.
What inspired you to build the above product/ service?
After college, we were facing issues in getting our own laundry done. The maid was doing a terrible job to my louis philippe shirts and the nearest laundromat is just 2 kms away but takes atleast 1 hr to reach from my home in the Bangalore traffic. We realized that this is a big problem many like me are facing. Hence we thought we will solve this. Thus MyWash.in was born
What is your life mantra?
I don’t know if i have one but usually I am very spontaneous and love to live one moment a time. I am a foodie and loves dogs, movies, and travelling. I am pretty simple.
What was the most challenging part of your journey till now?
The most challenging part was being calm and at the same time to be aggressive. We hired a good talent right from the beginning. Inspiring this talent to stay with me and work on my vision is not a simple task. In fact it is a great responsibility.
How did you overcome those challenges?
We are 3 co-founders and that really helped us in overcoming these challenges. Also, I refer to the knowledge I gained from books, movies and videos which teach leadership in these cases.
Share some details about the investments that you have been able to fetch for the business till now.
We will reveal details about our funding progress very soon.
How do you protect yourself from the problem of Brain Drain?
This is a huge challenged and I believe we have been fairly successful in retaining everyone who has joined us. We have very less retention rate. perhaps it is owing to the fact that we have a transparent, open and happy office culture.
According to you, what are the three qualities an individual must have to achieve success?
- Hard work
- Humleness
- Patience
Share any one habit which you think makes you more productive.
I think I can delegate the work very effectively. Even though I take my own time in trusting my colleagues and training them. I think this makes me very efficient.
Share any one habit which you wish to change in yourself.
Impatience, I am very impatient and makes decision very fast. I think I need to slow down a bit.
Answer in less than 50 words
One tip to success:
Hard work will take it time but will ultimately pay off.
One mistake you believe every individual must avoid:
Getting de-focused, especially in the tough times.
One most important lesson that you have learnt till now:
Co-founders are important. Employees are more important. Customers are most important.
What are your plans for next 3 years?
We want to make laundry a ridiculously simple task for everyone. We want to beautify this domain the way bookmyshow did to movie ticket booking.
If you get a chance to start your career again what would you do differently this time?
I would start with a startup instead of a PSU.
What are your top three getaway destinations?
- Kulu Manali
- Andaman Nicobar
- Leh
I have never been to ourside india sadly.
Share a quote that inspires you the most.
“The biggest risk is not taking any risk”.