Tell us something about yourself?
I am a graduate of Electrical Engineering from IIT Delhi batch of 2012. My primary passion has been the combination of innovation and technology and ultimately applying it for the benefit of society. A couple of my friends and me started this venture in April 2012 when we won the first prize in Start-up Weekend EDU Delhi.
Tell us something about your business.
Our product PerfectMyEnglish is designed to help students and professionals avoid the most common grammatical and usage errors in English. We aim to help them improve their English communication skills through our dynamic quiz platform which adapts to the learners’ skill level and provides detailed feedback and reports.
Regular visits to our website will help them see progress and gain confidence for job applications, interviews, entrance examinations and success at the workplace. Users can access and register for our website (http://www.perfectmyenglish.in) for free and download our mobile app which we are currently developing.
What is your philosophy towards work?
I believe in giving the best in all my endeavors and hate to see imperfection in work. Since my primary interests are in designing great tech products, I believe that the sense of design and layout is something that is equally important as the functionality, at times, even more.
Whom do you admire as your role model? And why?
I will name 2 people here – Steve Jobs and Shai Agassi. Steve jobs for his immense courage, sense of design and creativity along with the spirit of thinking ahead of the time. I am sure ‘Apple’ needs no mention here in terms of the influence it has had in the world of design of great tech products.
Shai Agassi has been a very influential Israeli entrepreneur and innovative thinker. I particular like his approach in the sense that he does not consider any limitations in terms of norms or standards in entrepreneurship.
“Management is core to every individual, organization & society.” Give your views on it.
Definitely, this is as close to truth as it can get. Think about what would happen if there was no sense of management in the society. Not only would it render every technology useless but at the same time, all policies and analysis that we come up with would be futile. It is the methods of management along with our approaches that define the difference.
Name 3 qualities of prime importance that a businessman should possess
– Street Smartness
– Ability to find/recognize the best in any person
– Resourcefulness
According to you, what are the challenges for Entrepreneurship today?
– Primary one is the notions floating in society and those people that believe in conventions blindly
– Team building with talented people
– Trust factor
– Fragmented interests of people
Can Entrepreneurship be taught in B-Schools/Management Institutes/Colleges?
Never, the only way to learn ‘how to build an enterprise’ is by actually going out there and building it. Nothing can substitute ‘real’ experience
Is the Name of the Institute from where a student pursues his/her Graduation/Post Graduation or other courses important while setting up your business?
Sometimes it is, depending on the type of business. If the business involves a very heavy factor of alumni or institutional participation, a person’s background and credentials can provide an easy path. However, the absence of it does not mean that the same level cannot be acquired; it is simply a matter of intelligence and perseverance.
Do you think today’s economy is conducive for a new venture to start upon?
Definitely. In fact, I believe that this is one of the best times as it during tough times like this (Recession) when the major big corporations are bogged down by unforeseen challenges and new hurdles every day that the new ventures find opportunities to solve. After all, it is the core problem that a start-up solves that defines it.
“Earning more & more is the motive behind any business.” Is it justifiable?
In some sense, it is but not always. Think of it from the point of view of business, the wealth that it creates is what contributes the most to its growth as well as the society. The major mistake that the people make is that they believe ‘Wealth = Money’ however money is just a physical means to perceive the transaction. The real value resides in the products of a firm as well as the processes that it follows for the benefit of the society.
Share with us the most enjoyable moment you had experienced on work.
The most enjoyable moments are those when our users come to us (online or physically) and deeply appreciate our efforts. Their own words – ‘Your product is very useful. It has made my learning more efficient and convenient. I will recommend it to anyone’
Your feedback for BMS.co.in?
Try to go for unique and well researched articles. That will build an even larger trust in the base of readers.
COMPANY PROFILE
History-
April 2012 – Idea was born, fetched first prize at Start-up Weekend Delhi, featured – India Today
August 2012 – Alpha released in public
November 2012 – Beta released in public, featured on nextbigwhat.com
April 2013 – Nominated among ‘top 8 innovative start-ups’ in India
April 2013 – Android application released, 3000 installs in first month
Vision/Mission-
- Adaptive learning that suits to the learner’s levels
- Content that leverages their communication skills in English language
- Learning on the go anytime, anywhere through the web and mobile platforms
Products & Service-
– Quiz Engine (Web platform and mobile app)
– Group discussions via simple phone call (in the launch phase)
Marketing Strategy-
– Credible and easy to find (Campus communities)
– Online campaigns on social media in relevant groups
Existing Market Presence-
– Mainly professionals and students
– Age group varies from 18 – 40
Future Plans-
Loads 🙂 –
– Offline ‘PerfectMyEnglish’ Summer camps and semester workshops with colleges and schools starting with Jaipur and Delhi/NCR.
– Sharing of our platform – We provide the college or training institute with a valid license to our content engine as well as a special combined plan for PerfectMyEnglish Voice! (When it gets implemented). Hence, the concerned organization gets the advantage of putting their exclusive content (can be personalized) on our delivery engine which uses our algorithms deployed
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