The Onsite & Offshore Talk with Suresh Ashok
Welcome to the Onsite & Offshore talk show. A dedicated Podcast for Professionals involved in Offshore projects, where we chat with, Business Owners, Project Managers, analysts and Software Developers who have successfully supported their overseas clients from India and connect with entrepreneurs who outsource the work to offshoring firms.
In each episode, Host Suresh Ashok brings out the most inspiring stories of his guests. He explores their journey and how they got to where they are now. He also delves into the strategies that have helped them reach their goals and the lessons that can be learned from their experiences.
Regards,
Suresh Ashok
https://onsiteandoffshore.com/
The Onsite & Offshore Talk with Suresh Ashok
Thriving Through Digital Transformation: Jagan Selvaraj & Aditya Santanam’s CEO Journeys
In this episode, we interviewed two dynamic leaders, Jegan Selvaraj, CEO of Entrans Inc & Infisign Inc, and Aditya Santhanam, Founder and CTO of Infisign & Entrans Inc.
Here’s what you can expect:
Jegan Selvaraj’s Entrepreneurial Journey:
- From college graduate in 2005 to securing his first U.S. client for developing a supermarket point of sale system.
- Emphasizes the importance of proactive communication with international clients.
- Highlights adaptability as a crucial skill for success in the global market.
Aditya Santhanam’s Insights on Technology Leadership
- His role as Founder and CTO of Infisign & Entrans driving innovation in digital transformation.
- How he navigates the challenges of leading a tech-driven company and fostering a culture of continuous experimentation.
Leadership Challenges:
- Discusses navigating the complexities of leading a tech-driven company.
- Advocates for fostering a culture of continuous experimentation within the organization.
Career Evolution:
- Near miss with Deloitte and how the tech surge of 2014-15 led me to embrace the startup ecosystem.
- How emerging fields like blockchain, analytics, and data science opened new opportunities.
Long-standing Collaborations:
- Decade-long partnership with Jegan Selvaraj.
- Successful ventures like Entrans and Infisign, showcasing cutting-edge technology implementations.
Don’t miss out on this engaging episode filled with expert insights and inspiring stories that can motivate you in your own entrepreneurial journey!
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https://bit.ly/m/Onsite-Offshore-Talk
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If you're someone who has experience in successfully managing Onsite and offshore business models, whether in the Information Technology Industry, BPO, Import and export, or any other field you specialize in.
We would love to hear from you! We are excited to hear your success stories and share them with our audience. Please don't hesitate to reach out to us.
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Hi everyone, thanks for tuning in. Welcome to another episode of the Onsite and Offshore podcast. I'm your host, suresh Ashok, founder of Munsee Infotech, with a passion for selling and supporting offshoring projects, where we chat with business owners and professionals involved in offshoring initiatives and also connect with entrepreneurs who outsource their work to India. Today, on the Onsite and Offshore podcast, we are joined by Jagan Selvaraj, ceo of Entrance Technologies, and Aditya Santanam, ceo and CTO of Infisign. Jagan specializes in digital transformation and cloud computing, leading entrance technologies to provide practical tech solution, and Aditya focuses on decentralized identity, iam, ai and automation and infoscience, solving problems across industry. Both have strong expertise in offshore development and global tech leadership. Looking forward to hearing their insight today. Welcome to the show, aditya and Jagan. How are you guys doing today? Hey, doing well, suresh.
Speaker 2:Thank you so much. Show, aditya and jagan. How are you guys doing today? Hey, doing well, suresh. Thank you so much, hey, suresh, we are doing great. Thanks for uh, you know uh having a discussion in saturday evening well.
Speaker 1:Thank you so much. You guys are taking your time out of your busy schedule. I know both are very busy individuals, uh, so it means a lot to me. Thank you so much. As we always do ask our guest uh, this the one question, looking question, which I always start with can you both share when and when you were exposed to working with international flying, and what was the initial experience like for each of you?
Speaker 2:Yeah, from my side. You know I finished my college in 2005. And but I had a passion to start my own company. Right, and you know I had I have always this question you know, right, when to start, where to start, how to start my own company, right, and you know I had I have always this question you know, right, when to start start, where to start, how to start? You know always. You know we have a first starting problem, right, you know what I uh did is.
Speaker 2:You know I initially like what I did is I started axing. You know like shopping my axe in the sense, uh, learning a technology. Then you know I was implementing it for, you know, while I'm working. Then you know I know that this is my right skill. Then what I did is I started approaching to you know us customers. You know that's when you know like I thought, okay, you know we can make a, you know good money, or you know like we can make a big impact. Then you know I uh started emailing them. Hey, I am skilled at this technology. Uh, do you have any work on? You know doing any development of your for your website? Uh, like that. And I started emailing 100 people. And then, you know, I got first response and that was my first customer.
Speaker 2:You know, I started as a freelancer and, um, that customer, you know, like uh, was developing a point of sale uh system where, uh, you know, we used to work and I used to work in the night and uh uh develop that system for for him.
Speaker 2:And you know like, then, you know, we have to deploy it in all the supermarkets in us. So, uh, we got to, and you know like, uh discuss with a lot of you know people who are, you know, much educated, also like people who are, you know, working in the supermarket stores. So you know, that was a great learning for me. And uh, uh, you know uh, we, we should uh ping the you know supermarket customers and say that, hey, we have a update coming in. You know you want to update it like that and I will, I'll, I'll bring them and then, you know uh, on their free time, they'll, they'll leave the point of sale because, you know, point of sale is always a busy. So we have to uh communicate with them in such a way that you know they are very accommodative in getting the updates in and uh helping you to uh making sure that that software is running successfully, so so that was my first experience wow, that was long back, right.
Speaker 1:I mean, from what you're saying, you started directly out of your college and, uh and I've got an opportunity in 2007, 2007.
Speaker 1:Okay, and what motivated you do that? Because, uh, looking at your career, like you know how you started, that was pretty risky, right, because you didn't get any exposure to work for any particular organization. Uh, if you have done that like you know, at least you'd have gained some knowledge about international market as well as uh working for overseas client. Uh, but directly, you know, jumping into setting up your, uh, you know working as a freelancer. I mean, where did this confidence come from?
Speaker 2:check it. See, you know, um, so, going back right. So, uh, I have, you know, always, have, you know, had this philosophy. You know, like, uh, when the opportunity comes to you, just grab it and give your best, don't worry about the result. You know, learning matters, result doesn't, so result is just a byproduct of our hard work and our smart work. So I always have this you know philosophy in my mind, so in my, uh, in our schoolings, you know, um, uh, I, I used to, you know, dream to go to usa. So that was my only dream, you know, like, in my school, I should go to us when I finished my college, so that, so now my dream is all set, like my.
Speaker 2:I came from a village background.
Speaker 2:Then, you know, like, from Nazareth, trichandur to Chennai, you know, I came for college.
Speaker 2:And in my college, you know, when we started our college, you know, dr APJ Abdul Kalam has, you know, given a very bold statement to all the youngsters to dream and to dream about, you know, india to become a superpower by 2020. So that that really triggered me. Okay, let me dream for India and what the dream is like, you know, to to make sure that you know, india achieves a superpower from my side, what is my contribution to the dream? Then, you know, I told, like, let me dream that you know I should have 100 employees by 2020 under me. So that is the contribution for me to abdul kalam and for india, for india becoming a superpower. So so, without any background, you know, a rural guy dreaming about giving a 100 people employment in 2001 was really not a practical thing, but you know that was my dream. But you know that drove me to start a company. And you know, so, like, once you keep dreaming, right, you know you will, your each and every action will go towards it. So that that's the trigger point for me.
Speaker 1:Interesting Jagan. Do you know that my father's native is Trichendo? That's the first temple I visited? Do you know the famous Murugan temple in Trichendo? Yeah, yeah, yeah, that's my father's native as well. And how about you, aditya? I mean, by the way, this is the first time I'm hosting two people in the session. Yeah, yeah, so it's always been an individual.
Speaker 3:So, yeah, so what about your story? When did you get first exposure to international audience? Yeah, so, uh, you know, I probably, uh, you know, marked my experience in two uh stages of my life, right. So the first stage was again like what jagan was also mentioning it was probably straight out of college, but I was again working for a big mnc which was ibm at that particular point and so, uh, so, at that particular point of time, you know, when you directly start getting into a project, uh, number one, working with large mncs as clients and having to deliver a particular project and having to explain, was slightly intimidating at the very beginning.
Speaker 3:But something that I realized when I began my career was, you know, knowledge basically has got, you know, no, what is a no, bounds, as you know, when it comes to language and all of that right. So that was when, you know, I started understanding the power of, as you know, when it comes to language and all of that right. So that was when, you know, I started understanding the power of knowledge, you know, at the very beginning stage. You know, and that was, you know, and that was very, you know, empowering for me, because that is something that no one actually teaches in our educational system. Right, of course, you know you learn programming, you learn all of that. But then, uh, when you start communicating, uh, you know a particular solution to a particular problem for any particular project. That's when people start taking a notice of you, right? So that is the first experience that I had, and the second stage of experience, uh, you know, would be probably when we began uh, business uh, right together and then we started off in trans and then infusing and we started interacting with our client, because at that particular point of time, you know, it is a completely different story, right. So you become, uh, pretty much uh, the owner of that particular project and they look up to you for credibility, because it's it's quite a very different experience when you have a big brand behind you backing whatever you do.
Speaker 3:When you know it is like you know a starting stage of a company, and then you basically are the brand that you're impressing and at that particular point of time, you know, uh, something that you know I would probably tell people, uh, who were venturing in the same direction uh, you know, stay extremely confident and you have to be a master of your craft, right?
Speaker 3:And uh, there should be, uh, you know. So, for example, when, when I probably started off in the identity, I was not an expert right of of identity, but I remember uh pretty much, you know, buying different books, uh, listening to podcasts, listening reading so many uh materials almost every single day. So I understand every single jargon, I understand every single tech out. I used to play around with so many open source libraries. So at that particular point of time, when you begin your own journey and you start working with international clients international or regional does not matter, because when you represent your own brand, you have to be a master of the craft is what I've learned and I've worked for all all these years surish, yeah, and who was the first client?
Speaker 3:other tip uh, when it comes to uh my own, uh, this thing uh no, when you started your career, you said you started your career in ibm, right, I was british petroleum, all right, and what is your role in that?
Speaker 1:So I was an associate software engineer. Right, and when did you guys get together in setting up Entrance and InfoSign? Okay, I mean either one can take it up. I mean I don't have any problem, both can share your stories Absolutely.
Speaker 3:You know, I'll probably give a quick background of how we met and then we go from there. So, um, you know, for me it was, I worked with big brands and then, uh, you know, I was about to get into deloitte, uh, in technology consulting, and at that particular point of time, you know, I wasn't very happy with uh, you know what deloitte was offering and uh, stuff, and that's when I wanted to. I was inclining more towards startups, because you know how exciting things were at that particular point. Because that's when blockchain, analytics, data science you know, this was back in 2014, 15, right, so that's when all of this, you know, we had so much to play around with tech.
Speaker 3:Never before in our history we had so much of technologies to play around with, right, so that was probably the best time to be with a startup. And that's when I got a call from Jagan. And ever since then, you know, it's almost been 10 years of, you know, working together and and then, you know, I got into Jagan's company and then that company was acquired by TBS. Ever since, right from the point we met, we've always been experimenting with new technologies, and one such new technology is what ventured into Entrance and InfoSense.
Speaker 1:Right and Jagan, do you want to add on to that?
Speaker 2:Yeah, definitely. So one of my greatest know, greatest, uh, you know, finding are in my, you know, like my breakthrough is, you know, finding aditya right, so, uh, so, like you know, when you're you're.
Speaker 1:You're saying that on purpose, like you know, just to impress aditya.
Speaker 2:I'll give it like an example, right, you know like you are running a company with the 80 employees at the time. So at the time you know aditya was, you know, maybe around you know two or three years experienced, uh, you know like I'm not sure. So you know, at the time you know he came in and you know, um, when we started working together, you know like, you know I, I noticed you know like something different with this guy, uh, and you know I started trusting him and you know giving him. You know like something different with this guy and you know I started trusting him and you know giving him. You know huge works. You know like that is impossible works. If something comes in, you know I used to push it to Aditya and he will crack it and you know he will, you know, deliver it and the client will always be very appreciative. So then you know like, whenever you know like any impossible works comes in, you know Aditya is the go-to guy and you know at that time I decided, you know like, if I'm going to start, you know another company, so definitely Aditya is going to be part of it.
Speaker 2:So you know like, so, from my point, you know like life is all about. You know, our entrepreneurship is all about, you know, connecting the missing dots, dots. So what is dot is missing for me is uh. Aditya is one of my missing dot right. So, like you know, we, we, uh. If I connect that dot, we both can easily complement each other. So that's the uh way we look at each other. You know, like you know, I have a lot of disadvantages and aditya might have a lot of, you know, disadvantages, but you know, we complement each other and you know, and we play around each other's strengths. So that is taking us to the next level. So that's what my learning in this situation.
Speaker 1:Right, and both of you have extensive experience now in managing offshore teams. How do you ensure smooth communication and collaboration between onshore and offshore teams? Do you have any specific methods or tools that work particularly well?
Speaker 3:yeah, um, so I'll probably add on to this, and I think jagan can also add. I mean, from what, uh, you know, I've seen, uh, suresh is, uh, you know, especially when you're running a product, right, and you basically have multiple modules and you want to delegate these modules across your teams, whether onshore, on-site or offshore, so you basically will have to have a very strong process in hand, because people usually discount how important a particular process is, at least at the very beginning. They think it's cool to basically be lean and not have a process. But it's exactly the opposite, right. So what I've seen is, if, suppose, if you have the right tools these days, you know, probably have the right boards on Jira, have the right stories written there, because, as a product, you know, when you're building a product, especially, you need to have the vision and that vision has to be broken down into proper stories. And once that is done, and once those stories are in place and you've broken down all those stories into proper sprints, and once you have the right communication medium for example, for us, jira and Slack are, you know, you know are like, you know, the best tools that, uh, you know, we currently use and if you use them right.
Speaker 3:I think, be it managing offshore or on site, it is going to be uh, seamless for you, right, and, of course, uh, you know, you basically will have to be on top of it, and it is very, very, very important for someone to set the right vision right. So this is my experience, right. So, uh, so I usually think of, you know, I usually begin my day, uh, getting this messaging right for my product, and this has actually helped me, you know, it has actually helped me be more agile, uh, you know, have a track of everything that I do and have visibility as to what is done, what is not done, and it also tells me if I'm headed in the right you know direction as a leader, right? So this is something that I follow day in and day out.
Speaker 1:Right, and can you just, you know, walk us through in detail about the process you have, especially managing offshore development work, for example? Uh, you know you got the order, the contract is signed, and what are the next steps involved, and automated steps involved, like you know.
Speaker 3:uh, for the till the delay, okay um, so I'll also let jagan uh lead this. But, uh, you know for me, um, um, you know for me, the minute I get the contract, as I started before, it is to set the right planning. So, in fact, at Entrance, we spend a lot of time on discovery, especially for fixed bid kind of projects. So we spend a good amount of time a month or month and a half, just for planning. So the reason why that is very important is, uh, you know, someone's given you the vision in this case, right, it's not a product, it's a service and at that particular point you have to go into the details.
Speaker 3:Right, you have to go into each and every line item, understand, uh, what is the skill set that you need for delivering that line item? How are you going to deliver it? What does it take at each levels of the architecture front end, middleware, back end, whatever you know is the level. So you have to get into each level of level of detail and then basically start understanding what teams to onboard, from where you're going to onboard who's going to be leading it. So that is how we normally look at it. So it is extremely critical for us to do the planning right, because once you do the planning right, the team, the management for that particular team is all going to fall in place. You know that is completely my belief and you know it is something that has worked for me all these years. I'll also let Jagan give his comments on this.
Speaker 1:Yeah, jagan, and so can you add an example of a client. What was the scope of work and how did it work with the process you have?
Speaker 2:Yeah, so I predominantly work with my. So how we started is, for example, one of our customers. He came to us with a high-level problem statement that they have data from multiple sources. That's a retail customer. They have data from multiple sources, which includes, you know, traditional mainframe systems and also they have data in ERPs you know, Oracle, business Suite, netsuite, kind of a very traditional environment and they wanted a visualization layer to be in place. But you know, they wanted a unified visualization layer. So this is the high level, you know, pain point. They they brought in.
Speaker 2:Then you know we as a team, you know, had gone in and had done an initial study with them and tried to have a brainstorming session with each of their functional teams and we started capturing the requirements what is their existing system and what is the type of data they are holding it and then from there we were able to collect all those things and then we were given a detailed proposal in such a way that, uh, along with the architecture, um, in such a way that you know, uh, we given a one-year road map, in such a way that you know like you can able to achieve these, these, these kpas, at the end of your uh implementation. So what that means is my pre-sales team, along with my you know technical architect and my business analyst, has conveyed that. You know we have promised something to the customer and uh documented it and signed a sow and we uh closed the deal and now it is closed. Right now it has to be transferred to my it, our, to our development team. So from this stage, you know, like uh aditya and uh his team take over that and go in detail again for one more month with the customer and detail it out in high level. We have defined the goals and from that they will detail it out and prepare a detailed, you know, srs documentation, brd, frd, uh, apa documentation, um, db design, um, end-to-end UI, ux flows all these things they will define and they will give a blueprint to the customer and they will request for sign-off.
Speaker 2:So this phase is we call it as very crucial phase. Only reason because this is the phase where we all will miss out to start the project in a hurry without any planning. We all will miss out to start the project in a hurry without any planning. So we will take this quality time and make sure that you know we are capturing everything and everything is frozen and then you know if we push it to the team for the agile. You know development planning, so that's where you know we have seen success in very complex, at large projects.
Speaker 1:Right, fantastic. So what I understood was you guys invest lots of time before signing the contract and discovery session, then planning, then allocating resource for that particular project, you know, before jumping into the development world.
Speaker 2:Yeah. So I would like to add, right, you know that is one of our USP in our business model. Would like to add, right, you know what. You know that is one of our usp in our business model. Our usp is to give more value to the customer before they sign any contract with us. So what that means is you know our customer can get, you know, like at least I would say, twenty thousand to thirty thousand dollar worth of consulting effort, um, before they get the project done, you know, or before they allocate the budget into the project, right? So what that means is you know it goes with this philosophy, right?
Speaker 2:So, like you know, first, you know you have to give in any kind of relationship, and you know you have to understand business is all about, you know, building a relationship. Not like you know it's like giving money about. You know building a relationship not like you know it's like giving a money, taking the money, it is not like that. It is a building the relationship. So to build a relationship, first thing you have to learn is to give. So that is what we used to do and we give the value that. You know. This is the organization which is very selfless and they care about me, for example, as a CTO, if the customer should feel, hey, as a CTO, this company is the right company that can deliver my problem, because they think in my shoes and they own my problem and deliver it for me. So that is the confidence we will give to every customer. That is why we were able to retain all our customers in a relationship model.
Speaker 1:Absolutely Jagan, and that also gives your customer enough time to understand your team, as well as your skill set and your work and culture, and also the commitment you have given to the particular project, even before the the actual client started investing in the project exactly.
Speaker 2:You know, like we, we think it like this right. So, like you know we, we do dating with the customer, right, you know we do dating with the customer. No commitment, but you know we give everything and you know customer feel us, can explore us, and then you know, uh, once they are okay, this is the guy. You know, uh, who, who can take us, who we can work with us for, at least for two years or three years. Then you know, like, we, go into the commitment mode. So till that time, you know we'll, we'll be very open. You know giving all our best and you know, even if it is not turning out, you know we don't have any regret. You know, like we, we keep, constantly stay in touch with the customer because the customer will have the guilt to give the other project, next project to us, because you know these guys have done too much to us. Okay, why can't I give one more uh project to them?
Speaker 1:absolutely fantastic, good to know that and that's a very good policy you have, like you know, uh, without even expecting anything in the initial stages or taking any advance, you guys go full-fledged the moment there is a challenge at the client's face, or even a potential client, and do your research, investigation and provide a high-level blueprint or a scope. This is what we can deliver. That's fantastic, very good to know. Jagan, could you share a challenge from your early career that had a lasting impact on how you approach your work today, and also how did you overcome that challenge and shape your perspective as a leader and entrepreneur? Yeah, so for example.
Speaker 1:Let me add to that. For example, you've spoken about all successful projects. You have implemented Anything in the early stages of your career where it was a failed attempt. You know the client was very unhappy with the process you had and then you had to implement certain steps to overcome those challenges yeah, so I will uh, take this up question.
Speaker 2:You know, from my starting of my career, right, right. So when you start your career, you know, like uh, as a fresher, you know like a new person to coming into business. You know we always think that. You know, world revolves around me. What that means is, you know I am the only person available in the company and I should do every task. So that is the first mistake every person used to do. Right, like uh, it is always good to do for the first project. Then you know, um, then you know I started realizing that you know, single man work is not going to happen. So that is when you know, like teamwork is what you know, I started learning, okay, I need to have my own team. So that is when you know, like you know, I started my first co-founder. You know he's my um, his schoolmate and my classmate, my close friend.
Speaker 2:Then you know, like, we both joined and started delivering a project. But you know, at that time, then you know we found that, okay, this should not be dependent on two people. And now we started hiring. So, like you know, at that time, then you know we found that, okay, this should not be dependent on two people. And now we started hiring. So, like you know, we, you have to invest your money and hire brilliant people than you to do that task. And then you know you just delegate the task. So that is when you know we started building leaders. And once we started building leaders, you know you invest your money and building leaders, that's it. You know like that will help you to, you know, overcome any challenges which is coming into the projects. So that's how we navigated. All our challenges, you know happened in our projects after that.
Speaker 1:Fantastic. Anything to add? Aditya on that. Yes.
Speaker 3:From your side, sure Suresh, I think, plus one to what Jagan, you know, said as well. For me, again, the biggest learning is to delegate, right. I think that is something that you do not learn when you begin, but eventually you start understanding. Delegating is the only way, you know, for you to progress right. So that is a definite plus one for me as well. And the second one is you know, especially, you know, considering, you know most of our upbringing and all of that you know, what happens is, you know, there is a lot of inferiority, complex. That kind of kicks in right, especially for me.
Speaker 3:I had a lot of, I mean for me to basically come out, project my ideas at the very beginning of my career. Uh, you know, I used to be very uh, uh, what is there is to be a lot, a lot more shy, and I used to not come and speak out my ideas, uh. But it did happen, like in in one project where I spoke my mind and then, you know, I started getting recognition after that, right. So so something that I learned, you know, to basically apply till date, was to never be afraid or never think your ideas are far too low from what someone's, you know someone wants, or someone wants you to project, because you should never, you should never look down on your ideas, right? So this is something that I tell everyone in my team, no matter how good or bad you think, wants you to project, because you should never, uh, you should never look down on your ideas, right? So this is something that I tell everyone in my team no matter how good or bad you think your ideas are, just speak out your ideas, because you're you know, you can never go wrong for sharing, right? So, uh, so that is something that I learned.
Speaker 3:Uh, it was a challenge before which, uh, you know, I've worked on and, uh, it has helped immensely for us, because I still I still remember, you know, I think me and jagan walked up to one of the largest insurance provider in the world and we spoke to them about artificial intelligence, exactly like what gpd is talking, I mean, what gpd is doing today. We spoke about it, I think in 2017, I guess I'm not very sure about the year, I think 2017 or 18, I'm not very sure but we spoke to them then, right? So that was how wild our thoughts were, and thoughts are still. But you know and this has come out only because of you know what we were able to understand about what ideas can do, and that is exactly what Jagan was talking about. He gave an antidote about Abdul Kalam. I think that's something that's inspired all of us.
Speaker 1:Right, and Jagan, I completely agree with you delegating work and finding the right team members for that, because for a long period, even I had the same problem, like you know. Being in sale, I used to do just everything like data mining, email campaign, then code calling, then going on the meeting and, trust me, it never worked. You know, kind of you go through a point where you feel saturated Listen, I'm done with it, I need to do something else as well. Point, like you know, where you feel saturated listen, I'm done with it, I need to do something else as well. So over the years, even I started uh, you know, in bringing in resources and building a team on that. So that's a very valuable piece of advice. So anyone who's in business, uh, who thinks that you know he can do all it never works out. You need to have a proper team in place proper team, you know. Higher resources, uh, you know, dedicated for that particular skill set.
Speaker 1:And also, can you each talk about your company's growth journey? What have been some of the key milestone or defining moments in scaling your business? Because what I also had I mean, you know, you guys know it like I had a call with kapil as well, uh, he was, I guess, in the last episode. Uh, he said, like you know, guys started with very small and now the team is close to 450 plus, yeah, so, yeah. So what's the growth journey about?
Speaker 2:so I I'll put it in a different perspective, right? Um? So 2008, I started my first company to reach 120 employees. It took, you know, nearly uh, eight years for me to grow to 120 employees without any external funding, in bootstrap manner. So it took eight years to grow to 120 employees. But you know, um, then we got an exit. Then you know, we have learned that.
Speaker 2:You know I am missing. You know, like, with two co-founders, with two founders, we were able to make 220 employees and we were missing, uh, the piece of you know sales, enterprise sales and we were missing the piece of you know finance the knowledge in enterprise sales and we were missing the piece of you know finance the knowledge in the corporate finance and we are missing the you know in the HR space, where how to you know, like when you grow, like how to handle the human resource, and you know all the process in place. So, like you know, we were missing in that. Only thing we know well is doing technology. Rest of the other things were missing dots in our life and also like a pure core tech innovator that's one of the part who can able to crack the new technology and bring in a newer technologies faster into the organization. So these are some of the missing pieces that we had. So what we did is, you know, when we started our other company, our new company in 2020, you know, we make sure that you know, we have. You know all the co founders in place in such a way that you know, like we have around you know, five co founders in this company right now, where you know like one is focusing on technology, one is focusing on delivery and one is focusing on the you know strategy and the operations, and other one is focusing on in the enterprise, sales, and other one is focusing on the finance.
Speaker 2:So, this way, you know like in four years, you know we were able to reach to 450 employees, but you know, when compared to this, it's an eight-year journey for reaching 120 employees. You know, with our learning and the missing puzzles, with all the connected dots, we were able to achieve this. And you know like, within this four years, we were able to achieve 50 plus customers and, in that, two Fortune 500 customers, and we have built successfully. You know like the indian office and you know our indian office is, you know, in a very premium it park. You know, and also in us we have around, you know, 50 employees uh, working over there.
Speaker 2:You know that also, like is our key establishment. You know, like uh with with zero prior knowledge in us, uh, us direct employment. We were able to achieve that within these four years and we have delivered multiple, you know Gen AI projects within the span of this one year. You know, like around eight projects. We have delivered you know enterprise AI projects and we have delivered, you know multiple migration projects, including, you know, clickview to Tableau migration, clickview to yout to Power BI migration and also multiple data engineering, very complex data engineering projects, very complex data analytics projects and very complex product engineering projects, including the front-end engineering, back-end engineering and DevOps. So in this four years, we were able to navigate through the latest technologies and were able to solve problems in a bigger scale.
Speaker 1:It's a great achievement, jagan and Aditya, because you guys started when I mean when we started our career, like all the bigger organizations, infi and Wipro TCS, they almost occupied all the spaces, right, isn't it? So for someone starting post, uh, 2015, it was a difficult challenge, the reason being offshoring was already an established thing. Everybody knew about it, uh. So, starting from that then and now to reach, uh, you know, the employee center 450 in india as well as in united states, I think that's a massive achievement.
Speaker 1:What you guys have done in a short span of time.
Speaker 2:And Adi can speak about how he scaled InfoSign product right. So we have two companies right. One is Entrance we have spoke about it and InfoSign we started with a greater vision of because our competitors are so big in this market. It's a well-established industry, for example, our competitors are so big in this market it's a well-established industry. For example, our competitors, like you know, okta, office of the World, or Ping Identity, or Microsoft, entra. So we are competing against these giants.
Speaker 2:But you know we have built our technology in such a way that you know Aditya is the key man behind it. He will explain it, but you know I'll give a small gist about it. If you take in the car industry, benz, porsche, bmw can be the biggest brand, but Tesla is the one who does the same driving. But they implemented it in a very different technology and they disrupted the world. That's how, in the identity and access management space, we have used a technology called self-sovereign identity, which is completely a decentralized identity approach. Instead of storing all your millions of records in a centralized server, we store it in a decentralized manner but achieve the same identity and access management for the workforce identity and the customer identity and access management, and we were able to achieve the same scale and we are competing with these. You know very large. You know providers and you know we are showing a very good. You know competitions for them and you know our vision is to become a unicorn in this space and we are on the track for that.
Speaker 1:I'm sure you will Jagan, like you know, with the passion you guys have. And I was about to ask my next question was that only, like you know, with both companies offering high-tech solution in different areas? How do Entrance and Infizion complement each other working on a joint projects?
Speaker 3:Yeah, yeah, so you know the way we look at Suresh again, you know just, you know, like, what Jagan was also saying, and I just wanted to continue that as well. Right, also saying, and I just wanted to continue that as well. So, right, um, so, so the problem around how identity and access management is, uh, pretty much handled across different spaces, right, so across just just to interrupt you.
Speaker 3:So you are the brainchild behind creating this particular product interesting yes yeah yeah, so, uh, it was actually me and jagan, but jagan's uh, too kind to just mention my name, but uh, yeah, but it's just both of us actually, yeah, so, uh, yeah, but you know, just a background, right. So what happened was, uh, me and jagan used to play around a lot with blockchain technology when it came up, so we were extremely intrigued with what was happening around Bitcoin at that particular point, and we were also very intrigued about what we are doing with enterprise blockchain, because that was coming up way back in 2016-17. And we started doing a lot of work around it and we even went to to. We prepared a paper, we prepared a pilot and poc and we even presented it across the globe right, so we even flew down to california to present a paper on it. So we were doing a lot of this. And then we built our low code, no code blockchain platform way back in 2018, right, and we did this and at that particular point, we felt, you know, there was the technology.
Speaker 3:Though it was extremely, you know, extremely promising, it had a few inherent flaws in it, right, so you can't put everything on. Blockchain was the primary flaw, especially when it comes to industries where identity is concerned, right? So you can't put everything on. Blockchain was the primary flaw, especially when it comes to industries where identity is concerned, right? Just imagine Aditya's entire identity being on blockchain and anyone around the world having an access to it and able to verify it. I mean, that is definitely not the solution, right? So we looked at uh base, in which, uh, you know, you can basically correct this and make this better, and that's when self-sovereign identity is something that we stumbled upon, right? And once we did that, we started learning a lot more on it. We started understanding how personal identifiable information needs to be handled, and so that is something that infi sign works in day in and day out. It makes sure that, uh, you as a you as a person do not share uh unnecessary information for your access requirements, right? For example, if salesforce tomorrow is asking you for certain information, number one, suresh, should know what information he's sharing, and number two, uh, you know, it should be only that piece of information he shares. Right? For example, for you to get into a bar, all you need to show is if you are greater than 18 or 21 years, right? You don't have to show them your date of birth. You don't have to show them your address. You don't have to show anything else, right? So that is something that we worked on as a technology behind infi sign and that basically can not just open doors to a bar but also open doors to an application right? So we started integrating with a lot of the protocols and all that.
Speaker 3:Now, coming to your next question right? So you were asking about how Entrance and Infisign complement each other. So what we do is Infisign is a proper product company, right? So we are not interested from Infisign, we are not interested in services. So we are here to partner with a lot of system integrators across the globe, right? So Entrance is a system integrator for infi sign. So that's how we partner, right? So internally, what we do is for any uh system integration, for any implementation, for of infi sign to our customers, we use entrance, right? And on top of it there could be a lot more requirements. For example, uh, there could be infrastructure. Like you know, some of our clients have complete private networks, right? They don't have anything on public, or sometimes they might have a combination of both public and private networks. So in those cases we use Entrance to basically jump in, install InfiSign on local and public networks and make it work seamlessly Right yeah. So that, make it work seamlessly Right yeah. So that was it, suresh.
Speaker 2:So, and what Adi told right, you know. Apart from that, you know so business is all about relationship, right? So we get a lot of relationships in the entrance and through that relationship, you know, we were able to easily penetrate. For you know InFi sign, you know we can understand the pain points, you know that our customers are facing and we can easily position InfiSign also to them. It's like, you know, complementing each other on various ways.
Speaker 1:Right and what prompted you to create this product, InfiSign. Did you guys come across any areas in day-to-day operational activities where you felt like you know things could?
Speaker 3:there is a scope of enhancement in this yeah, so, uh, as I was saying earlier, suresh, the primary thing was how, uh, your personal identifiable informations are being dealt with today, right, right so, for example, uh, we created we work with uh, one company to basically create, you know, digital credentials on blockchain, right?
Speaker 3:so they used our platform to basically put all your digital credentials on the blockchain. They said, if you do that, you basically can make it tamper evident and tamper resistant sorry and then also make sure that it is easily verifiable, right, but the problem is, why should someone put my grades, my name, my date of birth on blockchain, right? They don't have the rights to do that because it's my personal identifiable information, right? So these are the challenges that exist today, suresh, that is happening predominantly, that Infisign wants to address Make sure that all your PII's are decentralized, stored on your wallet, right, and shared only with your consent. And what it does to open doors is, again, what solutions it offers. But then this is the primary thing that we wanted to solve for the market.
Speaker 1:And to you, both as leaders in technologies and business. How have you adapted your strategies to fit the needs of different international markets? Are there any standout challenges you had to overcome?
Speaker 2:our market is usa, right, right. So you know, first thing is like we have to understand the us culture and, um, you know, we have to be very straightforward with the customers. In india we can, you know, um, you know, uh, talk more, you know, and all those things. But in us you have to very straightforward hey things, but in the US you have to be very straightforward, hey, I can do this, this, this, and you have to be very true in it, right? So, like, talk the truth and also be there for them.
Speaker 2:You know, for example, because their time zone is completely different and our time zone is completely different, so you should not say that, no, I will available, you know, after 10 pm. Right, you know, because you know customer can face an emergency at their own time zone, right, because their time is still 5 pm est or pst. Right, so all these uh, uh things you need to understand if you are going to work with us. So you have to change yourself as a us citizen. If you are going, if you want an us dollar, then you have to think that you are from US and you are working in US, and then only you will understand their pain point. Then you know, like why they have to trust a person who is, more than you know, 20,000 miles away. So you should start, you know, working on each and every activities that should, you know, help you to build trusting trust you know with, about your company or about you, so that will help you to, you know, retain a long-term business from US.
Speaker 1:Right, and also, jagan, do you think our guys are not able to say no on the call, like you know, on the while gathering the requirement? Because that is one of the cultural thing, like you know, which I've also felt it every time, like you know, we get on a call Because of the culture, like you know, it's very hard for us to say no. I'll share an example. Last night I had this call with one of my clients in the United States, from Texas, so it was a Canva's app requirement. So he was asking a very specific question and I had to interview him because the developer was not able to say no to that particular thing or answer that specific question. So I had to intervene saying that listen, you know, to the developer saying that it's absolutely fine, you can say no if you don't know how to do it or you need some more time to research it. So I'm sure, like you know, when you would have experienced similar things in your entire career yeah, so that's a hard learning.
Speaker 2:You know, um you so you have to be always, you know, like, if you can't do it, say no, I tell that, hey, can I do some research? Give me two days time, get some time, can I research on this? And, you know, check with my internal team and revert back if we can able to do it or not. So if you don't want to say no, then you know, at least buy some time and to see, check with your team and revert back.
Speaker 1:Don't try to lie on that yeah, and also you mentioned about building you know client relationship. You also you already invested so much of time before getting the work. Can you share how you build a sustained, long-term relationship with your international clients? What strategy you have proven most effective in maintaining trust and loyalty? Any example of a client or a project?
Speaker 2:so, so I'll, you know, like tell this right. So, like myself, aditya and Kapil, we traveled to US twice, you know, in a year, and you know we spent nearly four months a year there. So what that means is, you know we visit them. You know we go and eat with them, you know dine with them, and then, you know, go to their office, understand their culture. So that's our foundation, you know, in in building our relationship right. And then you know, like we also like invite them to our country, right in our office space, and meet their developers, right, you know, because our developers used to work on, uh, work for them, then they have to understand what their developers are and what culture they are following, what is their like and dislikes. So then you know, like the third thing we used to do is on, you know, like understanding the time zone. Right, you know us has three different time zone.
Speaker 2:Each and every customer like what is their time zone and so that we can adjust ourselves for that time zone, and and and another thing is, like us customers are more time sensitive. So, for example, if you have to start a meeting by a certain time, like, you have to be on that time. So even if you are one minute delay, they will not accept that. So they are very conscious on the time, because in india, you know, time is not money, but there in us, time is money. So everything goes by hourly payment and all those things, right, and you know you have to also understand the holidays of us. You know thanksgiving and what is christmas and all these things. You should know. Uh, that and um, you know. Know their games. You know we all, we always go into the next level. You know, like, know their games. You know nfl is the key game there. You know you have to understand that, baseball, basketball and, uh, you know golf, right, you know all these things.
Speaker 2:You should understand and talk their language and know their landscape. You know, like in us, you know, like, what is special in texas and what is special in new york and what is special in, uh, california and what is special in utah, because all these landscape are different. You know, like the temperature is different. So us you know one key point daily everyone will talk this about weather. You know you have to know about what weather is going on, because in india, everywhere, everywhere, it is hot, right, so we don't care about weather, but there you know they'll have difficult weather.
Speaker 2:So all these things you know you need to know. And then you know you have to also educate. You know, like, how much you know festivals are so important for indian people, right? You know, for example, you know we have to educate them about Diwali. You cannot ask any people to work in Diwali, even whatever emergency it is, or work in Pongal kind of times. So these kind of cultural things we used to educate each other in such a way that we go for a longer term relationship with the customer.
Speaker 1:Absolutely. That's good to know that. And also, looking ahead what trends do you both see shaping the future of offshore development and global business? How are your companies preparing to stay in the competitive, evolving landscape?
Speaker 3:yeah, so. So the first thing, uh, suresh, is, I think, uh, you know, jni has probably started disrupting a lot of industries, right, and the first thing that anyone you know should basically look at is JNI, right, and how will AI have an impact on each of these industries that they contribute to? So that is something that we, we all, have to do and from uh, from what uh, you know as a trend, that, uh, you know, that we see in our company as well and across other companies as well, is, uh, you know, offshore development is not just going to be a pure resource augmentation play. Uh, and it is going to get difficult, you know, in the coming years. It is only because people are basically expecting some kind of a framework before they can offer someone, you know, an offshore development, especially in services.
Speaker 3:So it is very important, you know, to be to have some, you know, some framework in the area of play that you have. For example, if it is data engineering, you basically will need to have some kind of a key focus area in data engineering where you've already, uh, done, you know, been there, done that kind of a framework you can portray as a skill set, because if you do not have that. You know ai is pretty much going to be. It is going to get better than you know, each of the offshore development team or any service provider out there, right. So that is something that every one respect to what uh level of service you offer. I think you have to be prepared for and that is something that we internally, in entrance as well, are staying prepared, and you know we are also making sure that we use ai in our own frameworks to make sure that, you know, we are able to have a very strong offering to our clients so they understand what business value they get by offering that project to us.
Speaker 2:Adding to what adi told. Right, you know we use ai in marketing, we use ai in sales, we use ai in so they understand what business value they get by offering that project to us. Adding to what Adi told, we use AI in marketing, we use AI in sales, we use AI in development, we use AI in HR, we use AI in finance, we use AI in operations. So all these places we started adopting AI so that we are reducing our monotonous work and, you know, improving our quality of work. Can you share an example? Yeah, so, for example, you know uh in in marketing side, like we use multiple uh tools for you know content generation and you know give a small personal touch, but you know more uh. You know ai is helping us. And for seo side also, like you know ai is helping us a lot. And you know uh coming up with the new creatives. You know ai is helping us a lot.
Speaker 2:And um uh in ai in sales. You know, like you know we are. You know we are leveraging ai in uh. You know understanding the customer calls right, you know we use.
Speaker 2:You know multiple tools, including fireflies kind of tools, where you know it can help you to take a notes of each and every call and then you know what is the action items about it and you know, recently, like we have started one. You know a sales tool that can, you know, go to the next level in such a way that it can listen to your conversation and try to provide, you know, insights in the real-time call itself. For example, you know if we both are talking and if I missed out some point, it will show a small pop-up page I can talk about this point. So, those kind of creative things that we are doing in our sales side and for development side, we use Copilots a lot JITEP, copilot and other platforms for helping our developers. And again, in all the other fields right, you know, finance, hr and operations we are exploring multiple tools to simplify our jobs right and jagat I, I, one of my friend, like you know, was working for tcs.
Speaker 1:He came up and told me a story that guys have started using ai to write codes and uh, you know he can easily figure that out. Listen, this is not what I want you guys to do. Have you encountered any such uh issues within your position? See, you know what using? I just want to know, like you know, is it that helpful? Is that helpful?
Speaker 2:like you know, it's pretty helpful, right, you know, see, for example, right, you know, um, you, if yeah, I can solve you to write. You know the important part of coding. All you need to do is, you know, like, connecting the multiple codes is what you know you need to do, right? So, uh, I would say, like you know writing your coding, you know like you put your eight hours of effort to write the same code. Instead of that, you know you spend 10 minutes in getting the help from ai and doing it. You know, like, save the time and do do the other things. That's what we used to tell Work smart Because, anyways, if you are not going to do, some other company is going to do. So you have to adapt the technology, you have to embrace the technology and show the value to the customer.
Speaker 3:Yeah. So, adding to what Jagan said, suresh, I think there is a concept called pair programming. You know there is a concept called pair programming, right so? Where we put two people in for a particular task and say the book, so they both can pair and work on a particular task, right? So I see a like that, suresh, right?
Speaker 3:So it is definitely not wrong to use a copilot or use gpt for generating a piece of your code, because, because, uh, you know gpt, you know uh will not be able to understand your vision, right, it is you who has to understand it. But most of the code that, uh, you know, you know. For example, if you are trying to connect to a database or you want to understand a particular uh, uh, you know, you want to write a function to convert a date you know to a particular type, or something like that. All of this is all written in code, right, and you either can basically import a function or you can actually add a new function which is completely written by GPT. It doesn't matter, right? But why spend time to do it, right? So that's where GPpt actually comes in and helps us out.
Speaker 1:Fantastic and what advice would you both give to aspiring entrepreneurs or professional looking to expand their business internationally, particularly in the technology and offshore sectors?
Speaker 2:so are they? You want to talk, or?
Speaker 3:yeah, I mean um, so, so. So, when it comes to aspiring entrepreneurs, suresh. So first thing that I would probably tell them is you know I'm talking about it on a more product side, and then I'll probably let Jagan talk a bit more about the service side as well. Sure, one thing that you know, that we've learned, you know when we were building our product, is you know, getting the right product market fit is a very, very big challenge. It is not something that you put on a deck and then you throw it out. So it is something that when the rubber hits the road, that's when you start understanding if you've got it right.
Speaker 3:So, to understand, your PMF have a lot of design. Customers work with your design. Customers work very closely with them, understand what exactly is their problem and what features that you offer is actually solving their problem, right. So then you design the messaging precisely based on what exactly is solving the problem. Based on what exactly is solving the problem?
Speaker 3:Because since we started off targeting a very established category, so we had to basically start understanding what exact feature of our product is actually solving a particular problem that our competitor is already not solving, right? So, which is a very complex story to basically start conveying right and start understanding where exactly is the problem right. So you know, for us to understand and get to the product market fit is a bit of a journey and most entrepreneurs who get started get too excited in their work and you know and do not care a lot about PMF, which is actually very, very, very important. It is what we've learned in our journey. So that is something that is an advice that I would want to give to aspiring entrepreneurs. Right, and I let Jagan probably talk a bit more about services.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so, you know, from my side, you know advice to aspiring entrepreneurs, right? So, like you know, since I'm, you know I started my entrepreneurship. You know advice to aspiring entrepreneurs, right? So, like you know, since I'm a, you know I started my entrepreneurship. You know post, you know, like, one year or two year of my you know college passed out, right? Well, I have, you know, like, nearly 11 points to be, you know, talking in this area.
Speaker 2:So my first point is, uh, you know, uh, to keep dream. You know, like, keep dream daily. You have to dream on, you know, some problem statement that you know you want to solve and uh, follow your passion and also, like you know, daily, work hard and smart, uh, to your fullest. You know it is not like, consistency is more important, right? And the second one is on, you know it is always. You have to keep in your mind that entry is not important, exit is important. So what that means is you can have fund in your hand right now. You, you, you don't have any source. You know income right now, or you know any investment right now, but you know entry is not important when you exit your entrepreneurship career, uh, what impact you have made in this world. You, you know that's what you need to look at.
Speaker 2:So for this, you need to start soon, fail fast, learn and repeat this. Never give up attitude. So you have to keep repeating this cycle, right, you know? Start soon, fail fast, learn and repeat. And then, you know, enjoy your failures and learn from it. Don't bring negativity into your mind. Take positive things from your mentors, friends, and learn from it. Don't bring negativity into your mind. Take positive things from your mentors, friends and even from your enemies. Take the positive things, even they might be your enemies, but you have to learn from them, no matter what. You know you can bounce back at any situation. So you have to keep in that mind that you know, like you know, don't fear of failure. You know, accept and learn from your mistake.
Speaker 2:So this is my second point, and the third one is, on your basic, you know character wise, you have to be very bold, you know you have to be smart, you have to be unique, you have to be a leader. You have to be so passionate and you have to always think high and you have to always, you know, set high goals. You know that is my third point for any aspiring entrepreneurs, and you know that is my third point for any aspiring entrepreneurs. And the fourth one is you know you have to be the change. Don't expect anything or anyone or someone you know will help you to do that change. You have to be the leader and go and do the change. No one will come and change it for you.
Speaker 2:And the fifth point is on having mentors. Like you know, you should regularly talk to your mentors because you know, if you talk to a mentor, his 10 years knowledge, he can just, you know, convert into a small tablet and give it to you in 10 seconds or 10 minutes. So that is the level of 10 years of his positives and negatives, failure, success, all these things he can give an input. You can use it for your uh, uh, you know, or your entrepreneurship career, right, and and in the same line, you know you have to think that you should be your first salesperson. So, you know, come out of your shell and, you know, talk about your services, talk about your product, and you should be your first salesperson. You should do your you know, first 10 sales. So that is the fifth point.
Speaker 2:And the sixth point is on share your knowledge to others selflessly and give before anyone asks. So keep this as your you know foundation. That way, once you started sharing and once you started giving to others, automatically you will receive the missing gaps. You know when you started sharing. You know if you are the other party who is receiving it. If they find that something you're missing, they will be filling that gap. Otherwise, you know, uh, you will. You will know only whatever you know, right. So, like, you have to keep your keep sharing your knowledge.
Speaker 2:And my seventh point is on you know, believe that change is always good. So you have to always believe that. You know world is going to change daily. Anything is going to change, whatever you believe in your life that is going to change daily. Anything is going to change. Whatever you believe in your life that is going to change Today. This can be the technology that is not going to save you forever. So embrace the change and, you know, be the forefront to lead the change.
Speaker 2:And eighth point is you know, in a business, in an entrepreneurship, you have to keep up your words. Don't break anyone's trust on you. Keep your commitment and feel free to ask sorry if you make any mistake and don't do any injustice or injustice to anyone right Now. This is the fundamental thing. You know, ethics you know you need to carry forward, to keep up your words and don't break the trust with anyone. Keep up your words and don't break the trust with anyone.
Speaker 2:And my ninth point is on, you know, always, you know, try to set your goals so high and try to achieve big things in your life and keep trying and don't keep complaining. It is easy to complain or it is easy to give up, right, you know, don't keep complaining and be a team player and give credits to your team which they deserve, like if they achieve something. Give the credits to them, appreciate them and don't worry about any bad critics. Or, you know, use that critics to fuel your growth. So if someone writes about negative review, if someone talks negative about you, use that as a fuel for your growth. And my 10th point is on hire brilliant people than you and make them work for you, for your dream. So that's my 10th point. And my final point is, like you know, be consistent in doing whatever you are right, you know, be consistent, be persistent and continuously doing it, because you know you cannot take a break. So you have to be consistent in whatever you're doing.
Speaker 1:That's a very inspiring speech. I get well, I always, you know in whatever you are doing. That's a very inspiring speech, jagat.
Speaker 2:Well, you made some. I always, you know like, you know close, this you know like, because you know I always wanted to give it back to the you know young entrepreneurs who are aspiring to be, and you know like, whatever my 10 years or 15 years of learning, I want to give it in a small, you know tablet. I always say this as my tablet, right, you know these. A small, you know tablet. I always say this as my tablet, right now, this 10 or 11 points, it's a hard learned lesson for me.
Speaker 1:You know well, absolutely, I mean to some of the listeners where jagan is coming from, he comes from.
Speaker 1:I mean we both share the same native like, and I just realized that, uh, from you know, thirunelveli, thirunelveli districts like trichindur and coming out of that, it's very hard for guys, like you know, who do their education in rural part of india and move to chennai or to foreign countries. Uh, because, as I think aditya pointed out, inferiority complex. So most of the guys who come from rural areas have observed, I mean, they're very dedicated, they're very passionate but still, like you know, uh, getting that first exposure for them compared to, uh, people who come from bangalore or chennai or mumbai, it makes it because someone comes from the city side, like you know, he'll always talk well, he'll dress up well, he'll appear good, but coming from remote villages, it's a big challenge. So I think, jagan, like you know, that's a very impressing, uh, you know, impressive points you made.
Speaker 1:Uh, I really enjoyed listening to that, like you know. That's the reason I was quiet. So, dream big what impact you're going to bring to the audience and never give up. Be bold, be the change. I think that's a very important thing. And having a mentor Do you have any mentor whom you talk to on a regular?
Speaker 2:basis. Yeah, so my first mentor is my dad's classmate. He's one of the richest men in Houston. He owns an ammonia plant and all those things. He owns a private jet and all those things, right. So, keeping that aside, you know like.
Speaker 2:I gone to him, you know like, and asked hey, uncle, I want, I'm starting my business, what is advice you want to give me in your life, in my life, right? So what he told is jagan, you know business, you know you can do. And he asked a single question. You know like hey, jagan, what is my greatest asset in my life? He asked me. Then I told, okay, hey, you have, you know, uh, this much wealth and this everything you know.
Speaker 2:I was telling in the monetizing way, your jet, you know you have a, you know porsche car and all those things. I told. But he said, no, I have earned 30 people's in my life and that is my greatest asset in my life and I, they will do anything for me. So when you are starting business, you go, go and earn people and making money is just a byproduct. So what you need to do is you just need to go and make people, as friends do. Networking. That's it. That is the fundamental of any business. Once you do that, money will automatically come to your kitty. Do you want to drop his name?
Speaker 1:His name is Mr Michael Anthony. Michael Anthony, he's still in the United States or he's back in India.
Speaker 2:Yeah, he's in the US.
Speaker 1:And you also mentioned about, you know, be the first salesperson. So that I completely understand. Like you know, you guys are completely tech. So even though you come from a tech background, you know make some changes and try to reach out to the audience as well. So don't restrict yourself. Like you know, I'm a technology guy. Like you know, I don't want to reach out to the audience, I don't want to do the sales.
Speaker 2:You have to come out of your comfort zone and do the sales because hunting, you know, you have to think as you like a hunter, you have to go and hunt and make the food for your family. So, uh, you should be the salesperson for your organization absolutely.
Speaker 1:Another important point you mentioned was being honest. I mean, that's, that's the most critical thing, but of all the points you've mentioned, and interacting with your clients, as well as delivering projects and also setting your goals very high Fantastic, aditya, do you want to add something to it? I think you already know everything about Jagat, so for me it's a new lesson or new thing.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I think right from the very beginning, suresh I think it was probably when we started off right, because I think Kapil kind of joined a little later. So I remember me and Jagan pretty much being on all the calls right, and even today right For all the critical calls. You know it will always be me and Jagan, though we have people to delegate it to, but we still believe, you know. You know it is very important for both of us to be there on the on all those calls and set the tone, set the vision right. So you know, we still believe, you know that in modesty, and you know, and you have to be the first salesperson for your product or service, right. So that is something that we believe in.
Speaker 3:And one more thing, adding on to what Jagan was saying, I think, like what he mentioned right about people, I think you know something that we always looked up is our people, right. I think we are so proud that I'm not sure couple, I think, also mentioned this right. So the uh, almost all of our uh, you know, uh employees and people who work uh in entrance have trusted us and continued to be a part of us wherever we go right, uh, where I mean uh, so they've just continued working with us and uh, you know, I think, I think we are just blessed that way that we weren't so many people yeah, I feel tempted to join your company now.
Speaker 1:If there is an opening, do let me know. Anyhow, on the work-life balance, like you know, running successful companies can be demanding. How do you both balance the pressure of work and your personal life?
Speaker 3:okay, um so, uh, you know, number one, uh, suresh, I think, uh, uh, you know, I mean, this is just my thought. I believe that, you know, see, work-life balance is basically a myth, is what I feel, because if you really enjoy what you do, you wouldn't need a lot of break, right? So you know something that you know when you start building something, it fascinates me so much that, you know I love what I do, right. So that's a very different thing. But only thing that matters, I think, is probably, you know, the commitment to your parents, wife, kids.
Speaker 3:You know that comes across, um, so that's where you actually have to, you know, spend time and managing that, uh, you know, obviously, uh, you know, you need to have a certain days off. I mean, I know that you definitely would have to return to emails and stuff, but then you definitely will have to make time, a specific time, for that, and that is something that I do. And apart from that, uh, you know, I really enjoy reading books and something that, uh, you know, for example, if I want my own zone, that's something that I would do. And, again, you know, I love I don't know, for some reason, I love cleaning my cars, so that actually, you know, calms me down and, you know, it creates a cocoon for me.
Speaker 3:So, yeah, really cleaning your car calms you down.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah it does. That's the most painful thing for me when I hate it.
Speaker 3:No, I love doing that. I know, you know I I get a lot of these accessories for cleaning and stuff when I use it and kind of like you know I do all the time and I purchased what do you call that?
Speaker 1:the vacuum cleaner Everywhere you go. Like you know, you go to Shell, petrol Pump or any mall. Like you know, they offer so many products and I've purchased so many stuff I don't know what to use for. Like you know which one to use for what purpose Some for shining, some for cleaning the what do you call that? The shade, the glasses and interior. You know, cleaning the seat is so I kind of give up and once a month, like you know, I go to I have the subscription. Once in a month they do this polishing stuff and all. So that's very interesting. And how about you jagat?
Speaker 2:yeah, so, so work-life balance right. So I'll take, you know, I'll, you know, point it out from one of my mentor you know, like he's my mentor and my role model from mr suresh samantham, you know, from kiss flow. Uh, you know he, he's uh running his initiative. You know, dream Tamil Nadu. So when we asked the same question, you know, because Suresh was so busy with his product company that is a very successful company, kisplo, and he runs a platform called, you know, dream Tamil Nadu, idea Patrai, and he is mentoring more than 1000 plus startups and he travels across Tamil Nadu because he wants an inclusive, you know, entrepreneurship in all, or mass entrepreneurship across Tamil Nadu. So he travels every weekend there, velur, coimbatore right. So I used to travel with him as a project director in Idea Patrai.
Speaker 2:So when we asked this question, he used to tell you know, in your free time, what you will do? I will watch TV. Why you watch TV? Because you know I like watching TV. Or you know relaxing my mind, then you know I like watching tv. Or you know relaxing my mind. Then you know he used to tell but talking to young entrepreneurs is is my. You know, relaxation is my, you know I I feel so relaxed when talking to this, so that's why I'm doing this.
Speaker 2:So what that means is once you think that you know your passion, you know is part of your life and you know that makes you happy. Do whatever it's making you happy is what you know. If you need to do right, so um, that's what you know. Focusing on my business, or talking to my customers, or acquiring new business, thinking about you know, like what to do next, you know like where is my goal. So if I keep thinking I I feel like so happy and so relaxed, you know, then you know I'm I'm repeating that right, so that is my, you know, work-life balance.
Speaker 2:And then you know, definitely other thing is I always don't want to do some monotonous job. So I always try to, you know, delegate a lot of works and prioritize. I'll do only the priority works. Rest, all. You know we'll delegate. And again, you know we'll I'll be more flexible on my schedules. You know, sometimes my customer wants me to be there in 1 am or 2 am. You know like I'll be flexible on that time. But you know I'll continue for another eight hours sleep, you know then I'll wake late. So all these things and I'm a little bit flexible in such a way that you know I'm accommodating my business and my you know work-life balance also.
Speaker 1:Fantastic, and what has been your proudest professional or personal accomplishment to date? What did achieving that milestone mean to you on a deeper level?
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:So it could be any particular project.
Speaker 2:Yeah. So you know, like, with with you know no other background. You know we were able to grow my first, our first company, to 120 employees and when it got acquired by an $8 billion conglomerate group, I felt, okay, I have achieved something big. But at the same time I also always think that I should not have gone for that acquisition. I should have grown my company to the next level. So. But you know, one thing you know out of that achievement is you know I got a three years of. You know uh, uh, you know uh like. Then you know, once the acquisition was over, I was there working as a cto. There at that time, you know I used to sharpen my axe, what are the missing pieces, pieces, and what is my next step in my career and what is the right team for us to build the next big thing. So those three years is my takeaway of that particular first accomplishment. So that is my thing which I want to highlight.
Speaker 1:Aditya, how about you? Anything that comes to mind?
Speaker 3:For me, suresh, again, as I started off saying, I used to limit myself as to what to talk and what ideas to basically convey and all of that, what ideas to basically convey and all of that. But you know, but there was one point in my career where, you know, you know, I started like putting all my skills in front and I started this thing. And there was one project you know, you know it was I mean it's okay for me to even tell the client name it was KFC. So we had like competition from all the biggies in the world, right. So we had like cognizant, we had vipro and we had like so many clients, so many vendors who were trying to compete for that particular project and we were able to win it right.
Speaker 3:And so we did a lot of I mean I, I, we did a lot of. I mean I personally did a lot of contribution for that particular project. And you know that was one of my I mean it was not like a great accomplishment or an award that I got, but it was. It was something that I needed it at that particular point of time to prove to myself that you know, I can do it Right. So, yeah, so that was one turning point in my life, I would say.
Speaker 1:Fantastic. Thank you so much, jagan and Aditya, for giving your time today. I really appreciate it and I'm sure, like you know, we're going to have another episode with you both very soon. Thank you so much, guys.
Speaker 3:It means a lot Thanks, thanks, suresh. Thank you so much, guys. It means a lot. Thanks, thanks, suresh. Thank you.
Speaker 1:And that's a wrap for today's episode. A big thanks to our guest and to you for tuning in. If you enjoyed it, don't forget to subscribe, rate and leave a review on your favorite podcast platform. Your support helps us bring more awesome episodes. For more updates, visit our website at onsiteandoffshorecom and do follow us on social media. Stay tuned for more exciting content in the coming weeks. Until next time, this is Suresh Ashok signing off. Take care and keep thriving in your offshoring journey.
