This week we invited yet another promising young entrepreneur Akshay Singh for an interview with us. Akshay is the founder and CEO of Ryzup, a B2B startup that helps cafes, restaurants, QSR, and all the food joints to optimise profits by cutting down hidden expenses. Lets read more!
Excerpts from our exclusive interview with Akshay:
Tell us a little bit about yourself and your startup please;
I did my 12th in the year 2010 from A Govt. School (Hindi Medium) in a small town called ‘Dhar’ which is 100km west of Indore, I dropped out of college meanwhile doing my bachelor’s because of family but I never stopped learning, since then I am exploring things by reading, meeting new people, travelling across India, I have travelled across 20 states of India so far.
Let me tell you something about my family, my father is a farmer and my mother is a house manager. While exploring metro cities and another tier 1 and tier 2 cities of India, I closely observe the cafe culture and enjoy the free time at food joint and cafe spots.
The idea struck upon me to start something similar in my home town which is a tier 4 city. As you know, people don’t have an idea about cafe culture so I took an initiative to establish the first and the foremost cafe in my home town in the year 2015 and we have been operating it by facing a flurry of challenges such as manpower, raw material procurement, standardisation and automation of process, hidden expenses, consistency of taste and walkings. I learned how to overcome these set of challenges. I also noticed that almost 80 to 90% food entrepreneurs are facing the same challenges from day 1 and couldn’t yet find the solution on their own, so alongside running my cafe, I also started helping the same industry people make their business profitable so the thing which started with fun and passion to help F&B entrepreneurs emerged as a full-time profession and that’s how RYZUP was born.
What is RYZUP in a nutshell?
We help cafes, restaurants, QSR, and all the food joints to make profits by cutting down hidden expenses, manpower supply, standardization, processing, raw material procurement, pricing, inventory management menu selection, and marketing? Recently we have also started taking projects from establishing to expansion true franchise.
Why did you choose entrepreneurship over a job?
Job is limited and I never wanted to be confined to the limits of a corporate or government job. Life has to be limitless so I chose entrepreneurship. I was very intrigued with it and always had a knack for self learning and problem solving which are the two most important traits of an entrepreneur.
What gets you out of bed in the morning i.e. what’s your source of motivation?
I believe in karma. I am a self-motivated guy. I strongly believe in my purpose and passion so I really don’t have to worry about motivation.
Why should people choose your product/services?
We are the first initiator of this idea and we do believe to work from scratch to the end. RYZUP is a panacea to all F&B problems.
What’s your competitive advantage and why can’t it be copied?
There is no competition such as in the market right now. We are the pioneers who are solving a major problem in this space.
What challenges/obstacles did you face in your journey so far?
Well, there are challenges and obstacles at every stage of your life. I encountered many obstacles early since I was from a small town, so I did not have access to the lifestyle of a tier 1 or their 2 city. Lack of quality education was also one of the battles that I had to fight on my own. I did not have enough funds and then finding the right set of people who are equally passionate was also one of the challenges that I faced.
Tell our audience more about your failures? How should one bounce back?
Life is a journey, not a destination so keep learning, keep falling, keep enjoying, keep shinging and keep smiling because failure teaches you more than success.
What comes first for you – money or emotions?
I love work, I am not in the race of emotions or money. I strongly feel that if you love what you do everything becomes secondary.
How do you handle the pressure and manage stress?
There are many phases in an entrepreneurs life where you are clueless about the next step and it gives you anxiety and stress. But, with the help of meditation and self talk, I am able to keep my composure even in difficult circumstances and thats where I draw my power from.
What advice would you give to someone starting out, particularly to aspiring entrepreneurs?
Whatever you do, it has to be with passion. if it is not something that you love and enjoy then it is pointless. So follow your passion, be persistent in your pursuit because perseverance leads to success.
BrilliantRead is committed to bringing stories from the startup ecosystem, Stories that reshape our perspective, add value to our community and be a constant source of motivation not just for our community but also for the whole ecosystem of entrepreneurs and aspiring individuals.
Note: If you have a similar story to share with our audience and would like to be featured on our online magazine, then please write to us at [email protected], we will review your story and extend an invitation to feature if it is worth publishing.
