As part of our endeavour to interview some of the promising entrepreneurs from the startup ecosystem, this week we invited Aswani Chaitanya – Founder And CEO At Timios to share his exciting journey with us. He worked with Top Tier Investment Banks for over 15 years before founding his startup Timios. Let’s read more about his journey, his startup Timios and his advice for the community.
Excerpts from our exclusive Interview with Aswani:
Tell us a little bit about yourself and your startup, please;
I am the CEO and Founder of Timios, a startup that offers a range of age-appropriate food products for Children. Prior to starting up, I have worked as Sr Vice President at Goldman Sachs for two years. Before that, I was with Deutsche Bank for more than six years. I have good experience in building and working with high-performing teams.
Why did you choose entrepreneurship over a job?
I have spent about 15 years in top tier investment banks. I made a shift from being in a corporate job to becoming an entrepreneur when I genuinely saw a problem that I wanted to solve. I started Timios when I found that there were no age-appropriate food products that I could buy for my boys.
How do you find the industry/ niche that you’re in?
Children today have access to packaged food more than ever. A quick stop at the supermarket can result in a number of snack packs that are mostly unhealthy. Currently, there are limited or hardly any options available in the category of healthy age-appropriate packaged food for children.
Parents often find it difficult to buy trustworthy, wholesome, healthy and guilt-free snacks that are suitable for children. This was the genesis for Timios.
The idea for Timios came about when I moved to India from the US in 2014 after spending about 15 years at top tier investment banks. Once I returned, I was in search of healthy age-appropriate snacks for my two boys.
Unlike in the developed markets, there were no options here for healthy yet tasty snacks designed for children. I realized the gap in the market and teamed up with my sister Hima Bindu, who holds a masters degree in nutrition and has worked as a research associate at an agriculture university and as a part R&D team of an FMCG major. We founded Timios to create healthy yet flavourful food products for children.
What gets you out of bed in the morning i.e. what’s your source of motivation?
When I figure out something new or come across a niche idea, it gets me excited. If there is an idea that I am truly passionate about and if it impacts me and the public at large, that becomes my biggest source of motivation.
What challenges/obstacles did you face in your journey so far?
Every business has challenges. One of the key challenges in building a business is finding the right team. When we started Timios, finding the right skill set who can cater to our needs and work closely for future expansion was a challenge. Over the years, we have managed to build a core team with niche skillsets. We have found people who are innovative yet flexible with their thought process.
What comes first for you – money or emotions?
Any business needs to have emotion. Not in terms of personal emotions but more on the lines of what your brand stands for. I am definitely emotional in terms of the quality Timios stands for, the satisfaction of our customers and the impact it has on our young target audience. Money is definitely important and I believe that if your value creation process is right for others, money is bound to follow.
How do you handle the pressure and manage stress?
It’s all about prioritizing the most important tasks. As an entrepreneur, one is always bombarded with multiple things. It’s important to not get hassled and keep your eyes set on the long term goal. Plan your day in advance so that you have time to respond to the most important things.
Where can we buy Timios from? Is it available online/offline?
You can buy Timios online at BigBasket, Amazon, FirstCry and other leading Portals. They are also available in leading supermarkets offline in Bangalore and Hyderabad. We will be expanding soon to other cities.
In your opinion what are the keys to success?
There are a few and you can learn it on your way up. As long as you have a growth mindset it is not a problem. One of the key steps for success is to love what you do.
If you are not passionate about the idea that you are working on, you may not be able to sustain your brand for longer periods. Secondly, building the right team is yet another important aspect. Your company is as good as your team. Choose the right people, invest in making them better.
What advice would you give to someone starting out?
Based on my experience from the journey, my advice to everyone starting out would be:
1 – Find a problem worth solving which is commercially viable too.
2 – Don’t focus primarily on money or investments but keep your focus on creating a sustainable venture.
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.
