In our latest interview, we invited passionate entrepreneurs Bhanu Kumar Jain (BK) and Rajagopal Somasundaram (Raj) to understand more about their interesting entrepreneurial journey thus far. They are the cofounders of Yappes. Let’s know more about them!
BK is the co-founder and COO. He is an extremely passionate entrepreneur who excels at planning, perseveres in implementation and is thorough in execution with an affable personality and very strong people skills. He is a leader who attracts the best talent and has over the years successfully built strong teams.
Rajagopal is the co-founder & CTO. He is a Gamer and Anime fan. He loves to code and read about tech & startups. He has always been very passionate about coding which he believes is an art. He says, ” Coding excites me, the way it can interact with users to make their life simple. This has led me to what I am and where I am now. Technology space is like an ocean, you need to keep up to the pace otherwise you will be out of the race.”
Their startup Yappes is an advanced API Management and Distribution platform that allows Developers and Providers to build their APIs from scratch swiftly, securely and reliably. Let’s read more about their journey, way forward and advice for aspiring entrepreneurs!
Excerpts from our exclusive interview with Bhanu and Raj:
Why did you both choose entrepreneurship over a job?
BK – An opportunity and something new was out in the market and that’s when I started selling computers during my college days.
The Entrepreneur bug was in me and it just continued.
I did get swayed for a while and joined a company as a Business Development Executive, but within a month realized JOB was not what I enjoyed and I quit. Always felt that being an entrepreneur was more challenging and I love challenges.
Raj – During my career, I have come across many problems which need some kind of solution to it. I guess that’s when this entrepreneurship bug bit and I decided to follow my heart.
It basically started as a side project, and I later got hooked into it.
This choice of being an entrepreneur has made me more liberal and responsible in choosing what I need to do and how I need to do it.
How do you guys find the industry/niche that you’re in?
With the magnificent growth in the digital world, APIs have become the critical link underpinning technology of many businesses. API based businesses will not only survive and thrive but put others at a significant disadvantage. This presents a huge opportunity and expected to grow significantly in the next 3-5 years. The industry is highly competitive but we are focused, flexible, agile and ready to adapt to as many opportunities as we can.
What gets you out of bed in the morning i.e. what’s your source of motivation?
As an entrepreneur, you have a lot of responsibilities. You are a leader and you need to build a team, work along and keep them motivated all the time. So it’s quite natural to be challenged and stay positive and when I see our team delivering and getting closer to the goal, that keeps me motivated.
What challenges/obstacles did you face in your journey so far?
From the very idea of starting a business, every entrepreneur knows that there are going to be countless challenges along with the results as an outcome. When the journey is too long, staying focused, being patient, making sure everybody and everything moves forward as planned and not letting anything drift away from the goals has been a great challenge. But rather than considering them as obstacles I would like to state them as factors for the success of a business. Now, we are well poised to counter those obstacles now as we were before because of our expertise and strong team of highly passionate people.
What comes first to both of you – money or emotions?
We think at every stage of business emotions attached to your ideas play a very important role in the implementation and these emotions will make you never give up and persist.
Yappes is a customer-centric organization with the mantra – ‘to get the value you have to deliver value first’.
Once you start providing value to the customers, the money will automatically come as a by product.
How do you guys handle the pressure and manage stress?
So, pressure and stress is a very challenging part. Whenever we reach a threshold, we go back for a moment and think if it is worth it. We brainstorm and seek solutions from our discussions.
Sometimes we personally do vent out but most of the time taking a moment of time before reacting has helped both of us a lot and also, we think a healthy amount of stress and pressure helps to be productive and that’s how we go about solving problems.
What is one strategy that has helped the team grow?
We grow as and when we learn. Constant learning and continuous improvement has helped our team tremendously I would say.
In your opinion what are the keys to success?
Learn from the mistakes and ensure you don’t end up doing them again. According to us continuous learning, implementing what you have learned, taking feedback.
Share and repeat the above process and most importantly believing in oneself are the keys to success.
What advice would you give to someone starting out?
Our advice for someone starting out would be: firstly, ensure whatever you are planning to start is your passion; second don’t let failures and roadblocks deter you; third always ready to help people to connect and grow and finally, irrespective of the idea execution matters so don’t jump directly to the end result, rather start lean and gradually build on top of it.
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.
