At BrilliantRead Media, our aim is to bring to our community some of the finest stories from the leadership world. As part of this endeavour, we invited yet another passionate entrepreneur Indrajeet Singh for an exclusive interview with us. He is the Founder and CEO of iQuanta. Indrajeet has recently been appointed as Director and Member of Board of Governors at Narayana Business School. Let’s learn more about his exciting journey, his background and his advice for our growing community:
Excerpts from our exclusive interview with Indrajeet:
We are aware of your contribution to the ecosystem. Talk us through your background and your journey as an entrepreneur, please;
My story is a rather interesting one. I was the younger son of an airforce officer. My father was a disciplined man and wanted me to also get into the armed forces. I have massive respect for them, but discipline was not my cup of tea.
I did in fact clear the NDA exam but dropped out because I was not sure if I could do justice to the profession. So, I became the next best thing – an engineer.”
I was naturally good at Mathematics, and when I heard about the CAT(MBA) exam, I instantly took it up. Now, the beauty of the CAT exam was and still is that it requires you to think logically and rationally.
I started looking for Facebook groups where I could solve questions. I found a few of them, and before I knew it, solving problems became an addiction. I was solving questions for more than 18 hours a day, and most of them in under a minute. People started noticing me, and I used to get dozens of people asking me to help them with their doubts or questions.
The irony of the fact was that I was still in the third year of my college and was not even eligible for the CAT exam. Most of the people I was helping were far older than me. I started getting requests from the community for a formal course, which led to the conception of iQuanta.
I started off with 300 students, and a significant number of them made it to the top colleges. One thing led to another and I never went to do an MBA. Though I was recently appointed as a director in a prestigious MBA college in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. So that’s a full circle.”
Five years down the line, I have taught over 20,000 people, with a bunch of them getting into B-Schools of their choices. iQuanta today is the largest MBA community in the country with the best results.
What attracts you towards entrepreneurship instead of a corporate career?
I always wanted to make an impact. The lives that I can change for the better through iQuanta is unimaginable.
I think giving someone a place where they can study and learn 24/7 is a mighty thing. The efforts to make this conceivable are exponential, but the respect and appreciation I get for my work make up for it.
In retrospect, if I were not an entrepreneur, I would have never seen the lows that I have. I am more grateful for the hardships that I endured than I am for the success that I have achieved.”
‘iQuanta’ is such a unique name; talk us through more about it, please. Our audience would also love to know what kind of problem you are solving with the help of your startup?
Most people assume Quanta to be related to mathematics. Quanta has more to do with physics and energy. The idea behind the name is simple – you are the smallest packet of energy that can change the world. You are the life the world needs.
How do you manage yourself and keep on going despite the challenges? What drives you?
The vision that you have keeps you bustling and motivated. I am fortunate enough to work on the things that I love. As I mentioned earlier, failures have taught me more about myself than successes. The one thing that I have learnt through a few of my crashes is getting back to it.
We make blunders, but the only way to succeed is by making more. My students are the most significant source of my inspiration. They are some of the smartest people in the country. What they achieve in a year has always awed me. The progress they make despite the battles they have to fight makes me work even harder.
In your opinion, what is more necessary: An idea or a good team for a successful startup?
Now, most of the successful entrepreneurs might say it is always a mix of both. But I really feel the team that you have is more important. If your team can envision the same dream you have for your company, their work is more solid and unyielding.
You can make even a mediocre idea work wonders for you with the right people. In my case, I am fortunate enough to have both – a fantastic idea and the people to make it a reality.
What are the three most important lessons you have learned building your startup?
I have seen countless things in my journey, but if I have to mention only three things – they would be:
a) Hire the right people – I cannot overstate this. If the synergies in your team fit, you can really achieve the unachievable. It is a challenging thing to do – but it is worth the trouble.
b) Be crazy – If there are no doubts or scepticism about your product, you are not thinking big enough. Your product should change the status quo. Practicality is nice ammunition, but a more powerful thing to have is that crazy belief.
c) Trust Yourself – Believe that your idea is that one big thing. Life will shake you; you will lose faith, and that is the journey of an entrepreneur.
Despite all that, be firm and be unyielding. It will work because you will make it work. Keep saying that to yourself and keep working towards that dream.
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.
