At BrilliantRead, we always strive to bring to our community the finest stories from the entrepreneurship world. This week, we spoke to yet another promising entrepreneur Naveen Mathur – Co-founder and CEO at LXS (lOGI X SERVICES). Naveen has also been a consultant with Coleman Research Group and is advising e-commerce and other LMD companies on the business model and its execution especially startups. Let’s read more about his entrepreneurial journey so far!
Excerpts from our exclusive Interview with Naveen Mathur:
Tell us a little bit about yourself and your startup please;
I have done my schooling from KVS Delhi and Business Administration from NIBM on Operations and Cost Management. My expertise is on Line-haul and Transportation side and
Its also very important for industry leaders to work for the same industry so that they can contribute and give back to others and hence being an industry professional, I thought of trying to create this dynamic service efficient team who can deliver great results and not just meet but exceed clients’ expectations. We always stand with our clients because there is the need for the Last Mile Delivery concept. You don’t need a marketing team to advertise your product, instead just Plan, Commit and Deliver
PREDICTABILITY is the product in need. I am from Delhi and an experienced professional in this domain for the last 35 years almost. My consulting and Management Development career has included working with globally renowned organisations like TNT, DHL, AFL Aramex and DTDC in the express domain and with Air Deccan from the airlines and cargo side.
At LXS my role is focused on developing service propositions that enhance Last Mile Distribution Chain value in a rapidly changing Indian business environment.
We see LXS as a platform for advancing this group in India through its knowledge and expertise on the LMD (Last Mile Distribution)
Why did you choose entrepreneurship over a job?
At a certain point in your career you feel that its time to coach new generation and upcoming managers in the industry and share and train them based on your experience in various profiles and position My strength includes the flexibility to deal with people as in operations its a well oiled machine (Human chain) which works on the ground and shall in future and hence its very important to be with people and train and task to deliver predictability.
While in the 9-6 job had faced situations wherein also had figure out flexible solutions to the toughest problems, always think to create value for all and not just for myself and hence decided why not entrepreneurship and do it for us than them.
Also while in white mansions there are too many diplomatic actions one needs to do which become monotonous as you are far away from reality and hence time to be real yourself and take up challenges and perform.
What gets you out of bed in the morning i.e. what’s your source of motivation?
Good Question. I would say not just day or at night, it usually happens. Am always fond of figuring out something niche or new, which may create a proposition for me and the public at large. I usually keep this mode ON all the times and it serves the source of my motivation all the time. The kick of living every day is the biggest motivator.
Why should people choose your product/services?
I strongly believe that ‘value for money’ and ‘predictability’ in what you commit decides you as a choice. You need to be a change maker and an innovator.
With us, customers looking for a solution to some of their most difficult problems can rely on us as we share our unbiased advice and solutions with them. Our transparency is also why our clients love our services.
What’s your competitive advantage and why can’t it be copied?
You can copy a Process, You can buy a theory book, you can listen and write notes but what matters the most is execution on the floor. And then, reading the Data and analysing the change and implementing it with timely breaks and bridges is what none can copy because it is a floor plan and changes with every customer and concern.
Bottomline is – Ideas can be copied, Experience cannot and our customer value our experience and respect us.
What challenges/obstacles did you face in your journey so far?
Every business has risks. Our risks are associated with the right skill set that we look for expansion in future. We already have a core niche team but I see from future expansion perspective, we would need common people with a lot of common sense and today you don’t find good hands easily as training is easy but attitude is what is a concern.
Finances at the right time but we can manage both well as for our leadership comes from below and we believe in training our resource well so that tomorrow it’s an asset and not an associate alone.
Tell our audience more about your failures? How should one bounce back?
Yes, we do have and it is increasing with time and with requirements.
Initially, it was a thought and a lot of planning behind it.
The initial funds and to step up some more which was an initial challenge, but like always -Vanilla service wasn’t alone the customers were looking at but converting their myth of not possible to do able was the game-changer for us and then no looking back.
We have done a project which initially the parent organizations themselves were certain of not implementing but once team building-Team communication and transparency set in-became wonderful later.
Don’t look back – Do not leave-as experience and maturity in life is your ability to disagree but remain respectful – None can stop you from entering the impossible.
What comes first for you – money or emotions?
I am an emotional person but surely businesses cannot run on emotions alone but yes need to create values and ethics and logics which becomes your vision and mission statement too. Money is the priority but I believe if your value creation process is right for others, the money will automatically come as an outcome of it.
How do you handle the pressure and manage stress?
Pressure or Stress is part and parcel of life as nothing comes free and easy in life.
Handling it well and to best of our abilities is the key. Be Happy and content with the process and what your have.
What advice would you give to someone starting, particularly to aspiring entrepreneurs?
“Jo Dikhta hai Woh Bikta hai”- do what is doable, do not oversell – display your skills and be firm with it.
Learn to say ‘No’ when it is not worth even trying or may prove risky at a later stage because once you start delivery – It has to happen.
“Add value to get value”. Don’t focus primarily on money or investments but keep your focus on creating a sustainable venture & value creation. I believe, rest things will automatically set with time. Also, if you are starting up a venture, feel free to reach out to guides who would like to CHARGE (yourself) you and not charge (commercial) you. You will find us a great partner or mentor to you with innovative means.
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.
