As part of our quest to get you meaningful and powerful stories from India and around the world, we invited another passionate entrepreneur – Navin Mirania for an exclusive interview with BrilliantRead Media. Navin is the Founder and Owner of MDSOnline. Let’s learn more about his incredible journey, his background and his advice for our growing community!
Excerpts from our exclusive interview with Navin:
We are aware of your contribution to the ecosystem, talk us through your background and your journey as an entrepreneur, please;
I pursued my Bachelor of Engineering in Computer Science from the prestigious Bangalore University in 1996.
“I have always been a passionate enthusiast and always thrived on being one of the early high-flyers by accomplishing everything with utmost perfection and pace.”
To me, entrepreneurship and that too related to technology were game-changers since not many people knew about startups, virtual platforms, and technological solutions. To make my mark on this platform was quite challenging but not impossible. We all know about companies succeeding like Apple, Toshiba, Samsung, and many more, but we hardly see the strategy behind those. That’s where I thought of implementing research in this space.
I did a lot of research in this space and came out with my Virtual Assistance Team, which provides a 360 degrees approach to the business needs of clients seeking technological assistance.”
So as soon as I graduated from college, I successfully established my first company, Mirania Data Systems, in 2015. Right from the commencement, the company management has strived to offer supreme quality and customer satisfaction to its clients globally.
What attracts you towards entrepreneurship instead of a corporate career?
I chose entrepreneurship because I always wanted to revolutionize the technological industry. I have always been fascinated by startups, companies and read success stories of all the successful business personalities.
“It’s inspiring how you build something from nothing, and not everyone has the guts to build an empire around it as only a few chosen ones can. It takes a lot of patience, planning, the right strategy, hard work, and most importantly, teamwork to execute the success stories.”
I have been thankful to my family and friends for their support, contribution towards my goal.
During college, I chose Computer Engineering as I was mesmerized by the thought of helping small and big companies with my assistance. I wanted to make an impact on my competitors. Hence came out with the concept of MDSOnline-Virtual Assistance, which helps clients in their businesses.
‘MDSOnline’ 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?
MDSOnline is indeed a unique name, and that’s because it portrays the spirit of Online best services provided by my team and me. I wanted to select a short, powerful name that suits the trends in the market. My company’s primary source is Data, and we are working around it continuously.
“Earlier, oil was the most expensive commodity, and the one who had it the most was considered wealthy, but now times have changed. Data has become a costly commodity, and in the future, it will bring revolution to the world.”
With this concept, I built MDSOnline. We provide services like Web Design and Development, Web Market Research, Web Content Writing, Virtual Assistance, Social Media Management, and Customer Service. We help companies with our services and do everything we can to maintain the trust they have shown in us.
What does your company specialise in?
MDSOnline is developed from experience gained in the course of long-term partnerships, and we are better equipped than most of our competitors with up-to-date technology and human resources.
“Our team consists of highly skilled graduates from reputed universities from all over India.”
Our relationship with clients is based on immense belief, excellence of work, quick turnaround time, and total commitment to your needs. We are proud of a reputation that was developed over the years by offering a friendly and flexible approach and ensuring long-term partnerships with our clients.
During this COVID-19 crisis, what are the measures you have undertaken to continue your business without disruption?
Before COVID-19, I opted for the combination of both works from the office and home concepts since my business is mostly online. But during COVID-19, I decided to choose work from home entirely since it seemed to be the best option. Besides, it was also in accordance with the model alignments and challenges of the pandemic.
“My company is not at all resource-heavy and has minimal overheads.”
Apart from this, the freelancer model ensures each and every work can be handled remotely, where we don’t need to do physical meetings, so that’s the advantage and every aspect of the business is online and technology-oriented to ensure automation as much as possible, so it didn’t seem much of a problem.
How do you manage to keep going despite the challenges? What drives you?
Challenging the myths, stereotypes, pigeonhole mentality, and courage to do something daring, out of the box that leads to a life full of respect, honour, and treating others with the same ethics and morals is my drive to work in this field.
“I believe in spreading joy wherever I go and help people in need by providing opportunities. I believe all people can change, but it’s that one step that they are scared of taking. It is important to take a leap of faith and dive into the world of impossibilities to explore the possibilities.”
At MDSOnline, we dream of a world in which all people have access to remote data from the comfort of their homes.
Who do you believe has been the biggest source of motivation in your daily life?
My most significant source of motivation in my daily life is my family. No matter how the day goes, they always support me and have my back. They inspire me to become a better person every day and contribute everything they can towards my path to success.
“I believe a person can only be happy and prosperous if he puts his family first in all spheres of life.”
What are the three most important lessons you have learned building your startup?
The three most important lessons I’ve learned are:
~ Never compare yourself with others as each one of us is blessed in different ways
~ Never have self-doubt as it destroys self-confidence completely
~ Never give up midway as you never know whose lives you are impacting with your services
Please share with us – what has worked well for you so far?
One thing I would say that helped me and my company grow is the ability to listen to our clients and ponder over their feedback. We believe that clients must be satisfied fully with our services, and we do everything we can to fulfil their wishes.
“The more we listen to them, the problems and crises they face in their business, the more efficiently and quickly we can resolve them.”
We believe that we are the only ones capable of doing that, and because of this, we have succeeded in a short time.
What are some of the strategies that you believe have helped you grow as a person?
There are a few strategies that I like to implement:
1) Being mindful of my tracks and strategies and keeping a check on these
2) Always being resourceful and doing everything to upgrade
3) Taking ownership as and when needed and being responsible for my actions if I make mistakes
4) Ability to take risks & explore uncharted territories.
5) Researching well about my competitors and keeping track of the new advancements in the market
Given the rapid pace at which the world is changing, what are the leadership traits that are necessary for success?
The leadership traits for success requires:
> Leading with the team together and ensuring that they are on the right track
> Learning from team members as learning knows no age bars
> Helping the team in need and understanding their capability
What are the business mantras you have embraced as you sought to establish your success story?
Being skill-ready and showing capabilities on being given the platform to perform is one of my business mantras.
To get that opportunity, I present my brand the way it should be presented.
“I gear up myself to set forth my best shot at each and every opportunity that comes my way.”
You are always positive and motivated, what keeps you going?
My motivation comes from seeing people happy around me. It’s the self-contentment that keeps me motivated.
“I believe that even if you have money and are not satisfied with your success, then that’s not a success at all, as the definition of true success lies in being happy at small things that bring joy.”
I try to assess the reason behind people’s happiness and get motivated by hearing their life stories.
I always make time from my busy schedule for self-care, even if it’s just being alone for some time. I also read books and try to reduce screen timings as much as possible, which is quite tricky since my business is mostly online.
I also read works by people I admire with uplifting material that reminds me of the power we all have within us.
Finally, I would like to mention that when I see my clients happy with my team’s efforts and I get the privilege of witnessing their breakthrough, it’s the most powerful feeling I can imagine.
In your opinion, what are the keys to success?
In my opinion, there are many factors, but the ones that are really important are:
(a) Being true to myself.
(b) Taking responsibility for my actions
(c) Taking a stand for my team
(d) Having faith in my team’s efforts
(e) Being resource ready
(f) Playing with curiosity
(g) Positive Attitude towards problems
(h) Taking actions as per requirement
What advice would you give students and young professionals who want to have a successful career?
Change your view towards marketing. Look through positive glasses at entrepreneurship as a collective domain comprising several job roles. Identify your essential skills, experiences, and personality traits and work on those.
“Build a brand for yourself so that you don’t have to limit your flight towards the sky.”
Research your niche market as much as possible and try to stand out from the crowd.
Most early starters get lost in the wrong marketing strategies within the first few years and find it hard to switch roles after that. Some people do not want to take risks in their career decisions that require a long view of what comes after and a good understanding of personal skills and ambitions. Try to consult your loved ones and mentors regarding choices and build a professional life that empowers your passion.
I am always happy to help young individuals with their startups and inspire them to take routes different from conventional ones. Students and young professionals regularly reach out to me on LinkedIn with their specific queries to extend my help.
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.
