This week we spoke to another young and passionate entrepreneur Pavan Goswami to understand more about his startup, his vision and his entrepreneurial journey so far. He is the Founder of CodeShala.
CodeShala aims at imparting coding skills to kids from a very early stage by simplifying and streamlining the coding modules. It inculcates creative problem-solving in kids through coding from a very early age which opens brighter opportunities for them in the future. Let’s read more!
Excerpts from our exclusive interview with Pavan:
Tell us a little bit about yourself and your journey, please;
I am Pavan Goswami founder of CodeShala, and I am 26 years old. I am a B.tech graduate. My family roots are from Agra. Trying to walk this path of entrepreneurship wasn’t an easy decision to make. Never in my early years, I thought about this. I did not have any access to computers during my childhood. But somehow with time I got very attached to them when I first saw a computer in my college. I did not have any prior knowledge of it but with time I kept exploring things, learned to code as much as I could. Since then, I have never left coding and I wish to learn more and more. It thrilled me to learn the fact that coding can do so much magic.
In those years itself, I met Nishita (My wife & Co-founder of Codeshala). We bonded so well. It was a feeling I never felt before. And the best part, she had the same passion for coding as I did. So we started this venture together right after we graduated in 2016. Codeshala is and will always be our 1st priority. And since then we are growing as a team and couple every day.
Our vision in Codeshala is to expose kids to the world of coding in their early years. Every kid in every part of this country should have the opportunity to read and write code. Coding is a basic literacy in the digital age, and kids need to understand and be able to work with the technology around them. Having children learn coding at a young age prepares them for the future. Coding helps children with communication, creativity, math, writing, and confidence.
Why did you choose entrepreneurship over a job?
Repetition of things is what scares me the most. Honestly, I hate to even repeat any food item in a restaurant *wink wink*. Doing the same work every day wasn’t my type of thing. I love to explore new things & create new stuff, and Codeshala gave me that opportunity. I learn something new every day when I am off to work or sit with my team or students. Being an entrepreneur you face new challenges and problems. This is what excites me the most.
What gets you out of bed in the morning i.e. what’s your source of motivation?
My to-do list – I love to right tick those tasks I saved on my list. This list is the first thing that comes to mind when I wake up every morning. And I cannot go back to sleep until I have finished it.
What challenges/obstacles did you face in your journey so far?
Choosing to do business even after coming from a middle-class family, was a big decision. Not that they did not support me. But maybe a little stress was there about my future. But eventually, they understood our idea and supported us fully. We did not take any financial help while setting up Codeshala. We invested our savings into it.
This was one of the main challenges we faced because we were unsure of the returns. But by god’s grace, we had an overwhelming response at our pilot session itself. Another obstacle that I found was building the team. It’s very hard to find people who first of all would understand your idea and also work for you in minimum wages. The next obstacle I would like to mention is to convince our clients (parents) – why coding is important for kids to learn? As coding is a new concept in India, we faced a lot of problems while trying to make people understand the idea behind these coding classes.
Starting a business is easy but sticking to is difficult.
What comes first for you – money or emotions?
I would go with emotions. That is because my focus has always been on helping people. Moreover, my role in Codeshala is to look into the technical/training part. Of course, money is important too but I think if I am doing my work with all my heart, then with time money will follow. No money can buy that happiness when I see my students satisfied faces after they complete a project. That is real money for me.
How do you handle the pressure and manage stress?
I always put my tasks in a pipeline and do them accordingly. Also, we have a great team who equally divides all the stress and pressure. And as you know when we work as a team any kind of challenge can be faced. And of course, when I am back home, my better half and my furball (Golu) are always there to cheer me up. FYI Golu is my pet dog!
What is one strategy that you believe has helped you grow as a person?
Taking responsibilities and think twice before taking any decision, played a key role in what I am as a person now.
In your opinion what are the keys to success?
Work hard and keep trying because failure is a delay, not a destination. Keep learning.
What advice would you give to someone starting out?
A startup needs time more than money, so be patient. Hard work always pays off. Don’t focus primarily on investments but keep your focus on creating a sustainable venture, rest things will automatically set with time. Deliver more than expected even though you might have to work a bit more.
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.
