As part of our constant endeavour to identify and share some of the unique and compelling stories from the startup ecosystem, we invited yet another passionate entrepreneur Raju Chakraborty for an interview with us to understand more about his exciting entrepreneurial journey so far. He is a Seasoned Entrepreneur, Business Leader, Mentor and currently the CEO of Webguru Infosystems. Let’s learn more about his inspiring journey, way forward and his advice for our growing community!
Excerpts from our exclusive interview with Raju:
Tell us a little bit about yourself and your journey, please;
I completed graduation from Calcutta University at a time when people used to apply for Government jobs after pursuing graduation. But I didn’t want to follow this traditional path and pursued computer programming course. It was indeed challenging due to its limited prospect at that point in time.
I got a diverse exposure to this field. My wide spectrum of activities included computer-related training and software application development for various organizations. As my speciality, I developed payroll applications for several government and private organizations. During my association with Brainware Group, the web was gradually booming in India. A unit of 5 members including me was then formed to deliver web-based services to a global clientele. That’s how WebGuru Infosystems first came into existence in 2005 as an exclusive web development company.”
Today, backed with 16 years of experience, I hold the position of CEO at WebGuru Infosystems, Pvt. Ltd. leading a team of 150+ professionals delivering high-end services in the domains of web development, mobility solutions, and digital marketing.
It has definitely not been a cakewalk but a passion for experiments and innovation is what keeps me going.
How do you find the industry/niche that you’re in?
We operate in the digital industry. Needless to say that the industry is progressing rapidly! The most interesting thing I find about this industry is its amalgamation of both technology and creativity. Businesses are adopting various creative strategies to stand out from the crowd and there’s a healthy competition that is only contributing to the advancement of the industry.
This is a digital era and the craze of digitalization will only increase in the coming future. And the scope of experimentation is huge for enterprises like ours.
What gets you out of bed in the morning i.e. what’s your source of motivation?
My biggest motivation is an approach to solve problems instead of selling. You see, when you try to solve a problem, you automatically wear the shoes of your customers. I constantly strive to do better than what I did the last day. I wake up with the thought of making the day productive – that’s my mantra!
What challenges/obstacles did you face in your journey so far?
Well, as I said, the world of dotcom was in a budding stage in 2005 when WebGuru Infosystems started its journey. The initial days were quite rough. Gathering resources-both financial and skilled employees, obtaining clients, arranging for adequate workspace – everything was quite hectic at first. I am talking about a time when Facebook and LinkedIn were yet to be launched in India, so you can realize the poor condition of networking. It was all about thinking ahead of time that made me pursue my passion.
And as you know, the digital realm is always fiercely competitive. There’s no scope of being self-contented. The moment you become satisfied and stop updating yourself with the technology trends, you will be out of the industry. I would like to take the liberty and tweak the old adage as “challenge is the only constant” in the digital world and overcoming each hurdle will ensure your survival and progress.”
Oh, and of course, I must mention the pandemic! This unprecedented time has made me understood that there’s absolutely no substitute for hard work. Having adopted a work-from-home model, I am managing the entire team remotely all the while upgrading ourselves. Due credit to my team for making it easy for me! They are really doing a great job.
You see, I am an optimist. I try to see a silver lining in every cloud around. This is what keeps me going against all the odds.
What comes first for you – money or emotions?
This is a tricky question. If you ask me as a CEO of a company, I would say money is necessary as enhancing business productivity is difficult without adequate investment. On the other hand, without emotions, what’s the difference between a human and a chatbot!
However, if you ask me as a spirited young entrepreneur who launched a start-up with full of dreams and a hunger to do something unique, I will choose emotion over money any time! I practice this even to this day. I try to build an emotional connection with my team members and clients that helps to create a happy and healthy work environment.
How do you handle the pressure and manage stress?
For me, work is meditation. Being a workaholic, I never feel stressed to deal with work pressure. In case, there’s a problem at the workplace, I analyze it from the root along with my team members. My strategy is to concentrate on one thing at a time & solve it instead of messing up with all the problems at once.
Also, my family is really supportive of me, which is a huge plus in curbing the pressure!
According to you, what is that one strategy to contribute to your team’s growth?
I believe that every person has the potential to grow. Often this potential is suppressed. The team leader needs to identify that and give an opportunity to the employees to excel. This encourages them to transcend their limits, boosts their confidence and in turn, helps an organization to progress. For me, the self-growth of each member of the team is crucial for and integral to the advancement of the organization.
You see, there’s no “I” in a team – it’s always “we”! So, everyone needs to grow for an entire team to grow.
In your opinion what are the keys to success?
Integrity, confidence, hunger to learn more, and a passion for whatever you do – I think this is the recipe of success. In an industry where I work, our success lies in the success of our clients. I believe that by empowering others, we empower ourselves.
What advice would you give to someone starting out?
I believe that your business is not about you, it’s about your customers. So try to fulfil what they want and none can stop you! All I want to say is “Don’t Give Up”! No matter whatever the situation is, keep going. Having a business potential is one thing and executing it successfully is another. There’s a fine line of ‘persistence’ between the two. And this persistence is the only key to success.
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.
