At BrilliantRead Media, we always strive to bring to our community some of the finest stories from the entrepreneurship world. As part of this endeavour, we invited a passionate entrepreneur – Ruchir Raj Singh for an exclusive interview with us. Ruchir is an Entrepreneur, Leader, Marketing Expert, Consultant and Mentor. He is the Founder of Cap2O. Let’s learn more about his inspiring journey, his background and his advice for our growing community!
Excerpts from our exclusive interview with Ruchir:
We are aware of your contribution to the ecosystem, talk us through your background and your journey as an entrepreneur, please;
I have done my B.Tech in Production Engineering from Bharti Vidyapeeth University in Pune and MBA in Marketing from MDI-Gurgaon.
I have over 15 years of experience in Sales, Marketing, and Product development in organizations like Atlas Copco., Crane Co. and Red Lion Controls.
I was always a passionate student and am happy that this passion spilled over to everything that I did during my corporate journey making it enriching in every possible manner.
My foray into the entrepreneurial space has been a consequence of my passion to do something bigger and better with each passing year. Something of my own that fulfils a latent need in the world around us. With so many water-borne diseases impacting around 40 million Indians every year the problem highlights a deep-rooted issue, around us all.”
This is why I thought of doing something about it. After a thorough R&D of around 1.5 years, we launched Cap2O, India’s Most Advanced Self-Purifying Smart Water Bottle, which is a sustainable and environmentally friendly, portable source of clean drinking water. Something that people can use on the go while travelling, in offices, in schools, at homes, everywhere. It’s not just a bottle, it’s a gadget that you can own proudly.
What attracts you towards entrepreneurship instead of a corporate career?
I believe entrepreneurship allows the space to visualize your dreams and to establish short-term or long-term goals to work in that direction. Now in the corporate space neither do you hold the reins in your hands nor do you have much liability. But entrepreneurship makes you the captain of your own ship.
However, it’s a place and position with a lot of responsibility. People start depending on you and your dreams and aspirations are always at stake.
It’s risky but fulfilling at the same time. Unlike corporate, nothing stays routine anymore.”
Right from the moment you ideate about something you set forth on a journey marred with so many uncertainties. But to see the same fulfilling before your eyes never looked sweeter before. It takes a lot of strategies, hard work, grit, determination, and teamwork for successful execution. Frankly, it isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but the ones who set foot on this journey will know where I come from.
It’s like riding a superbike and going full throttle. You know you might crash a few times and hurt yourself badly, but the feeling is something that offers you the desired adrenaline rush. Isn’t it? And if you succeed to cross the finish line in time, then the world will be on your feet.”
With our self-purifying smart water bottles going strongly on e-commerce portals like Amazon and on our website, I believe I have reached the finish line already. It’s a latent need of the society that I have been able to identify and every day I am working to fulfil the same.
I agree that every day might hold its questions on sales and profits and losses, but I am revelling in the glory of my journey when I just had an idea in my head. It’s my baby and I am working hard to nurture the same. The feeling is wonderful.
‘Cap2O’ 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?
The name ‘Cap2O’ is quite relevant to what we wanted to represent through our brand. Our self-purifying smart water bottles eliminate harmful bacteria and pathogens from your drinking water-H2o. So they act like a shield or a cap protecting you from all the harms coming your way in the form of water-borne diseases. Cap2O uses the germicidal properties of UV light to destroy the DNA of harmful bacteria and pathogens in water. In just 5 minutes our smart bottles offer 99.99% germ-free water.
Moreover, People do not need to spend money to contribute more plastic to the already choking planet by purchasing pet water bottles boasting of pure and clean water.
They can rather go for sustainable and environment-friendly options like Cap2O that are backed by technology. A smart bottle that will provide what they wanted and has more features like an intelligent reminder to stay hydrated throughout the day and a temperature sensor to display the temperature of the beverage inside.”
Cap2O is a plastic-free, SS insulated bottle that keeps water cold for 24 hours and hot for 12 hours. So yes, we aren’t just providing Indians with pure and clean water, but are also giving them an option to shun plastic and adopt the philosophy of reducing and reusing.
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What does your company specialize in?
Cap2O is focused on providing 99.99% germ-free, pure water to Indians wherever they are. We do this through India’s most advanced self-purifying smart water bottles.
Our SS insulated self-purifying bottles use UVC technology to make water germ-free by up to 99.99% in just 5 minutes. Our bottles come with touch-enabled smart caps that also display the temperature of the beverage inside the bottle. It also provides an intelligent reminder to stay hydrated.
So here’s to a sustainable and environmentally friendly way to safe drinking water wherever we go.
During this COVID-19 crisis, what are the measures you have undertaken to continue your business without disruption?
Undoubtedly COVID was a driving force for us. We had just started off when the pandemic set in across the world. And from there on the entire world has seen the pandemic causing havoc.
The journey has been full of challenges with things going slower than expected and everything but we have persisted in our will. The initial 1.5 years went by in R&D where we utilized our time efficiently for product engineering. Here, we were able to strike the right chord by aligning with the concerned teams remotely.
We used this time to align all our partners virtually and once the pandemic weakened we now have functional teams of vendors working for us from all around Delhi-NCR. Our full-time team is pretty lean. We liaison with our other teams on our own and divide the work between ourselves.
How do you manage to keep going despite the challenges? What drives you?
We should not deter in the face of challenges because they are an intricate part of everyone’s lives. The one who perseveres wins the battle is what I believe and live by. Hit by a roadblock, take a pause and think through. Empty your brains out but don’t lose hope.
You must always remember that to every problem there are multiple solutions, some may give a good fit, while some are just adjustments, but sometimes adjustments can help you reach the next level, where you again have the opportunity to fine-tune. So it’s all about continuing to push yourself every single day even in the face of challenges.
I am driven by the relevance of the idea and the need I foresee. A D2C brand like ours is continuously driven by customer feedback. At every step of the way, we keep upgrading the product-Cap2O smart water bottles, in terms of technology, quality of the paint, colours, and packaging.
We are proud that every step we take in this direction has brought results for us making Cap2O India’s Most Advanced and Premium Smart Water Bottle today.
Please share with us – what has worked well for you so far?
I believe that being open to feedback and suggestions from the consumers, really works for the benefit of any organization. So we do just that with Cap2O. We listen and take a deep dive.
We do not shy away from shifting strategies and improving wherever required and come out back with a better version of ourselves every time. So the more we align to the consumer taste and requirements, the better it would be for us.
Who do you believe has been the biggest source of motivation in your daily life?
I believe my family has been the biggest source of motivation for me. My mother always aspired that I should do something big in my life and inspired me every step of the way. Sadly, by the time I decided to pursue an entrepreneurial journey with some amazing ideas in my mind, she was no more with us. But I am sure she is up there somewhere, continuously guiding me and blessing me.
My wife Vandana has undoubtedly been my biggest critic and the biggest supporter in life and in this entrepreneurship journey. She is also the Co-founder of Cap2O and manages the day-to-day operations, coordinates with the Digital Marketing and E-commerce teams and we both strategize on our next steps together.
So yes, she is my partner in the true sense and motivates me to do well in life and work. When someone shares the vision and supports your passion, it feels that you are on the right track.
Not to forget my seven-year-old son Vyom, who considers himself an equal partner in Cap2O. He is always eager to share responsibilities like he helps us pack the bottles and even making pitch videos. He also shares feedback on a lot of things and is the acting child model for Cap2O.
What are some of the strategies that you believe have helped you grow as a person?
There are a few:
> Being open to relevant ideas and feedback
> Being able to connect with people across hierarchical levels and different industries
> Being able to face the consequence of my decisions
> Being able to strike a chord between risky and standard.
In your opinion, what are the keys to success?
Success truly holds different meanings for different people. But some of the key factors which help me achieve success are:
(1) Being curious and always ready to explore
(2) Accepting who I am and working on my strengths
(3) Keeping calm in the face of any storm
(4) Keeping a positive attitude
(5) Maintaining a healthy work-life balance
(6) Believing in myself
What advice would you give students and young professionals who want to have a successful career?
Life is not easy for anyone and you will not get things on a platter, so never fear struggles. Struggles make you!
Identify the areas that interest you and continue to build your skill set. Learning never goes to waste, so never stop up-skilling until and after you have reached where you want to. Be 100% sure of what you do, but the day you aren’t anymore, should be the day you change course.
It is the initial years of your career where you can still explore things and take calls. Take new training and build new skills because remember; there is no time for regrets in life, but ample time to start afresh. So do that. Inner peace and happiness follow when whatever you are doing is going to satisfy your inner self and will also make a difference in the world. And that is what defines a successful career in the true sense.
