As part of our endeavour to bring compelling stories from the start-up ecosystem, we invited yet another passionate entrepreneur, Sayantan Biswas, for an interview with us to understand more about his interesting entrepreneurial journey so far. Sayantan is the Co-Founder of UniAcco, where students can compare, consult and choose their accommodation out of several verified properties simply and securely. Let’s learn more!
Excerpts from our exclusive interview with Sayantan:
Talk us through your background and also your startup UniAcco, please;
I am Sayantan Biswas, founder of UniAcco. I’ve spent a large portion of my professional life working at prop-tech companies in the accommodation sector like Fella Homes and other similar platforms. At these companies, I have held various posts like the head of the sales and marketing department, a core team member and even the Vice President of Sales. I knew that the Purpose Built Student Accommodation (PBSA) is the way forward.
With enough experience under my belt, I decided to start UniAcco with the objective that students have a hassle-free experience in getting quality accommodation at affordable prices.
Why did you choose entrepreneurship over a job?
Till I was admitted to IIT-Roorkee, I hadn’t the faintest of ideas of what I wanted to do in life. But during my time there, I realised that this structured and rigid form of education was doing me no good. It was also during my time at IIT, where I came to know about the Peter Thiel Fellowship. Taking this as a sign from the universe, I dropped out of IIT after I applied for the Fellowship.
The next thing I know I was on a flight to San Francisco to rub shoulders with Silicon Valley bigwigs like Blake Masters, Jack Abraham and many more. The stuff I learned there was incomparable to any other learning I’ve had in my entire life.
Their steely resolve on having hands-on experience in every facet of business really shaped me up as a person, let alone an entrepreneur. I convinced myself that my future lied in being an entrepreneur and not in a 9-5 job.
What gets you out of bed in the morning, i.e. what’s your source of motivation?
The fact that what I do, helps people, is something that brings me great satisfaction. I know numerous students who’ve had a terrible experience choosing and booking their accommodation. For a student going abroad for education, the cost of accommodation forms a significant part of their budget. My rationale is that when you spend big money, you should be satisfied with the product/service you receive. I knew about this problem and was determined to fix it with UniAcco. We not only help students get their ideal accommodation but also provide ancillary services like visa consultation, loan consultation, concierge service and international guarantor service.
What challenges/obstacles did you face in your journey so far?
Standing out in a crowd itself I believe is a very big challenge. I was told that the path of an entrepreneur is not without its pitfalls. I definitely second this statement. The biggest challenge I’ve faced in my professional life was before I even became an entrepreneur. I come from an orthodox middle-class family that believes in studying for a good degree and then working at a big corporate firm or work for the nation in the form of a civil servant. My parents were sure that this was the path I should follow. But for me? Not so much. My decision to drop out was not met kindly by them, so much so they didn’t speak to me for almost 6 months and business is not something they feel should be my career. This was the most excruciating time of my life, but I knew that I had to dig deep and prove to them that being an entrepreneur is what I was meant to be.
What comes first for you – money or emotions?
For me, a hybrid of both would be ideal. Over the years, the main motive of an entrepreneur has swayed from profit to efficiency. Don’t get me wrong, making money is an integral part of being an entrepreneur, but emotions like building something innovative, providing certain delta(positivity) to the society is of paramount importance to me.
How do you handle the pressure and manage stress?
It is important to be focused and determined at work, but what’s equally as important is to have an active life outside of work. We are not machines. Maintaining a healthy work-life balance is essential for our well being. I don’t put in 12-hour shifts at work, and neither do I expect my employees to. I have a clear agenda to maximise my productivity while at work and when it’s time to leave, I go on to do something that will help me unwind. That could be anything from getting a couple of drinks with my colleagues or playing football with my friends.
What is one strategy that you believe has helped you grow as a person?
Always try new things. If you want to shake someone to their very core, just ask them, “Hey, what do you want to do for the rest of your life?”. Their blank expression should indicate that they have no idea what their true calling in life is. For the longest time, that was me. But what helped me was my unrelenting pursuit to try out new things, even if I had no business doing it! For instance, I come from that engineering background. But that didn’t stop me from trying my hand at sales, digital marketing and even working at an NGO. Only after trying out all this did I realise that my strengths lied in management, and that’s how I decided to start my own company. So, don’t be afraid to go out of your comfort zone to try out new things.
In your opinion, what are the keys to success?
Everyone’s has their own journey and their own recipe to success. For me, success arrived when I no longer went with the crowd. While most of my peers relished the idea of securing a prestigious degree, I had my own ideas of becoming an entrepreneur.
If I had a dollar for every time someone told me not to drop out of college, I wouldn’t need seed funding!
Be different. Think of ways to stand out from the crowd. And when you do, the path here on out will seem arduous, but in the end, it will definitely be worth it.
What advice would you give to someone starting out as an aspiring entrepreneur?
Manage and balance your time effectively. Your time is your number 1 asset. It is critical to examine your own habits and find out things that are leaching your time. Make sure that whatever you do is worth your while. Managing your time effectively is enough to set you apart from those who just dream of running a business. Also, do something you are proud of. At the end of the day, all that matters is the satisfaction and gratitude you get from your job. For instance, when a frantic students find their dream accommodation on UniAcco, it brings me immense joy to know that I played a small part in their university journey.
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.
