"My personality development classes not only taught me the importance of dressing well but also taught me how to carry myself with the right attitude and gave me the confidence to speak in public."
Q. What ignited the spark in you to start the business? How did the idea for your business come about ?
A. I always wanted to be financially independent and that is what urged me to start something of my own. My family has been in the dental business for long, so I had a good idea about it.
The idea of selling dental instruments online struck me when I was visiting some dental colleges. I noticed that most of them were situated in isolated places and procuring good quality dental instruments was very difficult for them. Even if they managed to get the instruments they had to pay exorbitant prices for them. I also realised that most of the dentists had very busy schedules making it difficult for them take out time to go and buy the equipments. Hence DentalMart was born. In 2013 it was the only portal selling more than 2,000 dental products and today it is one of the largest sellers of dental equipments.
Q. What is the best advice you ever got ? From whom ?
A. The best advice I ever got has been from my father. He always told me to be respectful and ethical at all times. Everybody at all levels should be shown utmost respect and regard. This has helped me a lot in dealing with people and working together with them as a team.
Q. "Great leaders are also great speakers” Do you agree ? How did your personality development classes help you in your business ?
A. A good leader is one who does not just know about all the ins-and-outs of the business and understand all the nitty- gritty associated with it, but who can also understand his team members well, and is able to motivate them at every step the way. Great leaders are also those who are able to motivate the audience and the potential customers.
My personality development classes not only taught me the importance of dressing well but also taught me how to carry myself with the right attitude and gave me the confidence to speak in public.
Q. What are the key elements to starting and running a successful business ?
A. It all starts with understanding the market and then finding a gap and filling it with your offer. If you are able to understand the market and give people what they want which others have failed to provide then you are on your path to success. In addition to this it is equally important to stay constantly connected with your customers and ensure that they have a delightful experience. This will increase their loyalty towards you and make sure they never switch to other businesses.
Q. Marketing is the most important aspect of a business. How do you market your business ?
A. Online marketing is the most important aspect of my business as it’s completely based on the digital platform. SEO (search engine optimisation) is a must for me. It is also important for me to promote my website and my Facebook page which already has more than 73,000 likes. Facebook allows me to reach my target audience with precision at a very nominal cost. Since my prime audience is only dentists so I can easily target them through Facebook ads and justly for the target market reached.
In addition to this we also participate in Dental Trade Shows all over India, release print ads in various dental magazines, and also distribute pamphlets in various dental colleges across the country.
Q. If you had one piece of advice to someone just starting out what would it be ?
A. My personal advice would be that one should first understand the market and the scope before starting any business. It’s always easy to purchase something but selling a product is a task. Before launching a product one should always have complete knowledge of product, the market size and the target audience and as a rule always invest the minimum initially.
Q. What motivates you ?
A. Growth motivates me. I want to keep learning new things and keep growing. I set targets for myself and achieving those targets motivates me and keeps me going. For me, my customers and their reviews are the most important. The best way to get good reviews and keep my customers happy is to deliver on time. Happy customers spread a good word of mouth which in turn helps meet more customers. Seeing my customers happy is what motivates further and makes me want to do more and more.
Q. What makes you happy ?
A. Travelling makes me happy. It’s my dream to explore the world.
Q. What sacrifices have you had to make to become a successful entrepreneur ?
A. I wanted to pursue higher studies abroad, but I started the business when I was pretty young and hence had to give up on this dream.
Q. Which other company apart from yours do you admire the most ?
A. Amazon.
Q. Your favourite vacation spot ?
A. Cancun, Mexico
Q. Your favourite movie ?
A. Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara