Raja Guha

On inquiring from where did the idea to start something like OORJAMATIC TECHNOLOGIES came from and requesting him to tell us about his background and his journey as entrepreneur, Mr Raja Guha apprised that ;

I was on a lookout for a new thing which people are not aware of and the only reaction which people will give hearing the disruption which we will make is –Wow!

We wanted to change a few things which people in India were doing. It may sound very simple but it has an impact. Hence we started to work with three technologies and develop applications using them to change the things we do presently. Innovation is what we focus on and makes simple disruptions with a very high impact on what and how we do.

I have a personal work experience of 20+ years with various organizations with global repute after completing my engineering. I completed my executive MBA within the first 6 years of working. I was the first employee in eastern India to set up the business operation for TaeguTec India for which I worked for 4 years and also the first employee in eastern India for Bose Corporation for whom I worked for more than a decade. My last job was with Johnson Control.

I was in the domain of sales and my success in sales always motivated me to do on my own. So whenever I was in front of my customers I always kept in mind that someday I will start my own venture and then they will be my asset. Hence till now, I have personal relations going with most of my key customers with whom I had come in contact during my days as a salaried person. Over Commit and under-delivery was anabsolute NO in my personal philosophy. Hence I could and continue to maintain excellent relations with my customers. Even if I cannot provide them a solutiononly be cause that, not my domain, I redirect them to specialists/organizations from where they couldget their solutions.

Oorjamatic Technologies LLP was incorporated on 13th December 2017 and it works on a couple of technologies. We use these technologies to create disruptions, changing the way people do few things presently and while changing it we provide concrete data to our clients. These data help our clients to plan well for the future. We make marketing campaigns ROI driven. Being an entrepreneur is a totally different game altogether. You suddenly have to change the total mindset and you are within your comfort zone. But the capability to adapt to the change through learning, planning, networking is key to success. The applications which we have developed issuing few technologies are so new and have such a huge range of applications across sectors that covering the entire market segment is a huge challenge for a startup. So we are finding various innovative ways to cover the market. But we are always keeping in mind that we should expand till we can support the customer. Hence we are cautious yet aggressive in our minds.

On enquiring from him about the choosing entrepreneurship over job, Mr Raja Guha narrated that;

“I wanted to come out of the comfort zone, the glamour of the corporate world, five star stays, and so on. I was waiting for the right moment to quit the job. Hence came out of a job in November 2017. As I was always a customer-centric person, I was confident that I will be supported by my customers whom I have gained during my salaried days”.

Entrepreneurship gives you the freedom to think out of the box, create your own strategies, and grow your own organization. Now I am free to implement my ideas and strategies and define my own goals and work towards them.

I would love to use the learnings during my salaried days and use it to create jobs, offer new solutions, and create an impact on what and how we do.

How do you find the industry/niche that you’re in? Mr Raja Guha explains that;

It provides huge opportunities ranging from healthcare to Retail, Transport to Sports. It has applications in every domain and sector. The imagination and creativity is the only limit for the application which we provide. In the post-COVID 19 days, it will be more significant as it will avoid a touch. Our applications can generate data from apparel to bottles, posters to standys, and many many more. It gives people a tool to take the right kind of marketing decisions.

On inquiring about what gets him out of bed in the morning i.e. what’s his source of motivation ?, Mr.Raja Guha explains that ;

I am extremely passionate about what I do. I don’t feel the passion, usually I don’t do that or become unsuccessful. To me every day is a new day, a new beginning, and can be a game-changer.

On inquiring about what challenges/obstacles did you face in your journey so far? Mr Raja Guha apprised us that;

The most and only obvious challenge is to manage the cash flow of the organization especially when we don’t have an investor on board. We from the first day had been focusing on customer acquisition rather than moving behind an investor. Besides this another challenge is to find the right kind of manpower with the right attitude who will have learning capability, right skill set, and customer-centric skills. Besides many don’t want to join a startup as they are not sure whether it will be a revenue-generating one. Hence it becomes very important for the founders to strive hard to make the organization and success.

On inquiring about the uniqueness of his startup OORJAMATIC TECHNOLOGIES, Mr Raja Guha explained that;

Our start-up is aimed at enhancing business revenue using various technologies and giving the customer a clear picture of the return on his investment. Presently there are many areas where no data is evolving to empower customers to take the right kind of investment decisions in marketing or promoting their products or solutions. We have a 360-degree approach to empower customers not to miss a single opportunity to gather data. It can be from 3-4 cm from a promotion campaign to 200 meters. It can generate data from a bottle to apparel, from a standy to a poster, and so on. Innovative consumer engagement strategy clubbed with technology is a very powerful tool and we do that.

Stress at work is an increasingly common feature of modern life, however on enquiring from Mr Raja Guha about how he handles the pressure and manages stress, he explains that;

I don’t hesitate to reach out to my friends or industry senior seeking help and guidance. In the initial days due to the change of habit, cash flow there is bound to be stress. Reaching out to your friends, seniors help to reduce stress. Winston Churchill rightly said that if you have five friends whom you can count on five fingers then our life is made. This proves to be very true in the initial days of entrepreneurship. Another thing is to have confidence in yourself and speak to yourself. If one is successful in the past cannot be a straight failure. Recount my success stories about how I acquired difficult accounts and continued to manage them.

On enquiring about the strategy that he believes has helped him grow as a person/startup, Mr Raja Guha narrated about the parameters responsible for developing it;

I have always believed in developing my personal brand image. It is the most important parameter as it plays an important role to ascertain as to how one is perceived by others. The perception is the reality and it plays a role in where you can be successful or not. Your personal brand image is responsible to know how much help you can get from others. Getting and seeking help in the early days of entrepreneurship is not bad at all as during that time one’s mind is clogged with too many ideas and challenges. Hence help is required.

Developing customized solutions having a huge impact backed by the right kind of policies to support customers is another important parameter for a start-up to be successful. Start-ups cannot afford to over commit and under deliver to earn revenue. If that happens then the startup will not go too far as it will develop a wrong perception in the market. It is important to remember that a product or a brand cannot talk or move. It depends on the qualities and perception of the person who represents it and the person represents the organization. Hence Personal brand image clubbed with company policies are key to success.

On inquiring about his opinion about “the keys to success”, he explains that ;

The key to success will be to have patience and to have self-confidence. Start-up is like a newborn baby and it has to go through the steps to be a consistent and formidable organization in days ahead. One should keep in mind the short and long time implication of any decision one is taking. One should revisit the drawing boards to review if we are going wrong anywhere and its implication. Success doesn’t come overnight and easy. One thing is constant in every scenario. That is the capability to learn and be flexible and adaptable.

What advice would you give to someone starting out as an aspiring entrepreneur?

Any aspiring entrepreneur should consider taking any action, decision, keeping in mind that at one point he or she aspires to be one in the future. Creating your personal brand image-based one four pillars like Respect, Integrity, Knowledge,Passion is of utmost importance from Day1. One should develop the networking skill not limited to his or her own domain but across sectors as it will be key to success during days of entrepreneurship. Last but not least, educational qualification is not the only parameter for being successful. One should rigorously work in a job and then should start his or her own venture. Only Money, Only Knowledge, or Only Contact will not help. It has to be a perfect blend depending on individuals.