We are all aware of the Indian mentality when it comes to choosing a career path. Traditional and clinched thoughts have often put students in an unspeakable dilemma. After choosing the wrong path, either they learn to accept the situation or they simply give up on their studies, thus turning into an average student. The immense potential stays subdued and neglected. After that what pours in is regret and a tremendous fear of how they will be able to survive in this cutting-edge competitive world. This situation had to change and this made Surabhi Dewra come up with careerguide.com, an education portal which mentors students in choosing the right career and the right institutions.
We got the chance to understand how she started, how the situation has changed over the years, and what were the struggles that she had to face.
When and what made you come up with the idea of Careerguide?
The idea to start Careerguide.com came from my own experiences while teaching children. I have always been passionate to promote education and in my efforts to do so, I used to teach students through NGOs. Having interacted with students, I realised that the major problem today is not availability of education facility but that of the right and appropriate education focused at a child’s skills and talents. Many students take up career without giving much thought to it and eventually become an average student. Many students get emotional stressed due to wrong career selection and this all is needed to be avoided at the right time.
Was this your original idea or did it change over time?
The basic idea of careerguide was always to support students and help them in their career decision. However, with time, we improved our way of work as we learned the real problems and challenges being faced by students in different regions of the country. We now have a network of more than 1100 career counsellors across the country and any student can connect to any career counsellor for their queries. Also, as we grew, we tried to become more interactive with the students and now through our platform, students can instantly get their answers from career counsellors telephonically.
Did you have a team from the outset or did you have to find people?
Initially, we were a team of two and then we slowly grew. As per the company’s growth and needs, we found people with appropriate skills and motivation. Now, we have a team which is highly motivated and totally dedicated to the cause.
How big is your team and what were the challenges you faced while building it? How did you overcome those challenges?
As we were building our team, the challenge was not only to find people with the right skills but with a motivation to help the students through career counselling. It has been said that a team defines the spirit of a company and we never wanted to weaken the spirit through wrong choices.
What challenges did you face while starting up? How did you deal with those challenges?
There were several challenges in terms of handling operations yet the biggest one was to make teachers and parents understand the importance of professional career counselling. When we started, there was not much awareness about career counselling and everyone was apprehensive about taking career advice from someone they don’t know personally. However, the impact stories of students who received guidance through our platform became our biggest strength in the coming time.
Who are your major competitors? What makes you different from your competition?
We face major competition from websites like Quora which provide general information to the students. Many students think that they can gain enough information from such information portals. However, they forget that every student is an individual and not all students can follow the same advise or career path. We provide every student an individual career guidance which is based on their own skills and talents.
What are the mistakes you think you made in your startup journey? What mistakes would you tell a budding entrepreneur should avoid while starting up? – We would like to quote the founder’s line here.
We all make mistakes – even today – and almost on a daily basis. But learning from mistakes is important. Not being assertive from day one and not learning to say ‘No’ early on is something that I will say have led to many mistakes.
Did you face failure while starting up? How did you deal with it?
Of course – and that’s what makes startup life interesting. Failure makes it fun and does not let startup life get into mundane routine. From fund raising to sales to customer acquisition to product -we have failed in all only to rise with better zeal !!!
Is it better to be a solo founder or does having a co-founder help? Did you consider looking for one? Why or why not?
It depends upon an individual who has started the company and his/ her vision for it. For me, having a co-founder was a blessing. I attribute a major share of our achievements to my co-founder Mr Love Chopra. He is an important pillar of the company and has given his dedication for the growth of Careerguide.com.
How do you motivate your team and yourself during adverse times?
I believe that adverse times come so that we can learn how strong we are and what are the areas we need to work. I motivate my team and myself to learn from the adverse times. Also, we do not leave a chance to celebrate even small occasions which strengthens our bond as a team and prepare to work collectively in adverse times.
How do you do to foster creativity and innovative thinking in your employees?
First of all, I try my best to create a friendly environment in the office. I believe that there is no boss and no subjugate. Everyone has his own responsibilities and this maintains a good balance in the office. Nobody has to be scared of anybody and anybody can suggest anything. Also, with this kind of environment all the people in the office are mostly tension-free and thus remain creative throughout.
What do you think are the major reasons for your success? If you could go back in time and give yourself advice on what to do or what not to do while starting up, what would it be?
If I go back in time, I would not give myself any advice but some motivation that- “Believe in yourself and keep moving forward.”
Team THS
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