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Badhai Founder Ajay Pandey Keeps Cool In The Red Hot Gifting Market

 

Today’s entrepreneurs are making it extremely difficult to find an excuse for lame gifts or for failing to come up with a present in time for special occasions. From coupons, to e-kiosks, to apps of all kind, the options for both finding and delivering gifts continue to expand on a scale to rival the mysterious Dark Energy that scientists now credit for stretching our universe.

 

Joining the growing gift market is the Indian startup Badhai. This social gifting service offers Badhai vouchers, which make purchasing and sending gifts a cinch. Vouchers are mobile friendly, redeemable with a large number of leading brands, easy to share and split–all with increasing the recipient’s joy in mind. In the spirit of Badhai and giving, here KillerStartups passes along what founder Ajay Pandey had to tell us about the early life of his company.

 

 

How’d you come up with the name for your company?

“Badhai” means “Congratulations” or “Good wishes” in Hindi, popularly used in India for wishing success, etc. Gifting goes hand in hand with the Badhai brand name. This prompted us to use Badhai.

 

What’s the very first thing you do at work everyday?

First thing I do at the office is check mail and then respond based on priority.

 

How many people did you start the company with and how many people work for you now?

We were four people when we started this company. Now we are a team of 8, working in various areas.

 

What’s your take on the early days of starting up?

Starting up is always tough. You see all those motivating articles, speeches, mentors around telling things, but in reality, you miss out on a lot (on the personal side) when you jump into a startup. The main struggle starts when you compare your personal life with people around you, the time you have to spend working ‘round the clock to make things go right. It is always a 24X7 job, with low cash and a high burnout phase.

 

How do you handle frustration? When/how was the last time you dealt with frustration?

Startup means lots of frustration, because you have to do several tasks with limited resources. The best way to handle startup frustration is to give things time. If something goes bad, give it some time. You will come up with an alternative or it will become irrelevant with time.

 

What’s your office environment like? Is it more like the flight deck of The Enterprise or the local Starbucks lounge?

We are still in garage mode. People are more focused on work in a close-knit group and enjoying the success/pains together.

 

 

 

 

How do you picture your company in 5 years?

As the name “Badhai” suggests, we would like ourselves to be synonymous with gifting in India markets. Every time someone thinks about giving a gift, they should think about Badhai.in.

 

Who or what inspires YOU?

I get inspiration from my goal. It is tough to create a startup and make it a success, but the fun is in taking on the challenges.

 

How’d you fund this venture? VC? Self-funding? Crowd-funded?

We are self-funded, but now raising funds from friends and family.

 

Got any great bootstrapping tips for the lean startups out there?

Conserve cash, take it simple and slow. Remember, you can’t create Google in one day, it will take time.

 

Do you consider yourself a successful entrepreneur right now? If not, what’s it gonna take to make you feel successful?

It is too early to say that I’m a successful entrepreneur. I will consider [myself successful]once the business breaks even and should be able to self-sustain. That will be the yard stick of success.

 

Website you couldn’t live without and why?

Google and Facebook. You get all the updates, knowledge, tips everything you want to know.

 

Mobile App you’re in love with and why?

Again, Google and Facebook. Handy to use and available on the go.

 

 

 

Dogs or cats?

Dogs: Focused, Loyal

 

iOS or Android?

Android

 

Number 1 country you’ve always wanted to visit but haven’t yet?

New Zealand – Beautiful, natural and peaceful.

 

What’s the greatest thing about your company/website/idea?

It enhances gifting–we not only simplify gift sending, but we amplify the receiving experience.

 

Where can our readers get a hold of you?

I can be reached on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

 

Photo Credits

Courtesy of the Founder and Badhai

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