StartUp Lessons from Purplle.com CEO, Manish Taneja

Purplle.Com is an online beauty and personal care web portal that has already carved a niche for itself in the e-commerce industry. Purplle was founded by Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) graduates Manish Taneja and Rahul Dash in 2011. The two shared an apartment when Manish was working with Fidelity, a private equity firm and Rahul was toying with an e-commerce idea. It was around this time Purplle “germinated”.

Nearly six months of deliberations and discussions went in before Manish Taneja chose to call it quits at Fidelity and Startup at Purplle. Quitting your stable, salaried jobs is not easy. Manish Taneja shares few of his life lessons about setting up and working in a startup.

Life in a startup

Life in a startup is nothing like you imagined before starting the firm, it's like a roller coaster ride. Highs are sky high and lows are weakening low. It’s simple - it isn’t for the faint-hearted. Finishing what you have started is one of the beacons of wise people. Whatever it takes to finish things, finish!!

Finding the Target Customer

Setting a consumer based business is not an easy task. Be very clear on the emotional and psychological underpinnings you are tapping on. Face the elephant in the room and be at it till you perfect it. And importantly, don’t waste a lot of money on people, infrastructure and marketing until you have figured these things out.

Be Supply Ready, get economics ready

Be supply ready before demand comes. Having a bad customer care experience is worse than not having customers. If you have a good customer care, even the state beyond control can be handled and managed well. Control your urge to market your products till the supply or backend is ready.

Its's startup, it's patience

Rome wasn’t built in a day and so will be your company. Startup journey is a marathon marked by perseverance and focus. Patience is the key to finishing the marathon. Also, remember, there will be many failures. They are the stepping stones towards your Success.

Partner in crime is partner in success

Have a co-founder with complementary skills and temperament. It will not only help you to create a friendly environment but also help to create an extended family. It’s a long road ahead. What better if you can get a partner with opposite character!

Attitude Matters

Hire people for their attitude and not skills. Skills could be learned, attitude is innate. If you are giving a responsibility to your employer, make sure they are thick-skinned to take the feedback and finish the work!

Choose your Investors wisely

Avoiding investor is one of the things that should be added in the books of startup. But you can't hence choose them wisely. Do your homework just like they do. You cannot clear the exam if you haven’t completed your homework.