Most of the youth today have been more inclined towards becoming an entrepreneur rather than spend their lives in a monotonous 9-5 job.
Today we bring you a journey of such youth who started off as a regular employee but went on to become a success story for us all to follow. 21-year-old Vikas Kumar had a degree in Bachelor of Commerce and was working as an accountant.
The Idea That Changed His Life
While in his employment, all Vikas wanted was to have a career beyond the 9-5 mundanity. While he was looking for a way, he found himself browsing down Flipkart app and that is when it struck him.
Vikas shares,
I was drawn to a small tab at the corner of the screen that said – ‘Sell your product on Flipkart’. So, I clicked it. And, that’s when I realized that it is not difficult to start an online business. In fact, a lot of the troubles associated with starting a traditional business do not exist here.
He soon decided to do some research of his own as to what can be the scope of his business idea.
All That Went Into It
Vikas was quick to find that despite reporting nearly 10 crore customers in 2015, Flipkart had on 2800 products in the Home Decor category. This meant that there were only a few product variants in a category that potentially accessed and browsed by such a large audience.
During his college days, Vikas had visited the wholesale markets in New Delhi and he decided to put his knowledge to some good use. With everything put together, he decided that on the capital front, he would start small and then gradually grow slowly.
Without any delay, Vikas put in together all the legal formalities and with an initial investment of Rs 2,800, he started Crobat in 2015. To his surprise, Vikas received his first order on the second day of starting his journey on Flipkart.
Crobat’s Baby Steps & Sucess Leap
Since he had decided to start small, Vikas was sourcing products from the wholesale market and then selling it off on Flipkart. From storing the products at his residence to taking pictures of the products to post, Vikas did everything possible to curb the expense.
But times changed, and Crobat started receiving orders in a large volume which encouraged Vikas to rent a shop to store his products. Today, Crobat’s product catalog has over 400 products, which are all sourced from different places.
While talking about his journey, Vikas shared with Yourstory,
Selling online is actually very easy. It’s not rocket science. One of the most important factors that govern success is whether you have found the right product to sell.
He further adds that his journey was not all roses and sunshine, he had to face a lot of speed bumps in his journey but was always optimistic and moved forward. Vikas was also all praises for Flipkart and their support in helping Crobat grow.
Flipkart’s Support
Vikas also shared that Flipkart has recently started a service that provides financial lending support called ‘Growth Capital’ which has made getting loans for the business easier.
As per him, Flipkart has partnerships with numerous banks and several private lenders. All you need to do is go to the Growth Tab and apply for it. There is less documentation because of the partnership. And, the interest rates too are favorable. This makes it very easy as it also saves up on multiple visits to the banks.
Reflecting the past and the future 3 years after Crobat came into existence, Vikas’ annual turnover touched Rs 1.5 crore. This year, FY 2019-20, the company is expected to touch Rs 2 crore.
