Hemalatha Sriramulu
Founder & CEO
Rossitek Software Solutions
Short Description
As the CEO of the company, I am responsible to make sure every staff is well advised on the direction the company is heading towards and what their role is. Though most of our staff have no experience working over seas, i make them see the outside the box perspective of the industry. My exposure to working with Japanese and Western companies has helped me explain my experiences. This interaction has helped the staff understand the short comings of the processes followed earlier and the advantages of following the processes in place within Rossitek .This has helped us to drastically reduce the mistakes many outsourcing companies have done , which has given Outsourcing a bad name .
Brief about company, offerings and foundation of the company
Rossitek Software Solutions is not just a mobile app development company, but a mobile solutions provider. We look at how we can provide end to end seamless mobility solutions not just apps.Our focus is on producing quality applications with our sights set on enterprise applications, and providing business solutions on the mobile platform for our global clients. Rossitek was initially formed in 2009, when we noticed a paradigm shift in the market towards mobility. We had seen a need, and moved with the market. Rossitek was created out of a need to provide high end, innovative and cost effective solutions to our growing customer base.
Risks involved in business and way of addressing
Every business or market will have risk. We have to try and reduce these risks to ensure the company is a success. A)As a start up, you need to watch your outgoing costs. Our biggest issue was infrastructure. We needed to accommodate staff with new Mac Computers, Mobile Devices etc., which can become costly. Ensure to allow for extra overheads and having a close watch on your budget. B) Competing against other well established companies which are established and already have existing customer bases to undertake and market their mobile development to. We had ensured that we are noticed through website, events .A good business plan and speaking to people who have gone through these experiences which also helped us to identify the shortcomings of our competitors and identifying markets to focus on. Read, research and know the market we are in and step out a plan to implement and improvise Ask questions. Don’t be afraid to speak up and say you don’t know or understand.
Most critical decision
Throughout your business we were faced with challenges which are key or critical points that has determined the direction of our business. Everyone will have a story, we have one too. Prior to Rossitek, We had tried several freelancers and some well known established development companies, all with disappointing results. A critical decision was made at this point to create Rossitek in India, and employ our own people and manage our projects on our own, to our satisfaction. For me the most critical of all decisions was to live away from my family to get Rossitek started, up and running. This had now taken our business from a small one bedroom company to a business half way around the world. This critical decision allowed us though to deliver on the quality & solutions that we wanted to provide. It was a key decision, and one that wasn’t taken lightly considering the sacrifice the whole family had to do.
Some of the difficulties faced while building product/ solution
Being away from India for a long period of time has contributed the many difficulties which I had to endure from the setting up of the company to complete build a product. Which I think, I have over come with more understanding of the work culture here. Having lived in Japan and Australia, I am used to believing in what is said. There are many examples. Time Management - I have found the lack of respect for TIME in most of the areas. Quality - Lack of Focus on the quality of end product. Interview and Appointment -> many a times it is a very tedious and tiring process to find that right person to do the job , even though you find them and wait long notice period for their joining , they back off and I am back to level zero again. Though we had staff with skill set in place, there was a lack of passion, enthusiasm, commitment to my expectations. I had to personally ensure the quality and timely completion. Creating the sense of belonging to the company was another challenge. We had clients, jobs, staff and resources but we needed to find a way to weave all this together to come up with an almost automated process to ensure the best outcome for our clients and us.
Different actions if I rebuild my company from scratch all over again
Seek an Investor or Business Partners to share the load. Use Expert Partners where you are unable to provide that level of service or expertise. Spend more time, researching, planning, and then putting into action. Focus on small high skill set team and pulling them together
Motivation and Drives factor
To hear positive feedback on the end product. The urge to try and remove the wrong notion about the Outsourcing experience to India.
Unique about my way of motivating troops
I motivate our staff with incentives and encourage them to give their ideas and be innovative. We like to see our developers come up with new ideas. We would rather; they come to us and say, they would like to try implementing something new and innovative even if it takes extra time, because we want to be seen as being innovative and cutting edge in our industry. Why follow what others do, when you can do as you wish to do? Give your staff all the right tools to do their job correctly. Setup mentors in your office environment, so that younger staff can sit, watch & learn. Finding key staff is paramount. It is difficult to hire very experienced people in a startup environment if you do not have the lucrative offers for them. However, you need to try offering them security. Explain your plans, your market and how you see the growth in your business to sell them the idea they can be part of something new and exciting. Your staff and especially your development people will be the engine of your company. Quality people will equal quality results. As a CEO I walk the hallways, sitting with staff from the ground up- ensuring that I understand their job, what they do and identifying any areas change or improvements can be made. “Ensure you engage with your staff” .
Way of choosing my people
I am always looking for talent and the right person to be with us. Being a start up company, not many experienced persons would confidently join a start up. We look for key characteristics on our staff. Number one is passion. We want people who are passionate about mobile apps, innovative and have a desire to better themselves and for the good of the company. A person with a good attitude, punctual, great work ethics would be employed by us over a more highly skilled person. Staff with the characteristics will soon learn and grow and be more than just a highly skilled worker.
The challenges and lessons learnt to get first customer
We started a simple web site offering mobile app development, earlier when the market was young. We had no SEO, no programmers, no idea how a mobile app process worked. We got an enquiry and we were off and racing. We focused on providing friendly and courteous service and as we went along we learnt the steps ourselves. Your clients are everything. Having an approachable company is key to building up relationships. Ensuring you can be easily accessed by key clients. Small factors such as having the office telephone answered in a timely manner and with a nice greeting script to follow will ensure that the company shows a professional attitude in everything we do. Treating every call as if it were, Steve Jobs calling us.
Experience of reaching out to potential investors
Rossitek is still yet to secure any investors. Not out of trying but mainly out of focusing on getting key products, strategies and business plans in place to provide maximum returns for our investors.
My role at different dimensions as the company evolved
As a single person trying to setup a company with only a couple of technical staff , I did everything from meeting with clients, doing the accounts , to making chai for the staff. I had gone from managing all areas of the business, at an early stage to the point where it is too much for one person. I have had to find people to undertake some of my responsibilities and let go of the things I would have normally handled myself. Not one person can manage everything. You need to create a good network and support group around you, to help you carry the load. Your role will forever change as the business changes. As an owner and CEO, I will live my business 24/7.
As a leader how I make sure that I am connecting the right dots
As the CEO of the company, I am responsible to make sure every staff is well advised on the direction the company is heading towards and what their role is. Though most of our staff have no experience working over seas, i make them see the outside the box perspective of the industry. My exposure to working with Japanese and Western companies has helped me explain my experiences. This interaction has helped the staff understand the short comings of the processes followed earlier and the advantages of following the processes in place within Rossitek .This has helped us to drastically reduce the mistakes many outsourcing companies have done , which has given Outsourcing a bad name .
Three big lessons/ mistakes encountered while building company
Every Day teaches me a lesson, some small and easy to learn and some very hard to believe, understand and act. To pick up three of them -1) It was difficult appointing staff, as I had tried to interview, source and scan candidates myself. As a lot of candidates were out of Bangalore, it was difficult determining what was on paper and what they truthfully could do. So many training courses & certificates undertaken by people, but difficult to understand what weight these courses carried and the level of expertise these people really had. I would advise not to rush, interview face to face, and if possible arrange a highly technical skilled person to help find the right candidates. Even if they are not in your organisation, find someone who can assist. Look for positive people. Don’t believe everything you read or hear. 2) Try not to undertake everything yourself. The time you spend trying to do everything can be better spent planning & growing your business. You are the face of the company so you need to be positioned to provide your vision, innovations and aspirations to prospective clients and your staff. 3) Never put all your eggs in one basket. Look at different product markets, assess the assets you have in your business and see if they can be used elsewhere for other opportunities. Our focus was originally on providing highest level of service & attention to our client’s products. We should have created a R&D Team to simultaneously develop our own products right from our inception.
Best company I admire globally
Google : the live and let live policy , which has encouraged a many entrepreneurs. The company has innovation and never fail to try . Even small things like the google search, the changing image is refreshing and lets you feel that they care.
Advice for fellow entrepreneurs
In summary I would encourage all persons seeking to go down this path, to do your homework, talk with as many people as possible, research the market, spend only as necessary, employ the right people and do the job right first time, all the time. Attention to detail, quality and being innovative will help secure long term clients, and at the end of the day it is about securing the future of the company. If I had to do everything over again, I could change a million things to make my life easier, however the lessons, the knowledge, the experience that I gained through the good and bad allows me to be better prepared, understand and make more informed decisions about the future of the company. This experience is something money cannot buy, and all entrepreneurs will have their own stories of heartache and joy. Best of luck on your journey.
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