As part of our endeavour to identify and share some of the compelling startup stories, we invited Taksheel Joshi – CEO of Tricmobility to share with us his interesting journey and the way forward. His startup aims at solving one of the major environmental problems through smart mobility solutions. Let’s read more.
Excerpts from our exclusive interview with Taksheel:
Talk us a little about yourself please:
The journey to create a next-gen sustainable eco-friendly smart mobility solution started when I saw a few analytical images of how the pollution is affecting our environment. It started out as a simple concern and eventually became a feeling, a desire to overcome this problem. With the help of my friends and family, we brainstormed the problem and its solutions. After more than 6 months of planning, this became our passion to create solutions across different sectors to minify the pollution by retrofitting innovative technology with already adapted mechanisms. By doing this, we landed on our first solution, offering a range of cycles, electric cycles, electric scooters and more. This solution will be provided on a cheap rental basis which will help people ease into electric and sustainable mobility slowly. By targeting one city at a time we are paving the path for our greater cause of bringing even more unique solutions which match our user’s demands. We are a long way from our goals but we are on the right path! Our combined team of environmental and technological experts are creating country-specific solutions which will be heavily impactful. Our main aim here is to bring a widely available, cheap and highly efficient set of solutions to reduce India’s growing pollution crisis.
Why did you choose entrepreneurship over a job?
I have always had the inclination of working and creating something different. I love and have a passion for handling multiple and diverse projects at a time. I don’t like to be stagnant at a place and have a monotonous life. Entrepreneurship is the key to my dreams. It is tough as the process has recently started, but I have the attitude of facing the problems head-on, which keeps me going during adverse times. My job was satisfactory but, I wanted to make an environmental impact, I wanted to implement my thoughts, I wanted to build sustainable products which we can use for a long time without harming the nature! These thoughts, passion and willingness made me take the leap towards entrepreneurship. For me, entrepreneurship is the bridge to achieving my goals.
What gets you out of bed in the morning i.e. what’s your source of motivation?
My main source of motivation is my desire to work towards my goal. Sure, there are days when I find myself getting demotivated or stuck, but I know I am working towards a better solution and it would take time to reach that goal. By God’s grace, I always find strength in some way but usually, it’s through my family and friends, who stand as my backbone, no matter what. Focus is important here! You need to focus on what you are doing today and what it will create tomorrow! This always keeps the cycle running. Without focus, you may have numerous projects but none of them would bring you a satisfactory outcome. So, I have a personal whiteboard which I edit at the end of the day and look at first thing in the morning. This outlines my daily tasks!
Why should people choose your products/services?
Simple, we are open, transparent and here to serve them! Rather than a product/service, we want to create an ecosystem of numerous solutions which can easily be adapted right into your daily lives and even then, it would create an impact at a larger scale! We are working hard here to create a solution which consists of a perfect balance between innovation, demand, necessity, and most importantly ease of use. No matter how amazing your solution is if it can’t be used by the public in general than it has no use! We are not building a specific product; we are creating a generalized solution. This will reflect eventually when people use and realize the pleasure of using our solution.
What’s your competitive advantage and why can’t it be copied?
Our think tank and their thoughts! I believe in our journey so far, we have achieved one biggest advantage, that is, positive and like-minded people. This has enabled us to go beyond competitive planning and focus heavily on improvising our solution. We want to innovate for the greater good and that has no definitive ending which is why it can’t ever be copied! Our solutions are planned to bring balance between users and the company, this ensures that without compromising on either side we can proceed towards our goal of a total sustainable solution.
What challenges/obstacles did you face in your journey so far?
Every business has risks and challenges. Finding a proper location where we can execute our project, increasing number of competition and coordinating with the authorities, all were big challenges. It took months of patience and research to even take a single step. Our one of the biggest obstacles was less awareness for riding cycles and electric scooters. This impacted the initial thought process of our audience but we understood it, took feedbacks and reflected on bringing solutions which are scarcely available in the country.
What are your expansion plans/breakeven projections?
We are aiming to do things differently here, rather than expanding vigorously, we are trying to grow around user satisfaction which in return brings more acceptance and hence expansion! We want to penetrate the Indian mobility segment by one city at a time! This gives us enough time to reflect on our previous mistakes and prepare for immediate solutions! We have been stressing a lot on understanding how our environment works in order to provide more useful solutions to our users. Nevertheless, we project to bring a huge sustainable impact on Indian roads within a year!
Tell our audience more about your failures? How should one bounce back?
Failures are a part of our lives but getting up from those failures is what matters the most. I have had a major setback during my academic life, but that never stopped me. Opposite to setback, at that time, I found my passion and calling! I started building everything on my own and with a due course of time, found a path due to my hard work. Also, after starting this business, I had setbacks such as losing my primary goals and facing setbacks from various partners. Nonetheless, this actually helped me improvise and attack more efficiently and that’s when I realized the true sense behind “What doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger”. But it has been hard, I would like to say that keep your mind steady and remember “today’s failure will be a part of tomorrow’s success story!”
What comes first for you – money or emotions?
I am an emotional person. For me, client satisfaction and quality deliverables are of utmost importance. Money is a priority, as I am starting a business at a young age and need funds and everything to keep my business going but money automatically becomes an outcome out of client’s satisfaction and our recognition. My business is such that, the more people I satisfy, the more I will grow exponentially and financially. Just like everyone, I picture myself as a user and try to focus on developing useful solutions for the public.
How do you handle the pressure and manage stress?
Stress and pressure are two really hindering factors. It gets difficult sometimes when the pressure is too much. I try to keep calm by talking to my friends and family about what is bothering me. This helps me clear my mind and work. It is highly important to articulate your thoughts and do micro or macro management when required, this really eases off the pressure.
What advice would you give to someone starting out, particularly to aspiring entrepreneurs?
My advice would be if you have a unique and innovative idea which would benefit even a bunch of people and would give you satisfaction, just execute that idea. Do not keep money your sole priority, mainly think about delivering quality products and give client satisfaction. I would like to stress on the point that you can’t just start a business, you need to try, break and develop things without focusing on stability in order to achieve your goals. Most importantly, surround yourself with great people and try building the infrastructure of your company around the customer’s feedback, it will help you grow.
Follow Tricmobility:
Website: tric.co.in
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Tric-Mobility-787976104906768/
Twitter: @tricmobility
Instagram: @tric.mobility
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/tric-mobility
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