2021 ended with meeting an inspiring figure. Now 2022 begins with an important decision: getting braces on January 1st, believing that “whatever we do on 1st Jan remains with us throughout the year.”
B2B Sales
The team visited over 20 schools and colleges across India, pivoting their product based on customer needs. Key insight: “For B2B you will have to build a relationship with the customer” and be willing to adjust your pitch accordingly.
Defining BeyondExams’ Direction
After recognizing they couldn’t serve everyone, they launched their flagship offering: a 3-month web development training program with lifetime internship support for 1st and 2nd year college students. The strategy challenges the mindset that internships aren’t available to early-year students with proper skills and mentoring.
Learning: “Defining Niche and what fits your niche will help you get a lot more traction.”
B2C Sales
Direct customer acquisition through advertising attracted 40+ students. Success required creating urgency around the product and targeting the right audience.
Marketing & Ads
Six ad campaigns revealed that internship-focused messaging resonated most. The takeaway: effective marketing requires understanding audience preferences through experimentation.
MoreThanMarks Hibernation
Their sister initiative focused on skill training for school students paused operations. Challenge: parents prioritized grades over skills, requiring extensive mindset-shifting efforts.
Team Reunion
The first physical meetup in Mumbai strengthened bonds across the distributed team through shared experiences and personal connection.
Malpani Ventures Connect
Expert feedback confirmed their strategic direction: focus on one defined product for one specific audience, justified pricing without fluctuation.
Life Beyond BeyondExams
An Instagram food page grew from 100 to 400+ followers during 2022.
Family & Relaxation
A temple trip to Vrindavan provided balance.
Major Learnings
- Self-doubt occurs; respond with resilience
- Failed experiments teach valuable lessons
- Experiment, learn, and improve independently
- Selectively adopt others’ advice
- Design products for customer needs through direct dialogue
- Leverage existing research and proven strategies
- Trust your product ownership
- Cofounders must fill team gaps when necessary
- Life continues; maintain continuous growth
Originally published on Medium.
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