Interview with Swati Bhargava – Co-founder of Cashkaro.com and Budding Indian Entrepreneur

A successful business needs two things- a good idea and zeal. Entrepreneurs often think their ideas aren’t good enough to work and give up half way. However, if you have the passion to follow your dreams and turn them into reality, no idea is small or useless as long as you believe in it. Swati Bhargava is a living example of following dreams and achieving them which is why she, along with her husband (Rohan Bhargava) could set up and start Cashkaro.com- India’s leading cashback and coupon website.

Here are certain takeaways from her exemplary journey which will surely inspire every budding entrepreneur:

What drew you to the idea of setting up a Cashback website?

Rohan and I came across this simple and elegant idea of cash back whilst working in the UK and the idea’s simplicity just clicked. We initially started running cashback sites for UK newspapers including Daily Mail and Metro Newspaper and that’s how the journey started. After tasting success in the UK and getting our footing, we then turned our focus to India where there is a huge scope for the ecommerce industry. India was the perfect market as Indians have a penchant for savings. Having tapped that, we at Cashkaro.com have partnered with over 800+ retailers which include names like Jabong, Flipkart, Paytm, Amazon, Snapdeal that help customers get additional cash back through us on every product or service they buy. This has made Cashkaro’s model the cheapest and most convenient way to shop online.

What are the major hurdles that you faced along the way?

When you’re constantly growing, challenges are part of the deal. However, certain glaring problems were:

In the early stages it’s always a challenge to find good talent who believe in our vision as much as we do and cut down attrition rates. People tend to become impatient and it’s sometimes hard to explain that revenues and profits take time to show actual effect.

As we’re working on an affiliate marketing model, retailers play a huge role in it. The model needs to run on trust and transparency and sometimes it can be hard when we don’t get commissions on time. However with time, we have been able to streamline the way we work and develop a more efficient way of handling retailers by setting terms and conditions. This helps us maintain a symbiotic relationship which benefits both us and retailers alike which in turn helps us make customers happy.

For any upcoming venture, funding is key and always a sticky area to get around. Profitable businesses easily attract investors however finding investors in the nascent stage is the real challenge. However, as we were able to raise money through external funding in the UK, we were able to develop our business and help it grow in the right direction.

Entrepreneurship is on the rise in India with many youngsters following their dreams. What advice would you give based on your own entrepreneurial experience?

In my experience, what really matters when you’re setting up a business is faith. Not just faith in your team mates but faith in your product. You need to believe in the uniqueness of your idea and give it all you have. Conduct a proper SWOT analysis about your business idea and once you’re sure about it and have everything in place, charge full steam ahead. You need to give it everything you have and not work half-heartedly if you want to do your business justice.

While building your team, have a can do attitude and you’ll see that spark will slowly transpire and spread among your team members. It’s important for everyone to believe in the idea and vision in order to make it truly click and work successfully.

What is the work environment like at Cashkaro?

At Cashkaro, we’re always striving to grow and work beyond our comfort zones. We welcome change and believe in changing with current trends. We have a very young and dynamic work force that shares our belief in the brand and works hard round the clock. In return, they gain exposure in more than one domain. We have a lively atmosphere and get together for lunch during the day which is home cooked. Apart from this, we have regular interactive group sessions to brainstorm together and get a feedback that helps us incorporate the best practices we can. Everyone at Cashkaro is driven by passion and this helps us grow. Every employee shares a common vision of becoming the best in the coupon sites domain as we provide an added bonus of cash back too.

What does the future hold for your organization?

We’re constantly working on becoming and solidifying our position as India’s top Cashback and Coupon website. We’re not just diversifying but also investing in technology to improve user and customer experience and aiming to become a one stop solution for online savings. We’re also looking at expanding our presence internationally. At the end of the day, our vision is simple: to become the ultimate and unrivalled destination for savings in India- no matter which goods you buy, Cashkaro.com should commence your buying cycle which helps you get the best shopping experience.

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