During COVID, the craze for starting your own company was at its peak. Everyone was locked in their houses. Shark Tank didn't exist, but I researched and wanted to start my own company. As a result, I discussed this matter with my college friends in the same department as me, ECE. Things were challenging because we did not know anything about starting a startup, but we tried our best.
I and two of my college friends founded Webers in 2020, a company located in Jharkhand. Despite my initial hesitation and doubt, I eventually joined the venture as the chief of operations. Our Edtech company was funded by all three of us investing our own money. The CEO and CTO took care of the incorporation while I contributed by handling website creation and platform-building resources. Our limited funds were enough to get us started as we focused on our main products: an LMS portal similar to Udemy, and a job cum internship sharing platform for students during Covid. In the early days, we also took on freelance projects such as website creation and social media management for clients. Our first client was Zee Saheb, a popular shopping mart in Patna, Bihar. They hired us for social media management, website design, and Google My Business services. While we made some progress within three months, we had to end the contract due to financial limitations.
We developed a web application and assigned responsibilities among ourselves. I handled budgeting and financing, while our friend joined us as a marketing specialist, the nephew of a local politician in Jharkhand. His efforts brought success in the local region but not elsewhere. However, managing money and creating budgets proved to be an ongoing struggle, leading to frequent conflicts between myself, the CEO, and the CTO. Unfortunately, this also impacted our personal relationships as friends.
During my time as COO, I faced several challenges, including onboarding interns for less stipend, which was hard to convince, but we had to because we lacked funds. To keep track of all the money we spent and the money we received, I learned Excel basic formulas. I found interns using platforms such as Internshala. While the interns came and left, we were unable to do anything [now I know how to retain them].
At that time, I was new but crazy about hackathons. I had recently organized a hackathon with 2000+ participants. I wanted to replicate this success to reach the same people and help us with organic marketing since we were unable to afford to run ads. After pitching to sponsors, I bought in 10 companies that were sponsoring hackathons. Unfortunately, the hackathon was a disaster. I have no idea who is to blame, my overconfidence, or the lack of responsibility of my friends.
As we continued on our journey, a travel agency in Delhi unexpectedly approached us for assistance with their social media presence. Interestingly enough, I had previously worked for them as a social media intern and the founder recently reached out to me for additional help. He may have heard about my expertise through organic brand research. Fortunately, he trusted me and offered me a contract. However, some financial issues arose with the CEO and CTO, who also happened to be my friends. It was a challenging situation having to navigate between both parties, but I managed to persuade them and we began the project. After four months of hard work, we successfully completed our first major project.
Our college professor was aware of our situation and offered his assistance. In exchange, we would raise awareness for the college. He requested that we put together a presentation and deliver it to a 7-member team consisting of the VC, dean, and HOD from our partner colleges. The proposal was to create a new brand for the LMS with a budget of 20 lac. However, after multiple meetings and negotiations, the college approved the project but with a reduced budget of 10 lac. Because our combined revenue barely reached 3-5 lacs over several months, we had no choice but to accept this offer.
As the team grew and our client base expanded, a new concern arose: college placements. In January 2021, I joined an Edtech firm as their community manager, which initially felt like a burden but by September, I realized it was the right choice. However, I knew that WEBERS could not be my only source of income, perhaps due to a lack of trust. Thankfully, in July 2021, I was promoted from intern to full-time at Leverage. Balancing studies and working at two different companies during my 7th semester, I was prepared for a pause at WEBERS during the placement season. Meanwhile, my co-founders successfully secured good roles for themselves during placements. Finally, my lack of interest, parental pressure, trust issues, and concerns about fund management led to numerous complaints and conflicts.
Sadly, on 25 September 2021, I officially left Webers, or Insticonnect as they called it. I still have access to my LinkedIn and Facebook pages. My cofounders tried to convince me but I just had enough. Frustration, irritation, and almost high blood pressure. I cried that day.
On 16 November 2021, I received a call from the professor requesting an update on the company. He expressed concern as he needed to report it to officials. It was clear that something was amiss. As it turned out, the CEO had indeed cheated the college. Despite my departure, Insticonnect continued to operate but in a state of disarray. The professor did not hesitate to warn the cofounders about potential job loss. This unfortunate incident could severely damage the university's reputation. The cofounders were left off with a warning and repayment of all dues.
Even after graduating, I am still in touch with my cofounder friends and we discuss where we made mistakes and the possibility of future collaborations.
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