I make it a habit to keep a log of my ideas. I observe my surroundings and whenever I find a problem I make a note of it. You never know where a good idea comes from.”
Born and brought up the city of Kolkata, India, Avijit finished his Bachelors in Technology from GMIT, Kolkata, and is currently pursuing an MBA from NMIMS.
An entrepreneur at heart, Avijit started early. In his school he was know as the go to guy for anything tech related, he would usually charge a fee for solving problems like crashing computers, building a website. In his first year in college, he incorporated his first company Avifa Infotech which was a BPO and IT services firm. Currently along with Avifa, Avijit has also started a new venture called Regular.li, a mobile based attendance tracking and HR platform.
Other than entrepreneurship, Avijit loves travelling, photography, cooking. Being adventurous at heart, he loves to learn new things from riding horses to playing guitar.
Where did the idea for Regular.li come from?
When I was managing people in my first company Avifa, It became a challenge to track the time and attendance. Rather than investing in a biometric device, which was expensive and came with a lot of hassles, I decided to build a small app that would take a selfie, match the GPS or WiFi of the office to the employee’s phone. Over the years the app matured, features like leave and holidays were added. I decided if it was working so well for me, why not make this public, thus Regular.li.
What does your typical day look like and how do you make it productive?
I start early around 6 in the morning. The morning rituals include running, meditating and a heavy breakfast. Around 9 I hit the gym and I am at office by 11.
I began work by making a todo list on our board. The whole team gathers around and we talk about what needs to be done and who is going to do what, once that is decided, we work till 8 or 9 in the night. I make it a point to shut down all electronics by 10 30 and I am asleep by 11.
How do you bring ideas to life?
I believe in quickly testing out my ideas before jumping into development. One thing that I do often is I make a simple landing page about my idea, drive some traffic and if I see people are converting and it makes a value proposition, then I go ahead with it.
What’s one trend that excites you?
I love AI and Machine Learning. I think that will be the game changer in days to come. Blockchains are interesting as well. But I like AI more.
What is one habit of yours that makes you more productive as an entrepreneur?
Saying “No” has been critical, I believe internal discipline is key. Not only as an entrepreneur but for everyone. Doing things that align with the bigger picture and saying NO to all things that do not matter is what makes me productive. It is a really hard practice, but I am getting better at it everyday.
What advice would you give your younger self?
Buy Bitcoins. Just kidding. I would tell my younger self not to waste time and be more focused and do one project at a time until it has completely failed.
Tell us something that’s true that almost nobody agrees with you on?
I will become a billionaire in 5 years.
As an entrepreneur, what is the one thing you do over and over and recommend everyone else do?
I make it a habit to keep a log of my ideas. I observe my surroundings and whenever I find a problem I make a note of it. You never know where a good idea comes from.
What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business?
Deploying a broken product. In the initial days Regular.li’s app used to crash, one had a few features. But I pushed it forward, customers gave feedback and I built upon that. I think being close to your customers is the best practice and will help you grow in the long run.
What is one failure you had as an entrepreneur, and how did you overcome it?
My first venture, Avifa was a BPO initially. With time I realized tech was my true calling thus I pivoted into IT and then to product. I will not call this a failure, but a lesson.
What is one business idea that you’re willing to give away to our readers?
A chewing gum that gives energy. Like a chewable version of Gatorade.
What is the best $100 you recently spent? What and why?
I bought an alexa. I am bursting with new voice based ideas. I think voice apps will be a big thing soon.
What is one piece of software or a web service that helps you be productive? How do you use it?
We use intercom for customer onboarding, service and retention. That makes our company more productive. Personally, I use Apple’s note app to keep notes and Google Cloud for docs.
What is the one book that you recommend our community should read and why?
I recently read The Subtle Art Of Not Giving A F*ck by Mark Manson. It’s a really good read. It emphasizes on my believe of saying NO to things and choosing only the things that I want to do and would benefit me.
What is your favorite quote?
The day you stop learning you are dead.
Mario Schulzke is the Founder of ideamensch, which he started a decade ago to learn from entrepreneurs and give them a platform for their ideas.