Micromax Founder On Building 16000 Cr Company, Business In India & Akshay Kumar | FO288| Raj Shamani

Disclaimer: This video is intended solely for educational purposes and opinions shared by the guest are his personal views. We do not intent to defame or harm any person/ brand/ product/ country/ profession mentioned in the video. Our goal is to provide information to help audience make informed choices.

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Timestamps:

00:00 – Intro
03:31 – Childhood & Favorite Games
06:11 – Why Playing Games Matters
07:57 – Early Struggles
09:44 – Value of Like-Minded Friends
11:43 – First Programming Business
16:58 – Tie-Up with Nokia
20:10 – M2M Business Across India
26:31 – Starting Of Micromax
28:48 – Selling Micromax Phones
31:45 – Innovation at Micromax
35:30 – How Innovation Ideas Came
38:19 – Micromax Peak Revenue
42:17 – Importance of Advertising
44:40 – Choosing Akshay Kumar as Brand Ambassador
47:14 – Apple’s Marketing Strategy
48:43 – Price Sensitivity in India
50:24 – What Went Wrong for Micromax
58:52 – Thoughts on B2B Business
1:00:05 – Why Hunger is Key To Success
1:05:59 – Raj on Belief System
1:08:01 - New Electronics Business
1:15:35 – AI Venture
1:20:06 – Questions to Ask for Success
1:21:29 – Meeting Asin
1:26:00 – Closing Thoughts
1:26:20 – Outro

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My gear for shooting this video:

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In today’s episode of Figuring Out, we have Rahul Sharma in conversation with Raj Shamani. Rahul is the co-founder of one of India’s iconic brands, Micromax. This brand revolutionized the market by introducing India’s first phone with a 30-day battery life, dual SIM functionality, and affordable phones designed exclusively for girls. This episode delves into how Micromax scaled from zero to ₹12,000 crores in just five years, along with Rahul’s unique thought process behind it.

We explored his childhood, the habits and mindset he cultivated from a young age, and how he started a business without any prior job experience. Rahul shared how he and his co-founders initially ventured into the Micromax software business and eventually expanded their sales network across PAN India. We also discussed the fascinating stories behind launching phones with a 30-day battery life, dual SIM features, and budget-friendly models tailored for girls. We also talked about how to assess the potential scope of a product, define a clear vision, set actionable goals, and the factors that distinguish successful entrepreneurs from others.

Towards the end, Rahul opened up about his source of motivation for creating new products even after achieving so much, what went wrong with Micromax leading to its reduced presence in the market, his love story, how he met his wife and Akshay Kumar’s role in it. We wrapped up the conversation by discussing personal branding and Rahul’s insights on the next big million-dollar opportunities in India. To keep watching such insightful episodes, subscribe to our channel now!

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About Figuring Out
Figuring Out Podcast is a Candid Conversations University where Raj Shamani brings raw conversations with the Top 1% in India.

[tarunarora]

We all remember when Micromax Canvas had hit the market. It was a rage. Just to get one piece I had to hop at least 10 stores. This company did revolutionize the mobile industry.

[ramavtarpandey]

Out of patriotism, I also bought Micromax Canvas and in 1b phones but this company just made fun of my patriotic feelings, all the things are Chinese and the service is completely useless

[Suryayadavi]

Raj you select very good guests, just as we need a podcast, you come just like that, thanks man for making such a podcast

[oshoosho]

मैं भी Micromax का भुक्तभोगी रह चुका हूं. शुरूआत में मैंने स्वदेशी के जोश में आकर Micromax खरीदा था. फिर Service Centres के चक्कर काट-काट कर इतना परेशान हुआ कि दुबारा कभी स्वदेशी Smartphone खरीदने की हिम्मत नहीं हुई. चीन का सामान तो हम कभी भी नहीं खरीदते🙏🙏🙏

[SumitKumar-pzib]

Please invite Carl Pie (Founder and CEO of Nothing) and (Former CEO of OnePlus)

He is known as marketing genius.

And at least it should be a length of around 2 hr so that we can learn more insights about brand building and how tech companies work.

[tanmoychakraborty]

One of worst quality phones. Coming from a lower middle class family, I got selected in one of the best bschools of india in 2013 & realised my peers were using whatsapp, so i pestered my parents (i regret) to buy me a smart phone. Micromax was one of the cheapest available that time. I got that & the phone went bust within 3 months of using. We bought it for 10k! Now 10k is nothing to me but at time it was a huge amount for my family. That scar is still there & i remember i had tears when the phone wasn’t working. Lesson learnt to never buy random brands.

[CuriousFurious]

Raj, lack of customer service was a big issue with Micromax back then and maybe even now. I would have appreciated from accountability from this man through your podcast going forward.

Consumer market is very competitive and customer service is everything. Make in India is a sham unless and until R&D and Customer service is improved for Indian brands.

[abhishekagrahari]

I have a faint memory of seeing Rahul Sharma at post match presentation during India's match on TV. It intrigued me to know about him. I used to read articles on internet about him just like what Raj said. I will always be thankful to Micromax for giving me my 1st Android smartphone Micromax Bolt A27 in just ₹3500 back in 2013 when i was in class 10. It was a good phone at that time with 3.5" display and there was a cool share feature and there was advertisement related to it showing people were playing basketball with it. Then i went on to buy the flagship of Micromax, Micromax Canvas Knight A350 in Dec 2014. It was really flagship with 16MP camera which really used to take great pictures even when compared with today's standard and premium glass back finish. I used it for 5 years but had to switch because it was 3G phone and its internal storage became full in 5 years. Micromax is really love and emotion for me. Waiting for their comeback in budget segment. I hope this reaches to both Raj and Rahul Sharma ❤

[barry]

Thank you for bringing this guest on your shows. Hats off to you and your team who bring people worth listening to. Learnt a lot

[sagarkc]

This one was really cool and inspiring as well..
Loved it..

[UtkarshTiwari-fwzs]

Glad u brought him to the show. Reminds me of us discussing him in our school too.❤❤

[rajdhaniexpress]

Raj sir i am 19 years old boy from Delhi and very excited guest and lovely broadcast be continue sir ❤

[shubhamsharma]

felt as if that intellectual person woke up in me after several years. One of the best podcast watched ever

[shivanihirpathak]

Bhaisaheb!! Good selection of guests!! 🎉 Micromax was my first mobile, great to know their background.

[shailendragupta]

One of the best podcast with Rahul Sharma. The best part is, I can relate my own journey switching from one technology to another as per market demand.😊

[varunvro]

Business doesn't work at Nation Sentiments, Micromax went to ODM, Imported Mobile Phones from China and White Labelled in India. During the transition era - before Launch of 4G and Market Changes from Price to Performance with Xiaomi and other brands, this led to huge inventory of devices and they failed to sold the device. I personally had Unite Series Device from Micromax. They tried to come back but failed due to poor after sales service and issues with the products.

[gaganwalia]

lovely podcast..he and all founders of micromax founders are true inspiration 🎉

[SivakrishnaKi]

Hi Raj You always select excellent guests, and I’m thrilled to see another inspiring episode completed.

I’d like to recommend Venu Bhagavan, a public speaker who shares incredible insights on leadership. His examples are deeply inspiring. If this message reaches you, I hope you’ll consider him for a future episode. 🙂

[indrajeetvek]

1:11:10 best ever idea.. superb sir.. you are really a genius sir. New revolution on the way. Superb..superb..👍🏻

[vatsalpatel]

India is going into a Real Estate transformation. Please have KP Singh sir from DLF as your guest