In conversation with the team behind UrbanClap

We all, especially in large urban cities, know what it's like to be constantly pressed by deadlines trying to find that elusive work-life balance, being stuck in traffic and basically not finding time for many of the things we do. I'd like to have a good time thinking about fixing things at home, etc., and I'll rely on startups to try to fix that problem. Now I'm joined by the co-founders of Urban Clap, they say they are the largest online services marketplace in India. blitz by Helen Roberts Chandra are the co-founders of urban clap. Thank you all so much for taking the time to tell us about an online services marketplace for those of you wondering and can you chime in and correct me if I'm wrong. one stop shop, they say if you are looking for plumbers, electricians for sure, something personal like a beauty service, even yoga and classes for your kids too, yes, absolutely, yes, thank you for inviting us exactly, so I think you will know if we take a step back.

The right services are something that at least I described was that it is very intertwined with our lives in the cities, you know we all need a tutor for our child, we need a plumber and an electrician, you know, these are basic services that are very important and traditionally What has happened is that the models that have been in play have been what I call repeat versions of the yellow pages, so you know, the yellow pages gave us phone numbers and they think that all the rest of the work we can do do us as customers, which means you know how to find someone you trust and is verified. find someone who is available to me in my locality and within my budget and that's really interesting, it's actually very difficult to do all those things together, so most clients would commit to word of mouth and not they would look for an online solution to these very basic problems that they have in their lives, these were problems that I borrowed from Raghav when we came back to India, so I think what we are trying to establish is a very reliable marketplace, first of all , a destination where you know for sure that every time you come looking for a plumber, a yoga teacher, a guitar teacher or a photographer, everyone there has been put through a very, very strict checklist and you know that among the best they are not going to look at your watch and decide well the price they are going to ask you and that is an important point to highlight because this is the reality of the times we live in, you do not want someone who is not verified or someone let it be Anton, you are not sure or sure. to be allowed into your house, we'll look at it a little closer, but I'd like to go back to where it all started now, maybe maybe there was a void here, the point that you're making and you've decided to come and fill it.

Now, we have all been aware of this void, but you are the ones trying to fill it. I mean, how did it come to your attention and how did three of you come to this conclusion that it's worth a try, so I? I think the problems aren't huge is when is the right time and just putting the right amount of effort here. The way I saw it when we started was that India always faced this problem of delivery and professionalism and I really want to do it. something that helps at the infrastructure level or creates a better form of employment, a more structured way where not only people do business, but there is also a certain cadence to observe the right way, very good, for us, urban applause is It's more about structuring the offer. side of a way where the quality increases over time and the three of them, I mean, their third co-founder, Varam Cotton, has decided to give this a miss, but tell me if the three of them were on the same page like they knew the idea .

I hit you and everyone was like, hey, go ahead or they were like back and forth or is this, there's something else. I just got to this point that this is what we're doing because me the three of us is not just one person, yeah, no, I think it was a fair ride, so I think the first borrower and I started, you know, we started with a startup idea, it was too naive to say it now, but at the time we thought it was going to be the next big thing, so they added us for about six months or so and we realized it wasn't really going anywhere, so one fine day, like you know, we put a stop, yeah, we locked the stock and the barrel we just locked it tight, we had it.

Sorry to interrupt, but it's actually an important story to tell because it just goes to show that you don't stumble, yes, very often you fall on your face, but it's okay because you get up and down and then you hit the target somewhere. otherwise, yes, absolutely, yes, yes. I think you know it was a difficult decision, there's no doubt about it. I mean, we spent six months of effort building something; In reality, there was a decent amount of customer attraction and we were seeing the product that just wasn't it. was going to be the next big thing, you know, at least from an aspiration perspective, we always wanted to solve a problem that was very big and very impactful, right, that wasn't going to be a good lifestyle, but it wasn't The next big thing, so I think, six months later, it was a very important question for us.

Do you know what the fundamental reason was why we wanted to do this? Was it just to make a little money or was it to build a very large and sustainable company that adds value. I think when that reality was staring us in the face, that decision was easy to make and work with a new company; This one was called with errors, so we know a little more. about this on the auto sharing service that was available in Noida now, how has the journey been from there to here? When I came back to India, that was the first startup and again I was in the entire service domain.

I'm looking to share properly. in auto rickshaws of course I was much younger than many things to play passion yes very good I spent three four months there and realized from the business perspective of operations in match play but still it was a true exposure to the operational. Indian side we often miss it, that's where you get exposed to what doesn't work at the end of the day, why customers don't like a service, what the problems are from the previous professional point of view, right, and You know, once I changed from that then a lot of other things happened and that was the time we met for the second time.

Yeah I see a first startup closed down at the same time so this was actually his startup and he was doing everything from coding to marketing to bringing in autorickshaw guys finally a one man army and you know you get this nagging feeling when you're doing your first startup that this may not go anywhere. Similarly, I had this nagging feeling about their startup and the game isn't going either. anywhere and we were looking for someone who could partner and bring the technical skills on board, so we were following him for a while waiting for his startup to launch and at least one person was happy when that happened, how do you want the board, but? you know, a blitz first, you are now from IIT Kanpur, since their version wasn't here today, you both went on to hold countless high profile positions at Boston Consulting Group, you gave it your all to decide to come back and do something.

I'm not sure if the idea was clear in your head, yes, why? I think for a pretty long period of time, I at least knew that you wanted to build a business from the ground up. I think there is a lot of Pride and a lot of happiness in trying to create value from scratch. This is something I've known for a while. I just don't think it's time. Please, you know, all those things were coming together. I think Varun had similar aspirations as well. I'm sure Raghav knew that at the end of 2013 we felt that a lot of things were falling into place, there was a certain degree of financial stability that we had seen a little bit explained a little bit of experience seen a little bit of the world India and a kind of Indian consumer Internet, already You know, the startup ecosystem was coming of age, we weren't getting any younger, so I think you know eventually it's always going to be that last leap of faith, it's the hardest thing.

People roll their eyes. Oh, everyone, really, yes, everyone. kind of thing you had to face, so I was getting you, I was getting married at the time, oh, so that's a big risk, it's a big scare, my wife was very supportive, but I think everyone else said : "You know, hey, you just received." Married, what are you doing? Do you know why you are quitting your job? give it a little more time. You know, take it easy for a while, but you know these are things where there's no right or wrong, you just have to go with your gut, you know, I just felt like it was the right time and I mean, I just jumped in, yeah.

Wow, what about you raka, how has it been? I mean, I was told that once upon a time you wanted to settle down in Gulmarg and spend your days snowboarding. That's nothing like what you're going to do here, no, but what was it like? I mean, how did you know I want to do my own thing? And those are the consequences of the pampered lifestyle that I enjoyed for the last six years, but yeah, I think one. The question I asked myself once I started working and I think everyone who goes to university always knows that they are going to do something on their own more or less well, so the only question that was decisive for me was what? am I really working? mainly working for money or for dreams and aspirations that somewhere deep exist and that I need to achieve and during six months of intense brainstorming with my parents, I think it is more difficult for people to convince me if the call was made well, let's back up and let's start something of my own. experiential experience, there's nothing you know that the corporate lifestyle could have taught me that would have helped me try something of my own, so I want to go back to what you said, like I'm wondering who I want to make money from or listen to. of my highest calling in life, I mean, obviously, the voice didn't choose money.

Wow, and that's the generational shift that I'm seeing because more and more of you know your kind, you do cool things, you talk about creating value, you always say you'll make the money, I mean, the best thing, there's that confidence, there is also something that they believe that all three of them have in common, that they could have tried and failure does not come to their mind at all nor do they think about failure. Great, yeah, I think the initial path to building urban clabber is pretty tough too, so I think they set the right context and the right expectations, so any little limited success we've seen is a surprise to us. and we never expected the company to improve so quickly, in fact, we thought it would probably take us four or five years to get to the point we are at today, what does that mean to you personally?

I mean, when I say beyond me, I mean you three, in every service, as always, you say you talk about this success and very often you can't say Facebook and not realize that there is an urban applause and that they are offering. That's how I first found it too, but do you ever tell yourself to slow down, is it a conscious thing to do or don't go with the flow, how does it work, but this for every startup that is now in everyone's headlines. The right reasons there is always a footnote from someone saying: Is it a bubble?

It will last? I think one of the core values ​​we built this company on, one of the pillars of our culture, is this word called basic, almost everyone at Urban Clap knows it. that word in and out is called basic, which means don't worry about the clutter, don't worry about what's going on around you, just constantly focus on the work at hand and if you do it for the work instead of the outcome, there's always a lot of work to do, we have a lot of work to do right, so I think you know every day, that's really what we choose to focus on again, in fact, you know, I go back to I think it was your story the that said Hey, do you know where you're going to get all the cleaners for the big party you're having today after we announce?

Now come and guess what, you know, we were working until 2:00 a.m. m. that day because there was a lot of work. There are things to do and you always have time to celebrate, so I think people's doubts are valid in every generation. I think there will be companies that will do well and there will be companies that will not do well. True, it is right now that the focus of attention on startups is much greater, there will be failures and there will be important successes for us. Do you know how we can be on the train of success?

And for that I think you know how to put your head down and put your blinders on to focus on the problem at hand, which in my opinion is disproportionately more valuable and disproportionately more important than anything else.