Mr. Sanjeev Bikhchandani completed his MBA from IIM-A in 1986 after graduating in Economics from St. Stephen’s Delhi. Sanjeev is the man behind India’s first job search portal naukri.com, internet matrimonial portal jeevansaathi.com and 99acres.com, India’s property bazaar, and in-house placement consultancy, “quadrangle”. InfoEdge is the first Indian internet based company that went IPO recently.
The agenda of the session was driven by the students, who were interested in his entrepreneur streak, the hardships he faced, his foray into diverse segments and others. The answers could as well be the content for a book that could be titled “Bible for entrepreneurs by Sanjeev- the story of InfoEdge”.
A sharp person right from the beginning Sanjeev always wanted to start up his own company. His stint at Glaxosmithkline (then called HMM) helped him in the inception of idea about starting a job portal. He realized that there is a need for job information as people are interested in knowing about it. Sanjeev’s acumen in noticing the opportunity was evident while answering the question on how the idea took its birth: “even if one was not looking for a job, one was looking at a job (advertisement).” The idea was culminated into a proper business with the arrival of internet. The site started reaping profits from the second year.
“If people are already spending money in an activity, and if you think you can make a difference and give better services, then you will have a reasonable chance of doing well.” InfoEdge was enabling handshakes, between employee and employer, bride and groom, buyer and seller or buyer and broker. Three steps of building a brand according to Sanjeev were: to build a product, build customer experience and then advertise.
The blockbuster finale that Sanjeev put up will be the most memorable for the students, “…for all the aspiring entrepreneurs, chose opportunities carefully, plan well, mitigate risks and stay committed. It is not about making money, it is about doing things your way, it is about making a difference, and it is about a mission. Wish you all the best.”