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The Indian e-commerce Startup Cactus!


In specific to entrepreneurs who are trying their hands in new online businesses, The Indian Startup Aura is turning into Cactus.Through this piece of writing,I tried to highlight the random scenarios of startups who are in product developments and selling them online through own or other portals.


 Too much of everything is bad. When few invested in Real estate, the rest followed, When one did marketplace in e-commerce, the rest followed, when one introduced Cash on Delivery, the rest followed. Today all are doing content marketing and the rest are following to such an extent that people forgetting to give the true message, exploiting it. I believe without thinking, we do too much of everything.


It is resulting in, every person who is doing the job at highest designations even, today, even the students are influenced by the media to a greater extent. They read about startups, they are influenced by the funding happened. It is great they take initiatives to step into entrepreneurship, it is great to know so many people are today thinking to create jobs, to risk their comfort, to risk even their health and choose to be a passionate entrepreneur.


The spirit is commendable, worth respect. However, the reality is painful. The potential entrepreneurs, get influenced with the stories e-commerce publish that how their seller became a millionaire selling on their portal? How they sold thousands of products in fewer days? They grab the attention of the potential entrepreneurs, viewing them how hundreds, in fact, thousands of people get influence and think to start something of their own and sell on e-commerce portals. They register their companies by their savings, develop products, or identify and purchase them. They ask money from friends, home or simply put all their savings. After listing even thousands of products, the response is sale 1-2-3-4 or max to 10.

 

Hey e-commerce portals, explain your real models the way you sell. Tell people you prefer big brands, tell people you purchase outright from bigger brands. Tell them there is a model called SOR. Tell them you prefer that. Even sellers list 2000 products nothing will happen. Tell them in their local language, publish such posts. Those who have money to spend on marketing, tell them sales happens only of those. Why inviting thousands of sellers, when they are going to get nothing out of it? Start up Cactus is depressing for many, there are hundred thousand sellers today in India, who are going through such pain due to wrong media publications, wrong content marketing. It is just like a cheap ad on TV "Earlier I was 100kg after having Slim Gold capsule I got back to my weight when I was a teenage i.e 40kg - The Slim Gold Capsule". "Earlier I was nothing and just after listing my products, I became a millionaire" - NOT FAIR.


The logistics give another pain because you have sent a courier : WE WILL CHARGE!  Then because the customer is 10km away from destination : WE WILL NOT DELIVER! Because we are sending your courier back to your warehouse "WE WILL CHARGE EQUALLY AGAIN. I am asking these logistics companies, why not helping startups to grow. At first instance itself when you read address, you should not take the courier with you and let the company know that this courier cannot be delivered. The address pincode mismatch issue or no service area issue, whatsoever why it is always addressed later rather than prior.


I met a person a few days back and he has sent me a link today, www.startupindia.gov.in . What if a startup call for hours, nobody picks or it simply says try after some time for hours? I can bet that things are just on paper and in social media, nothing happens in original. NOTHING.


I asked PNB bank in my village, that every bank has to give the loan to at least one woman worth 1crore. Sir, I read in the paper. He said Yes, The first condition for it is you should have a collateral of more than 1crore. How Funny:) Passionate entrepreneurs like me, if by mistake had collateral worth Rs. 1crore must have sold in seconds to pursue their passion. I want to ask what type of schemes are these, which are just on paper and helping none. It is not only me, but many are facing the same. The media is guiding us wrong and everything is in AIR!


When I or my fellow entrepreneurs go to various summits, the ET summits, Smejoinup summits, Franchise India summits many are there who come in hope of some knowledge. Many pay for such summits with much difficulty, I find many like me among them. There are only few who write like this on LinkedIn, I may be one among them. But there are many who are into StartUp Cactus and the story is much painful.


What will startups develop, When India is the best friend of China? All the ethnic wear, the traditions of the country, the quality products are diminishing and are getting replaced by Chinese. Startups come with new products and people exploit things by importing from China and ruin each and every market.


If the system does not understand the importance of developing and producing the product in the home country, how the companies expect them to be profitable by selling the products to the same market. The people of the country if will not earn, how will they buy?? Then it will result in today's scenario "A courier  boy from a reputed logistics company goes to customer in tier 3-4 location, and demands cash on delivery, the customer just snatches the courier and ask him to get off" This is the society we are building!! "People buy products, wear it, enjoy their occasion and return it" This is the society we are building! 


There are n number of IT startups, targeting the top retailers in cities, promise them big just like Flipkart and just let them linger in the mid way. Many Many retailers are there who simply have a website with no smooth functioning. They have paid half and rest are the arguments! 


A startup is in pain to get some funding, he goes to various banks. All demanding a file. A normal CA charging a startup Rs.10000-12000 for company projections or even more, 12000 paid to the CA and then the bank says NO, which is quite obvious. It is very difficult to bootstrap and in such ways, These expenses break the backbone of many startups.


Then today, there are many startups to help startups but, ideally, they can add just zero value to the system. The cataloging, product listing, product photography, analytics startups. I was shocked to see a company from Mumbai charging lifetime cost of Rs.50,000 from each customer to get them online. It is a THEFT! I MUST SAY! The easiest job a kid can do, just a 10th pass student can list products on online channels with a rare mistake, and the hell lot of companies came up in India to mislead people. 


The Aura is not healthy! 

In the depth of entrepreneurship in India, I don't know how should we guide each other? Should we guide to step into Cactus Farms or be at safer sides by pursuing their jobs?


My honest writings


Mandeep

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