What’s our Unique Selling Point?
What’s our Unique Selling Point?
“What’s your USP”, they asked me with scorn.
I replied, “helping startups to build their applications and products.”
“Nope! Not service but USP? The room is full, you can see and all are promising same. You must have something under your hat.”
They caught me off guard for the first time. I hate hats. Hats hide the obvious.
But, they were true. I and my team did not have any USP. I was on the same page with billion others ready to float themselves around startup bandwagon.
Everyone was mad for startups then. They all wanted to help startups to turn their ideas into great products. We were there too.
We were pretty confident that our technical brilliance would carry them to the summit. Our cognition, array of skillset and intellect would shine them, sharpen them to leave an infinite dent in the universe.
Ten years have passed and they still ask me-
“So, what’s your secret sauce for coming so far?”
“Nothing special. Helping startups like old days.”, I said brimming with confidence.
Then they shower me with all marketing jargons. “SWOT”, “niche audience”, the “X” factor and what not.
I leave the room as I don’t have a sound answer to pacify them. Thank god, they don’t chase me. The room is full, even today. But, faces are new.
I wanted to help startups then. We just want to help startups now. Isn’t this enough?
It was enough for Giri though.
“I don’t want others to suffer like my children”, Giri approached me with everything. Grit, Passion, and hustle.
We shaped up his idea together into a diet planner application.
“What will be the name of it Giri”, I asked like a boy browsing through our shining application.
“Mindful Meal- Easy meal planning for busy families”, Giri uttered in one breath and winked at me.
For the first time, I saw the jovial Giri. It was fun. And a journey to take again and again.
When a man dives into the unknown with few idea dots and he has no one but a bunch of developers, designers and product consultants, it’s wonderful to march ahead piercing all obstacles.
When a founder chases investors and calls frequently to iterate the features, to fight with me over tiny details in app’s interface, we feel for him. He did not want his investors to snub him. Neither we.
We felt responsible for him, for his investment in our activities, for his indomitable trust in our prowess and power. We had to HELP him.
Do I need to win him with my illusory USP? I am yet to find the answer.
But someone came with an answer.
“Are you ready to devote your tech excellence for Art of Living?”, embraced in milky-white attire, spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar from Art of Living asked us.
A man whom we admire and draw inspiration from.
“Help every Art of Living follower to do their daily meditation anywhere and anytime”, Sri Sri left us with a smile and a big responsibility.
With all our might and imagination, we developed Abhyaasa. A mobile app that guides one to do their daily meditation without any hassle.
We have never boasted the number of installations of the app. Something higher is at stake here, we understand from day one.
“The key is to help. You must realize it now”, the wise Sri Sri whispered in my ears.
P.S- Case studies don’t tell the background hustle of startup founders. We have felt the injustice and wanted to change it. Want to explore the real journey of startups? Get in now.