The Indian Dream

Sahil (@sahil071) and Siddharth (@sidbetala) hang out with Tanay who has built interesting and profitable side hustles: Neog.camp, Rock8.

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Timestamps:
(2:00) - Tanay's Journey of Building Two Profitable Side Hustles - Roc8 & Neog.camp
(5:27) - The Opportunity in Cohort Based Courses
(15:32) - The Business of Religion
(25:10) - Meditation App built around Religion
(28:16) - The Rise of Formula F1 Racing and the opportunities around it 

Today's episode is with Vaibhav Chhabra and Richa Shrivastava from Maker's Asylum.

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For those of you who haven't heard of Maker's Asylum, it is a community space where anybody can go and build their dream project with their own hands. For ex, you always wanted to build a table from scratch but don't have the tools or expertise. You can just head over to Maker's Asylum and use the woodworking tools they have available and ask the community for help with your project. If you're a hardware entrepreneurs, you can get easy access to tools, technology and talent so that you can easily prototype your ideas.

Maker's Asylum shot to national fame during the pandemic because they quickly produced face shields at a mass scale. They even designed and built large numbers of oxygen concentrators and then open sourced those designs so that anyone could use it. All of this was only possible because of the passion of the community members of Maker's Asylum.

Maker's Asylum is a great example of how one can build a physical community around a simple idea. Vaibhav wanted to make things with own hands so he built a space and other people joined him.

The first half of this episode is all about Maker's Asylum and the work that they do. The second half of the episode gets really interesting as we speak about distributed manufacturing - it is an idea where the designs for a product are open sourced and anyone who has access to the tools and machineries can build it. This is an interesting idea and Maker's Asylum are at the forefront of bring it to India through their partnerships with companies and governments.

Lastly, Siddharth and I have an exciting announcement to make. We're building a product of our own and we hope to have it ready in a few weeks. Hint - it's going to be a course. While we're tinkering in the background, why don't you join our WhatsApp group where we have 2000+ other founders & entrepreneurs. The link is in the show notes.

Aditya Rao of Kaapi (@adityarao310), Sahil (@sahil071) and Siddharth (@sidbetala) hang out and discuss various business ideas.

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Timeline
(1:02) - Aditya's journey with Local Oye and Kaapi 
(08:45) - Goodreads 2.0
(12:30) - Micro-SaaS Aggregation (Micro Private Equity)
(25:45) - Hot Sauces in India

Sahil (@sahil071) and Siddharth (@sidbetala) hang out and discuss various business ideas. Send us an email at [email protected]

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Timeline
(1:15) - Thras.io Model for India
(25:00) - Smart Bartending
(28:00) - Ideas for the $50B Indian Wedding Industry

Business Ideas

1. Thrasio Model for India: Thrasio is a company in the US that started in 2018 and started acquiring Amazon third party merchants that were doing $3-5 Million in revenue. They went on to raise $1.7B and have been able to scale this business profitably. The same model is now being replicated in India with close to 10 companies getting $300 million in funding . Companies like Mensa Brands (Started by Ananth, ex-CEO Myntra) or Global Bees (First Cry subsidiary) are leading the pack in terms of fundraising with $50m+ raised. However, this model isn't very straightforward to replicate in India. We look at what it takes to make this work and the potential challenges. 
2. Smart Bartending: Indian Weddings have a common problem. The friends of bride and groom often party too hard and miss the functions the next day.  We talk about how this could be solved by having 'smart' bartenders. 
3. Wedding Industry Ideas: Weddings are a $50B industry in India and have multiple niches that can be converted into profitable businesses. We talk about the existing Wedding startups and a niche idea around wedding planning for different religious weddings. 
4. Warehousing in India: Huge topic that we want to discuss in detail on our next munchies episode. If you're a warehousing expert - please email us at [email protected] or WhatsApp Us.

Sahil (@sahil071) and Siddharth (@sidbetala) hang out and discuss various business ideas. Send us an email at [email protected]

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Timeline
(0:36) - No Code Courses
(9:05) - Sexual Wellness Industry
(20:30) - Eco Friendly Personal Care Products
(26:05) - Table Tennis to replace Golf for Networking
(28:00) - Warehousing in India

Business Ideas

1. No Code Courses: We've started doing a series of lectures on how SME's can start implementing automations in their businesses using various No Code tools. We plan to build a course around this aimed at SME businesses to help them automate and improve their business processes. A few other ideas:
   • No Code Agency
   • No Code Freelancing
   • No Code Courses
   • No Code Expert for your own business.
2. Sexual Wellness Industry: Here are Siddharth's notes from this industry
   • Im Besharam - Raj Armani - Custom Made Toys for India
   • 95% of the sex toys are imported
   • 2000 Cr Industry
   • $7B in US, $25B Global Market
   • 65% increase in sales posts lockdown
   • Thatspersonal, IMBesharam, Lovetreats
   • China Manufactures 70% of World's Sex Toys
   • Sexual Wellness - Which includes adult toys, games and health supplements
   • 48 per cent for tier-I cities, 40 per cent for tier-II cities and 12 per cent for tier-III cities.
   • Archaic laws, such as Section 292 of the Indian Penal Code, which talk about obscenity are still in place and pose yet another hurdle
   • 83K Users on ThatsPersonal.com - Was 300k Jan 21.
   • 129k Users on LoveTreats
   • 120k Users on Kaamstra
   • 188k Users on ImBesharam
3. Eco Friendly Personal Care Products: 
   • Sell a heavy duty glass container with large refill packs (2L or bigger) of body washed with different scents to reduce the amount of waste generated from small body wash packs
   • Sell soaps in giant batches (2kg/4kg) with a special tool for cutting. So every time your soap is over, you just cut a new piece for yourself. Reduces the amount of waste from having to buy a new soap bar each time.
4. Table Tennis to replace Golf for Networking: The best idea we've ever had on this show. Can't get better than this. 
5. Warehousing in India: Huge topic that we want to discuss in detail on our next munchies episode. If you're a warehousing expert - please email us at [email protected] or WhatsApp Us.

Sahil (@sahil071) and Siddharth (@sidbetala) hang out and discuss various business ideas. Send us an email at [email protected]

Join our WhatsApp Group.

Timeline:
(1:20) - Liquid teams and the Cooperation Economy
(5:20) - Food Processing Industry
(17:15) - Fitness Content Creation & Curation for Teenagers
(24:30) - Notion Apps

Business Ideas that were discussed:

1. Liquid Super Teams and the Cooperation Economy - Read this essay on The Cooperation Economy by Not Boring - we never realised that The Indian Dream is actually a Liquid Super Team but this article really opened our eyes. In the future, people will not have to work full time at a job anymore - they can decide to work part time at various projects or businesses and thus have their expertise and their bets spread over various projects. At The Indian Dream, we have several intelligent people who are helping us build our project turn into something bigger than what it would be with just Siddharth and I. 
   • Email us at [email protected] if you want to join our Liquid Super Team.
2. Food Processing Industry - This industry is already one of the largest in India with lots of potential for new businesses to be built. Huge opportunity in 
   • harnessing the potential of processed fruits and vegetables in the form of frozen (IQF), canned, pulp, puree, paste, sauces, snacks, dressings, flakes, dices, dehydration, pickles, juices, slices, chips, jams, jelly, etc. 
   • Processing levels of marine food in India are currently at 23%. Processing of fish into canned and frozen forms is carried out mostly for exports. Poultry is a highly vertically integrated industry in India but the current processing levels in poultry are 6%, while for meat it stands at 21%. 
   • The packaged food segment has been reporting double digit growth in 2018 with edible oils and dairy products accounting for a major share. Packed dessert mixes and other premium packaged bakery goods (croissants, filled muffins, etc.). 
   • Consumer preference trends show an increasing focus on nutritious food, and the convenience of long-term storage. eanwhile, naturally healthy beverages and Ayurveda-based juices continued to witness significant value growth in 2018. Organic packaged food witnessed a double-digit growth in retail volume and current value sales in 2018. Other food segments which are showing high growth include sauces, soups, noodles & pasta, Chocolate confectionary, specialized cheese (Mozzarella, Cheddar and Parmesan), etc. 
   • Export Potential: The food processing Industry in India is largely domestic oriented, with exports accounting for only 12 per cent of its total output. Nevertheless, it is a net foreign exchange earner with a positive trade balance in recent years.Agricultural Export Policy, 2018 has been formulated with a focused plan to boost India's agricultural exports to USD 60 billion.
   • Kombucha Dave:
     • Forbes Video about Kombucha Dave.
     • Some comedians talking abotu Kombucha Dave.
3. Fitness Content Creation & Curation for Teenagers - Fitness content aimed at Teenagers is doing a terrible job and someone needs to clean it up. Lots of opportunities in this space.
4. Notion Apps - Notion just came out with its Public API. Lots of oppurtunities to build apps for Notion - Siddharth would love to collaborate with someone to build these apps. You can send him an email at [email protected].

In this episode we talk to Karthik Sridharan, co-founder of Flexiple which is a network of the top freelance developers and designers.

Karthik's Twitter
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The story of Flexiple is a great example of building a bootstrapped tech enabled internet business from scratch and the sacrifices and key decisions that you have to make along the way. Karthik & his co-founders chose not to take any funding from outsiders and this decision has shaped their company culture - for example, the first few years they took a salary of only 30,000 rupees a month and they don't spend any money on marketing their services. Instead they invested their limited resources in long run projects such as SEO and now they're doing a million dollars in revenue and expecting to hit $2 million this year.

I recommend this episode for anyone who wants to build their own tech enabled internet business or is curious about how they're built. We talk to Karthik about everything from SEO for new businesses to the difficulties of hiring.

Lastly, Siddharth and I have been producing these podcasts ourselves for the past 10 months and this should be episode number 85. Right from ideation, guest sourcing, editing - we do everything ourselves and it takes up a lot of time. We'd like to hire some more interns and outsource editing so that we can get you better ideas, trends & business opportunities. Here's the Razorpay link to contribute. We're going to put all the money back into The Indian Dream and try and get you more high quality content.

Sahil (@sahil071) and Siddharth (@sidbetala) hang out with Rishabh, Co-founder of Pepper Content. 

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The Indian Dream Website

Timestamps:
(0:40) - Evolution of Dating Apps
(8:45) - Course Creators + Colleges
(17:55) - Craft Beer Subscription
(23:00) - Cult Gyms but for Kids' Extra-curricular activities

Business Ideas:

1. Evolution of Dating Apps - We discuss how the current set of dating apps aren't working on what the next evolution could be. We discuss various ideas around verified blind dating service, and how Thursday, a startup in UK, is disrupting this space. 
2. Course Creators + Colleges - The skills and areas that are relevant for students is changing at a fast pace. Colleges are still touching the old curriculum and most of the innovation in teaching these cutting edge course is being done by independent course creators. We discuss how colleges could look to acquire course creators who are touching this new age courses like Blockchain, IoT, Space Tech, etc. 
3. Craft Beer Subscription - About time that various states open the regulations surrounding alcohol delivery. Bombay has led the way during the pandemic and interesting delivery businesses have popped up. We discuss how there should be a subscription for Tap Beer. 
4. Cult Gyms for Kids' Extra-Curricular Activities: Cult Gyms allow you to select between a variety of physical workouts, ensure that you don't get bored. Similarly, there should be a Cult Gym like setup for Kids' extra curricular activities. All activities under one roof, with the ability to pick and choose the different classes a kid wants to explore. 
5. Bonus Idea: Siddharth goes extreme and talks about the schools of the future. Check it out! 

We do a deep dive into the Hotel Industry with Siddharth Goenka, the founder of Octave Hotels and Aiosell.

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Siddharth started his career as a software engineer for Microsoft in the US and now runs a chain of 30+ hotels across Bangalore. He even used his previous software development knowledge to build Aiosell, a product specifically built to help hotels increase their revenue.

This episode will be super interesting for anyone who wants to know more about the economics of the hotel industry, how they run, how to build a micro SaaS product or just anyone who loves learning about new businesses.

Lastly, Siddharth and I have been producing these podcasts ourselves for the past 10 months and this should be episode number 80. Right from ideation, guest sourcing, editing - we do everything ourselves and it takes up a lot of time. We'd like to hire some more interns and outsource editing so that we can get you better ideas, trends & business opportunities. Here's the Razorpay link to contribute. We're going to put all the money back into The Indian Dream and try and get you more high quality content.

We go even deeper into Space Tech with Awais Ahmed from Pixxel Space. Pixxel was just founded in 2019 and is on a mission to build a health monitor for the planet through a constellation of cutting edge hyperspectral small satellites.

Our Space Tech Newsletter
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Questions:
(2:30) - Why did you decide to start Pixxel?
(8:45) - Have you already launched a satellite?
(11:00) - What kind of help do startups receive from ISRO?
(13:30) - Isn't it difficult for a startup to work with the government and ISRO?
(16:15) - How do you convince businesses and governments for the use case of selling Earth Observation data?
(18:15) - What is the Space Tech value chain?
(22:15) - What happened with the privatisation of space in India? What did it mean for the startup industry?
(28:00) - What are the economics of a space business?
(33:10) - What is the space infrastructure that is already present in india? And what is still left to be built?
(36:45) - What is the supply chain for Pixxel and other space startups?
(39:15) - What are the lowest hanging opportunities to build a space statrtup in India?
(43:15) - How should someone approach a space company to build space components for a space startup?
(46:00) - How should a young person look to enter the space industry?

In this conversation with Awais, we ask him how he come up with the idea and ambition to build a space business since it's so difficult, hint: it involves meeting Elon Musk. What has changed in the last couple of years for the space industry in India to mature? What help do startups get from ISRO & its scientists? Lastly, we discuss the lowest hanging opportunities for people who want to build a space start. Hint: it involves data analytics and component manufacturing.

By the way, the week after we approached Awais for this interview, he and his co-founder were announced in the Forbes 30 under 30 list for 2021. Please remember, we got to him before Forbes. Our Business Munchies episode this week will also have someone from the Forbes 30 under 30 list - I'm keeping it a surprise.

Lastly, Siddharth and I have been producing these podcasts ourselves for the past 10 months and this should be episode number 80. Right from ideation, guest sourcing, editing - we do everything ourselves and it takes up a lot of time. We'd like to hire some more interns and outsource editing so that we can get you better ideas, trends & business opportunities. Here's the Razorpay link to contribute. We're going to put all the money back into The Indian Dream and try and get you more high quality content.

Now onto the episode.