interfaces

“Innovate not just to survive, but to prosper and thrive because there is never a recession for a trendsetter”
… The Indian Express featuring me in their Express Initiatives for Enterprenurship Development

Born in a marwari family, I was bought up with the hope of I taking over my father’s business. I started going to my father’s factory at the age of 12. It was quite a learning experience but it was surely not what I thought I was interested in. I knew my destination was elsewhere.

“The Complete Office”
By the age of 16 I had my first company of my own “Computers Unlimited“. Started with computer assembling and selling. Surviving the cut throat competition for a 16 year old was not easy. I then thought of expanding the market rather than competing it. Created a system i called “Complete Office”. A system that included a computer, modem and a printer with appropriate software. This gave an average shop owner everything he would need for Rs.12,500. A typewriter, accouting system, invoicing system, fax machine and even email (all in 1995!). The idea got mixed response. It was not much of a business but good enough to keep a teenager busy.

Data Communications
Then I moved into data communications. At that time most companies would tally their accounts printing and faxing statements from one city to another and re-entering them into systems or sending floppies by post. All led to chaos. I then introduced them to direct transfer of data using phone lines. Modems were unheard in the country there were some pathethic fax cards, that were useless for serious data applications. I sourced modems from Hong Kong and setup interoffice communication programs using AT command sets. And my clients were impressed but I was too imature to get good financial retrurns from them for the extra-ordinary solutions I made for them.

Enter the Internet – A Virtual World
In 1995 I heardd about the Internet, I managed to see it by dialing up to an ISP in Hong Kong costing Rs.1800 per hour!. I saw internet and said, this is the future. I soon started “A Virtual World” for providing internet services. Started by selling internet connections and modems door to door, office to office. Soon moved to web hosting services and web applications. For next 2 years did quite a lot of business in this field. This was when I really got settled in my business, I stated making money.

K Exports
This was the time when my close ‘friend’ for about 12 years and I started looking at the relation beyond being “just friends”. Soon our love bloomed. My stressful 18 hours a day, six days a week could not stress me for the few hours we spent together on those wonderful Sundays.

I soon realized that people were more interested in real business than websites. Exports and Imports was booming with globalization, I soon started K Exports to help importers / exporters source products using internet. The business was just booming and helped many small time brokers make it big in the import export business and also many small traders help source material directly from abroad and get good margins.

And then the dot com boom was in the air…. everyone was now looking for someone experienced in the internet business. I was soon on board of director with some companies and my own consulting was getting good work.

Disaster Strikes Back
And all of a sudden my world collapsed. For a stupid reason Kavita broke off the relation … this was just when her parents had just decided to get us engaged.I went into a shock.. I could never recover. For next 2 years life was a hell. Finally I gathered myself from the pieces I had become. Decided to look at life eye-to-eye and face it with whatever was left in me.

I soon realised the potential in developing for companies based in US who can offer good prices and loads of work. I started marketing the services in the US and got a good response. Soon Telegensys / Hotel Quest approached me to set up an offshore development center. Put months together building a base for it. I found certain aspects quite overwhelming, so I decided to take 2 parthers. This was the second disaster for me. My partners tried to double cross me and we lost the client who could have been the opportunity of life time.

“Its not about what you have, its what you do with what you have”
I had lost my old business, I had lost my love and I had lost the new opportunity. But there was one thing I still had with me. That was me. I had to start from where I began started years ago. Slowly built my business in US again and 9/11 struck. Then focused into the UK market. Established the customers there. Family pressure mounted for me to get married and get out of the grief. I decided to do it my way. I put up an ad in the matrimonial, gave (believe it or not) presentations and web casts to potential life partners. Put up a website about myself “This is me, If you think you can bear me, write back to myself@manojoswal.com” Decided on a girl and presented her to my family.

The Second Turn Around
Soon got engaged to Sarika and then things just started fitting in the right places. As an atheist, I do not beleive in luck… but I have no explaination to why things become stable and so well settled within weeks of our engagement.

I soon found some great business in UK. We started managing PPC campaigns for customers there, held meetings with people in Overture UK and Kelkoo UK and negotiated better deals with them. (A dream for a 24 year old guy to fly into offices of such corporations and strike deals) And then we started working with new media companies in the UK.

New Media Freaks

Slowly got back to become the same fun loving person I used to be. My activism got me laurels and more importantly results. (more) The real revolution came into my business was by working with New Media Maze. Dave Smith and his partner Julianne were truly very supportive of our efforts and helped us build a team and do a whole lot of challenging work. We worked for customers one can only dream of… Universal Pictures, Momentum Pictures, Disney, 20th Century Fox, British Telecom.. and the list goes on. We worked on movies like 8 Mile, X-Men III, Ring Two, Mr Beans and also on TV shows for children. I am also proud to say that I politely refused orders for projects that involved sale of animal products or ecologically disastrous products. Some clients found it funny but most appreciated our sentiments and trusted us more for the principles we followed.

Going global

Later participated in two major exhibitions including CeBIT and Outsource World. That is where I met Preet, my co-director and also a guide. Soon we decided to join hands. We formed a new company called Zero One Synergy (or 01 Synergy). Preet through his own example made me feel good about myself.. and be proud of what I have acheived as a businessman. From him I learnt that it is OK to spend money on myself… it is not a sin to enjoy little luxuries of life. We teamed up together to form companies around the world and set up small offices there. Started with UK where we registered 01 Synegy Ltd and then 01 Synergy in Canada and 01 Synergy BV in Netherlands. Years later we finally formed 01 Synergy LLC in the US too.

We soon found right people in New Delhi and Ludhiana to head the operations at both the places and our BPO units also have started growing.

Mentoring : Creating successes out of potentials.

While this growth was happening, in last 15 years I can gladly say that I helped over 50 people be acheivers in their lives. People who had the potential, took me as a mentor and I shared with them the secrets of my success. Most grew up to be a part of the corporate circle, many other became technical leads in several companies and many even went to an extent to become owners of their own businesses.  Whereever in the world I fly, I have one or the other person inviting me to visit their homes and wanting to show me their success and like me to be a part of their family for the day. This to me is more satisfying any business deal or contract I win.