Meet Saumil Joshi – an IT Engineer who launched a website as a project and turned into a platform that the citizens of Vadodara get all their local news from.
“You love them, you hate them, but you can’t live without them”
That’s what Our Vadodara is all about.
In an informal interview with us, he opened up about his life, his passion turned business – Our Vadodara and his future path. Read on to know more about the person behind Our Vadodara.
The DigiStory: Tell us about yourself.
Saumil: I am an IT Engineer, I completed my degree from Sigma Group of Institutes. I did my schooling from Rosary, and I would describe myself as an average student. I love meeting new people and getting to know more about them and life story. Out of 24 hours in a day, I’ll be on my phone for almost 16 of them! The only time I don’t use my phone is when I am sleeping. Although I love meeting new people I am an introvert, it takes me time to open up and talk. If you leave me in a group of strangers I would be lost, but if I am having a one-on-one conversation, I would be more comfortable. I hate when people are pessimistic and spread negativity and I know this goes against the platform I have, but on the personal front, it is what it is. And the one thing I have learned in life over the years is Everything happens for a reason, every experience teaches you a lesson, each person who enters and leaves from your life, has a purpose to serve and a lesson to teach.
The DigiStory: Well, we can clearly see that Our Vadodara is a major part, if not the only important thing in your life, right now. How did you get the idea of starting this platform?
Saumil: So, in my third year in college, we had a project wherein we had to make a website. I chose Vadodara as a topic for my website, and my idea was to have a civic news portal, a portal where which has news that directly affects the local people living in that community. So my aim was to provide a platform, where, the citizens of Vadodara could get news regarding their immediate areas and surroundings rather than that of another city. The idea was not to have my own team who will scour for news across the city, it was that the citizens themselves would be contributing the news and topics for the platform.
Initially, I started off by posting newspaper cuttings, this was in 2012, thereafter I created the profiles on social media.
The DigiStory: From an engineer to a journalist, was the transition difficult?
Saumil: I wouldn’t call myself a journalist. Because if given a topic to write a piece on, I wouldn’t be able to do that. I don’t have a skill for writing. What I am good at is knowing which kind of news will fetch how many views. I developed my social media and digital marketing skills along the way. Journalism is a very deep subject, which I am yet to learn.
So, after graduating, I started working at a firm and continued managing Our Vadodara. I started posting local news and updates like during the monsoon, certain areas in the city had flooded or become water logged, and I used to post real time updates regarding the same, which people appreciated. And there was no other online platform at that time, which had the same concept in Vadodara. So people slowly started relying on Our Vadodara. I got positive feedbacks which motivated me and persuaded me to pursue Our Vadodara full time. So I left my job as I couldn’t give my full time and efforts to it. The surprising part is that I never made a business plan or for that matter even a revenue model. Things just fell into place somehow one after the other.
The DigiStory: What was your first step after you left your job for Our Vadodara?
Saumil:So when I left my job, I rented a house, which I turned into an office for Our Vadodara. I had a client at that time, so the rent was covered and I had no employees at the time, it was just me, so there were no additional expenses. I believe an office is necessary when you start a venture as it gives you a place to pour your 100% time and effort, and work sincerely. It is a must for a successful business.
The DigiStory: Were you scared or nervous when you initially started this venture?
Saumil:No at all. Now things make me nervous! Now I have to think twice before making any decision. Because now there are so many people relying on the content provided by this platform, and even a small mistake is mocked and made an issue of. Earlier, people were not so reactive to small mistakes. But that is how it is on any online platform. It is a free space for people to write their views.
The DigiStory: Are you happy with where Our Vadodara is today?
Saumil:No. There is a lot of scope to do more with it. We started a gujarati news portal as well, as there was a demand for it. But the only thing holding us back is human resources. It is very difficult to match the expectations of salary of employees.
The DigiStory:What do you like and dislike about your work?
Saumil: The ability to inspire people with a story. Also, the fact that so many people can be helped through the platform. Till now, we have raised funds for 3 patients.
What I dislike about my work is the grammatical errors I make and the fact that when that happens, people attack me personally on social media.
The DigiStory: How do you deal with the criticism and the abuse? And what advice would you give for handling criticism?
Saumil:Initially, I used to feel very bad. When there are so many people out there, who don’t even know you personally, who abuse you, it demoralizes you. But over a period of time I have learnt to deal with it. I don’t read those comments any more. So it doesn’t have the power to hurt me.
The best way to handle criticism is to reply politely and humbly. First you should try to ignore it, if that doesn’t work, give a reply politely.
The DigiStory: What is the biggest challenge you face professionally?
Saumil:Like I said before, salary expectations of employees. Quality manpower in your budget is the biggest challenge.
The DigiStory: What do you think are your audience’s biggest stumbling blocks?
Saumil:The fact that people don’t read full things. They jump to conclusions after reading a few lines. So if we share an article, all the details regarding a news item would be in that article, which you need to open and read as we write only a short description in the captions on social media. So some people just read the caption and make their perceptions based on that, and if they don’t like what they are reading, I become the scapegoat.
The DigiStory: You have had a long journey with Our Vadodara, are there any valuable lessons you’ve learnt along the way that you would like to share with us?
Saumil:What we write or post on Our Vadodara, has a huge impact. So there is a chance that we can shape people’s opinions. Which is a big responsibility. So we need to be more organized in what we are doing.
The DigiStory:What would you have done differently if you knew then what you know now?
Saumil: I would have done more ground journalism. I would have been able to cover so much more content.
The DigiStory:Have you had any memorable experiences at work?
Saumil: Yes, many! The one which I’ll always remember will be when I got a call from the Chief Minister of Gujarat’s Office saying that you’ve published a news which has a negative impact. That’s when I realized how much reach Our Vadodara has.
The DigiStory: What advice would you give to budding entrepreneurs?
Saumil:First of all, I am not qualified to give any advice to anyone, but if I have to, one thing I would say would be start a business with the aim of having an office and paying income tax.
The DigiStory:If you were given $1 billion today, what would you do with it?
Saumil: The first thing I would do is build better office infrastructure, pay my employees more salary and hire good workforce.
The DigiStory:Any embarrassing moments you’ve faced that you’d like to share with us?
Saumil:I face embarrassing situations every single day!! My grammatical errors cause me embarrassment everyday because people troll me mercilessly for them.
The DigiStory:What is the biggest piece of advice you’ve been given?
Saumil:Be kind to people. The tone and language you use should be polite always.
The DigiStory:What’s next for you? You plan to continue with Our Vadodara?
Saumil:I want to either work somewhere or study. I want to work to see if I can work in a professional environment, I want to work under someone to see if I can do it. I am looking for a change.
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