"Always Have a Clear Idea About What You Intend to Do"

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1. Tell us more about your company and your journey.

Founded back in April 2019, Sportifan was formed when three of us, three sports-crazy people came together and the only thing that motivated us was the passion that we have for sports. We belong from different professional backgrounds but all three of us are Chelsea fans.

Sportifan being a Sports Marketing Consultancy firm, cater via three major pillars - Consultancy, Sports Education, and Sports Technology (our newest pillar). In this journey for around one year and two months, we have gathered Top tier clients like Sheffield FC, Leeds United from the UK, Top tier football clubs from Spain, I-league, ISL clubs from Indian Sub-continent and many other clients Internationally. We are gradually expanding to other countries as well. Our current registered office is in the UK.

2. How did you come up with this idea and go about executing it?

I know Sarthak for a long time because of our Chelsea connection, then he went to the UK to continue his higher studies in Sports Management. We had an idea in mind to do something for the Indian Sports Ecosystem which is in a very nascent stage and eventually bloom in the near future.

Mainly bridging the gap between the European standards and the Indian Subcontinent. Later I met Samrat, another avid football and Chelsea fan and we decided to officially start Sportifan. In our case we started off with a common passion and vision, the current idea is a result of a lot of iterations and modification of the initial idea.

3. What has been your biggest challenge that you faced and how did you overcome that?

Co-ordination amongst a team that works across different timezones. We have our colleagues in Canada, the UK, and India. Besides our partners and clients are across the globe stretching from South America to Asia. So it's a tough job to run a team working remotely across continental boundaries.

But later we realized that this is more like an advantage in order to cater across the globe. So we managed our work schedules and settled with a routine. And another challenge that has been there is the mental well being and ability to keep up high mentally consuming job.

4. What do you think are the most important qualities of a successful entrepreneur?

Perseverance, Patience, Sincerity, and a never-ending zeal to learn more. The more we learn, the more we make decisions that eventually directs our journey.

5. What are some of the most important factors for running a successful business?

Quality of service, Punctuality, and Professionalism. Running a business is never an easy job in whatever industry it may be, but if we can show this trio, then it grows natural goodwill and reputation in the market.

6. What are your tips for the first time and aspiring entrepreneurs?

Always have a clear idea about what you intend to do. Without an absolutely clear vision, you'll end up in deep waters. Be humble and accept new learnings every day.

The most important thing, being an Entrepreneur can be tiring and challenging at times, both physically and mentally. It is important to take good care of our physical and mental health.

7. How can one overcome a hurdle of lack of funds when starting up?

By identifying the right kind of opportunities at the start. There are many things that require bare minimum initial capital to start. For the workforce, if you have a good vision you'll find people who share a common vision and be willing to work for free at the start.

Interviewed by - Rajit Shubra Ghosh.