Anish Agarwal - Sabse Sasta Dukaan Started Reinstalling the Industry by Providing 100% Authentic Medicines at Best Discounts (CEO of Sabse Sasta Dukaan & FLYE)

Anish is a self-made entrepreneur renowned as CEO & Co-founder of

Sabse Sasta Dukaan & FLYE

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

Sabse Sasta Dukaan’s aim has been ‘Health First’ and in line with its mission- To Make Healthcare Affordable And Available To All.

Launched in 2018, Kolkata based start-up Sabse Sasta Dukaan, India’s fastest growing Pharmacy Chain, is saving many lives during lockdown by delivering life-saving drugs to semi-urban and rural India during the lockdown. 

Aims to provide affordable healthcare available to all the areas across semi-urban and rural Bharat. Quite a two-year-old in the wing, the company has recently crossed a milestone of 250+ logistics partners and has delivered more than 5LAC+ orders to THOUSANDS of its healthy and happy customers across Eastern India. 

Given the increasing spread of COVID19 and the extension of Lockdown, people have to go through many problems when it comes to healthcare products. With the growing awareness about online pharmacy and its benefits, consumers are increasingly moving towards holistic well-being. 

Sabse Sasta Dukaan is committed to offering the safest and most effective solutions for the health and well-being of every household. The dedicated and extensive service during lockdown is another step forward in the direction of providing better healthcare support to everyone.

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

The idea for Sabse Sasta Dukaan came about two years ago when a pair of young entrepreneurs (Anant & Anish) from Kolkata started providing assistance to consumers on shopping by building an innovative value-driven startup, Sabse Sasta Dukaan. 

Being two friends from IEM, Anant was a high tech web developer at cognizant while Anish was a renowned networker. They founded Sabse Sasta Dukaan to provide convenience on shopping & also to save money & time for the consumers.

In due time the real BHARAT was witnessing a huge market gap in regards to the supply chain by big pharma players. Sabse Sasta Dukaan started reinstalling the industry by providing 100% authentic medicines at best discounts, easy returns and via its new in-house logistics arm FLYE [launched in 2020] it also caters to deliver shipments faster. 

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

Emerged from the roots of bootstrapping, the biggest challenge that the team faced was survival in the ecosystem. Fortunately, the tough turmoil came to expiry by finding unique channels for overcoming the cash flows of the business, and at the right time, we raised funds and became a well-invested company in the market.

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

- Decent capital 

Starting a business with very little capital is very challenging, but it can be done. Entrepreneurs are often restless and it’s always tempting to “get going” with a business idea even when you don’t have everything you need. We glorify “bootstrapping a business”.

- Hiring effective manpower 

Through effective manpower planning, the organization is able to continuously allocate and reallocate its human resources and utilize them efficiently.

- Marketing your product right 

When you begin to master how to sell a product online, you give your business a chance to succeed. One needs to experiment with different marketing ideas to understand your target audience and market your product to them.

- Adapting to environmental changes and learning from them 

Taking up challenges sportingly and learning from them is the key point to Success.

5. How can entrepreneurs overcome funding and scaling up challenges? 

Scaling up a newly-backed company is not all rainbows and unicorns, it is even more daunting and tougher than launching a startup in the first place. 

Starting up is just a beginning phase of a company life cycle followed by the growth or scaling phase where the growth potential of the organization can develop into a high-growth company bringing revenues, well-paid jobs and taxes. Primarily having a good product-market fit. 

If that is taken care of, scaling via funding becomes easier. Scaling up is also about the team, the right team is crucial because they act as the backbone to your vision. A good product-market fit with some traction, having real good selling points and a well-framed network goes a long way in ensuring smooth functioning.

6. Which is your favorite book and why? 

I would like to take the name of this first- 'Hard Things About Hard Things' By Ben Horowitz because it addresses the reality of entrepreneurship whereas others talk only about the factors of staying motivated throughout the journey.

Next comes ‘Who Moved My Cheese?’ By Spencer Johnson, This book never leaves you feeling stagnant. It drives you through its pages, one after another, just like the pages of Life, having a strong urge to flip to the next chapter of life. What's next?

7. How do you define success for yourself & your business? 

I believe the meaningful contribution to all the associators leveraging my journey as an entrepreneur is my definition of success. I have always believed that all negotiations primarily operate because of giving & take viability. 

So any sort of contribution on my behalf made to upgrade may be an inch of the lives of my customers, employees, investors, supplier or government is a fruity addition on my platter of success.

In regards to the business, success is defined in the same way where the profits at large benefit my employees and investors, or a product upgrade benefit my customers or society at large.

So it’s all about adding value to all the associators leveraging my journey.

Anish is a self-made entrepreneur – CEO & Co-founder of Sabse Sasta Dukaan & FLYE.

A small-town guy from Asansol, WB & a Computer Science Graduate from IEM, his 2-year-old E-Pharmacy start-up, "Sabse Sasta Dukaan" is considered the fastest-growing E-pharmacy in Eastern India. It has also won many prestigious titles & awards in some prestigious events.

Adding more feathers to his cap, Anish was also recognized as National level achiever in his last stint. Today, he is all set to disrupt the logistics industry also with the launch of Sabse Sasta Dukaan's logistics arm FLYE.

Anish's entrepreneurial journey is inspiringly thrilling & is a testament to how even a person next door can change their fortunes through sheer hard work and dedication.

Anish Agarwal

Healthcare Entrepreneur, CEO & Co-founder of Sabse Sasta Dukaan & FLYE

Interviewed By - Sandeep Virothu