Manu Jain, Seasoned Professional Turned Entrepreneur Recoding the Telecom World with Carbun8

"Someone once told me, 'I have made enough millionaires- it's time for me to become one.' This stuck with me and pushed me to take the leap."

– Manu Jain

Manu Jain, Seasoned Professional Turned Entrepreneur Recoding the Telecom World with Carbun8

Foreseeing the future with visionary insight and walking on the uncharted territory of entrepreneurship is a journey traveled by Manu Jain to form Carbun8 and Unpuzzleit, two platforms offering a peerless portfolio to B2B clients and value-added services to Telecom operators & handset manufacturers.Today, Carbun8 is associated with Cashify, British Council, and Oxford to create their content access, along with numerous content creators & content providers to add value in the form of added monetization for them.

In 2016, a journey incepted when Manu Jain, a seasoned professional owning to his experience from working with the best companies in the world, decided to navigate his voyage on a new entrepreneurial path. At his time working at VAS, Manu became confident to start something of his own and with his visionary insight; he realistically took a flight towards his dreams.

The leader travelled from a stage working full time consulting job and funding his startup with confidence in himself and his team, to today, creating monetization outside the world of Google along with value-added services to content creators and support them.

As the leader continues to bridge the distance between your app content and the consumer by taking your app to the telecom operators, The CEO Magazine had an unfiltered conversation with Manu Jain and how he garnered success:

The CEO: What were the challenges at the initial phase of your entrepreneurial journey? How did you overcome it?

Manu: When you set out on a new journey, there is ample excitement, the possibilities are endless, and your inner will is strong. But once you lay your foundation, it can be intimidating- you start to see all the things that can go wrong, all the factors that are not on your side.

While I had this dream, I have also always been very realistic. The challenges were that we were young, we had competition from old players that had been in the game for years- we had to bring something new to the table. We had to be faster, more accessible and had to adjust and step up every step of the way.

While doing all of this, I also maintained a consulting assignment. Managing the two meant I had close to no time for my personal life. It was a struggle but I am happy it paid off. As a person, value-added services were a low hanging fruit for me. I had no large-company set up as a backup – I was doing everything myself, no one was waiting for me. Large corporations aren't open to startups, the vendor evaluation form has a column where you have to state your turn over. This is most intimidating; we had no turnover. Looking for business and starting is extremely time-consuming, it is not easy, the world does not owe you anything. To dream big is one thing to sustain in the real world is a harsh reality.

The CEO: At the moment, how do you measure success? What are your metrics?

Manu: To me, success is the ability to do what I want – at a time that is mine- I choose to work with like-minded people. I plan my next steps; I follow my own rules.

I am proud of what my team and I have achieved in a short time, in a competitive market. There is still a lot we have our eyes on and a lot more we aim to achieve. Having said that, success, to me, is also time spent with my family- to be at a point in my career where I can afford to give them my undivided attention.

Success is a cold beer on a sunny afternoon playing golf with friends who inspire me and understand me. Success is a motivated team, connected, and content. Today, I have the luxury to carve out a niche for us in the place I am in. We are small but credible.

The CEO: What are the major product milestones?

 Manu:  Carbun8 has created a unique stance in the industry by extending its value-added services and great content to the customers through telecom operators. For me, the biggest milestone has been starting from one feature phone in the country to now, being present in every third phone in the country. To see our app gain such a large customer base has to be one of the proudest moments of leading Carbun8.

The CEO: What have you learned about running a business that you didn't know when you started your entrepreneurial career?

Manu: I fundamentally believe in Murphy's Law, which, in a popular adage mentions, "Anything that can go wrong will go wrong". Never take the unexpected for granted and always have a backup plan. I didn't know that my time will run out so quickly- there are so many aspects to a business that we have to handle that I wish I had more "me time".

The CEO: Who are your clients? How do you work on your long-term relationship with your clients?

Manu: Our diverse clientele is inclusive of private, public & government enterprises, whom we associate with to revolutionize their brand digitally. We build long term relationships based on trust. For me, every relationship, every sale, and every negotiation is made from the heart and meant to for keeps. Every relationship or sale must add value for both parties and create a win-win scenario, otherwise, you cannot sustain the relationship.

The CEO: Kindly throw light on your team and area of expansion.

Manu: Carbun8 team is my extended family. And we are a group of experts in our respective areas. We complement one another and trust is a key factor. We can make mistakes as long as we own them and take full responsibility. Having fun along the way – is my motto- if my team isn't having fun then no work is being done.

The CEO: With such a fast-growing team, how do you make sure everybody stays motivated and how do you support the corporate culture?

Manu: We have our own Carbun8 culture, one which encompasses trust, ownership, and accountability. There is flexibility as long as work gets done. It is not about the number of hours but the efficiency that counts. We grow together and we fail together. It is one team no matter what.