Aman Gupta faced so many rejections in his life from a very young age, that he stopped getting dismayed by them. Rejections only made him a daredevil and a constant fighter. The leading man behind Boat Electronics in India, Aman Gupta became a household name with the much-coveted show, ‘Shark Tank India’. Few know more about his initial life struggles, his personal life, vision, and mission. Here is a brief on this amazing entrepreneur’s successful journey so far.
Early Childhood and Education
Born in 1982 to parents Neeraj and Jyoti Gupta in an affluent Hindu family, Aman Gupta completed his schooling in Delhi Public School, R.K. Puram, and then earned his graduate degree in Commerce from Delhi University. Later, he completed his CA from ICAI. He did not stop there and further earned his MBA degree from the Indian School of Business and Finance. He has a brother named Anmol Gupta. Aman is married to Priya Dagar and they have two daughters Ada and Mia.
After his schooling, he was forced to study CA by his father. He completed his course and was one of the youngest CA in the country at that time. But he did not enjoy this as a career option. Although he did not enjoy numbers and finance at all, he was not a quitter. He earned his degree, handed it to his dad, and then told him that he should be allowed to pursue what he wants.
Early Career
He started his career as the Assistant Director of Citibank from 2003 to 2005. He did not enjoy this as well and then decided to start a company with his father. He then co-founded Advanced Telemedia Pvt Ltd and served as the CEO of the company from 2005 to 2010. It was during this time that he learned ‘Sales’. His father taught him a valuable lesson in sales that one cannot afford to have ego here.
He has also tried his luck working as an Executive Consultant with KPMG. He was a partner in the firm. He is also the founding partner of Imagine Marketing India. At 29, he realized that he was not enjoying anything in life and could not identify his true passion. Aman then worked as a sales manager at Harman International from 2012 to 2013. But by the age of 35, he had tried many gigs but could not enjoy anything in life. His wife then told him that he can take 2 years to think about what he wanted to do in life, but after that period, if he still cannot find his true calling, he will have to do as she says.
The Turning Point
During that period, he thought of starting a new business. It was a time when India was slowly heading towards a consumer revolution. He entered the market of headphones at a time when there were 200 other brands manufacturing the same kind of products. But, he always felt that he had a better way of doing it.
His initial years, however, in his own startup, were not easy. He faced a lot of rejection from vendors, employees, and even banks. He recalls today that rejection has always been a part of his life. He came to a phase where he had no money and no business. He only had hope.
He started with his partner Sameer Mehta by introducing their products on social and public forums. Their brand USP was to sell affordable products for the youth of India. He hired a lot of youth in his company to understand the mindsets and requirements of youthful customers. He feels the key to his success was to supply as per the customer’s requirements. Today, he is proudly heading his company Boat which makes headphones, speakers, and other such electronic wearables.
He feels that his biggest inspiration is Jeff Bezos. He learned from him that ‘Customer is God’. He did not leave ‘consumer obsession’ and used this principle for his brand. They hustled their way through the changing times and by evolving as per the changing technologies.
He was always inspired by Shark Tank, a show featured in the US, and always wanted it to come to India. It was a dream come true for him to be selected as a Shark in ‘Shark Tank India’.
Genius Marketing Strategy
Starting from a humble Delhi social market to generating 1500 crore turnover, this genius shark scaled his company to be the top fifth wearable company worldwide in just 5 years. Boat was launched in 2016 with bootstrap capital but today is one of the most successful companies in India.
From failing three business ventures to facing rejections from even employees, Aman Gupta never let these hurdles affect him. He always believed in, ‘Better Try than Cry’. When he was working a 9 to 5 job in JBL, he realized that customers want affordable and good-quality products. He implemented the same formula for his company.
During the launch of Boat, the cherry on the cake was the launch of JIO and Apple Air Pods. Apple Air Pods increased the craze in the market for wireless headphones. At the same time, JIO made internet surfing and listening to free music easy and affordable. As the public’s screen time increased, so did their need for good-quality headphones. This strategy led to the rise in the sales of Boat products. Boat mainly targets sub-premium customers, who cannot afford Apple Air pods and yet understand the need for good quality earphones.
Conclusion
Boat stormed the markets at a time when it was much needed. This is one of the main reasons of Aman Gupta’s success. He feels understanding consumer needs, consumer behavior and market trends are three of the most important factors of success.
Today, many startups aspire to be market unicorns keeping this brilliant strategy in mind. Aman Gupta is a true inspiration to those who feel that age is a big criterion to be successful. He has proved that one can gain success at any point in their life.
