We enjoy fried fish or fish cutlets. No doubt they are yummy. But what if I tell you that the seafood we consume is polluted with chemicals and toxins released in water bodies and their food.
Shocking 😱
Most of us are unaware of this and do not pay attention to the quality of fish we purchase. Reason being, many of us do not know the tricks in identifying the same. No, I am not any Michelin chef, and frankly speaking, with Dam Good Fish, we do not need any such tricks.
WHY?
Founded in 2023 by Shobhit Gaur and Shailesh Patel, Dam Good Fish offers dam-sourced naturally raised, chemical-free, and sustainable seafood. Yes, while they put much effort in this, the startup removes middlemen to avoid any compromise on quality and services.
The company targets B2C customers and its primary sales channels include online (website and app). Moreover, a part of its revenue comes from the B2B partnership with culinary institutes and restaurants.
Shobhit holds a master’s degree in business management and valuable experience in the media and marketing industry as the National Head of a leading advertising agency.
Once after visiting a local fish market, he realized a huge gap in the market; lack of fresh seafood. The reason is that no measures (except freezing) are taken to maintain the freshness of the seafood, which results in its degraded and lost nutritional value. This gave rise to his passion to become an entrepreneur.
The Breakthrough
While looking for possible solutions to focus, Shobhit came to know about dam-sourced fish. Little did we know, but they provide a natural environment for fish to grow without using antibiotics and chemicals.
The entire process aligned with the founders’ vision, and they created a business module around it.
It was 2023, and after sharing his business plan with Shailesh Patel, the duo founded the Dam Good Fish.
Mission: To provide naturally sourced, ultra-fresh seafood while promoting sustainable fishing practices.
Vision: To set up high standards for sustainability and freshness in the seafood industry.
In the first year of commencement, the company witnessed rapid growth, and the founders gained valuable lessons to grow further.
About the Dam Good Fish
The fish is directly sourced from the company’s dam and is packaged and sold via online channels.
Moreover, technological advancements have essential moments as it keeps the entire process updated: online ordering and logistics management.
What started as a small team has now grown to have a 20-member team. Some might think ke bahut kam members hain. But quality over quantity should be preferred when building a brand name or a startup. Similarly, Dam Good Fish hires those who align with the company’s vision and mission.
Challenges Along the Way
Waise to, there were a couple of challenges, but the major one was to build a reliable supply chain. To maintain the freshness and goodness of the seafood, freshly caught fish needs to be transported to the packaging facility. And here, getting things done within the time limit is crucial.
To solve this, the team is working to streamline the process, further ensuring timely and unhindered deliveries.
Although there were tough moments and challenges, the co-founders never felt the urge to give up and leave everything. This shows their resilience and fire to build what they wanted.
Another challenge was to spread awareness among customers about the dam-sourced fish. Moreover, many people find it difficult to cook fish, mainly because of the smell and lasting flavor, which many of us do not like.
However, with engaging content creation and distribution, the company succeeded in spreading the word about Dam Good Fish and its products.
🤫 The secret behind Dam Good Fish’s success is feedback from its loyal customer base. Moreover, customers appreciate the educational content created and shared by the company, through which people are learning the valuable benefits of consuming sustainable seafood.
How Do Dam Good Fish Manage Finances, if Bootstrapped?
Many aspiring entrepreneurs have this query, and Dam Good Fish, despite being bootstrapped, is developing profitably.
It focuses on investing in essential operations. If a thing can be done within the team, why waste resources by outsourcing it.
Reinvesting the profits is an important and intelligent step. Instead of using up profits for personal uses, it is better to invest it to buy raw materials, machinery, repairs, and more.
Budget-friendly marketing techniques through content creation and digital marketing. In this digital world, online marketing has proven to be more cost-effective for marketing than offline methods.
Overall, the co-founders find it motivating and an important factor that has allowed them to be in control over the operations and vision.
Founder’s Take
According to Shobhit Gaur, new and aspiring entrepreneurs should never neglect or avoid customer feedback.
As the saying goes, the customer is the king.
And THAT is not wrong in itself. Although there might be some cranky customers, no matter what the review, we should interpret their productive sense. That can help us improve our services and products.
Shobhit regrets not being able to communicate and engage with customers during the initial days of the company. No complaints, because he was also learning and growing. After all, we learn with experiences and mistakes.
Overall, customer feedback has proved an essential factor in improvising the company’s products and services by identifying areas of improvement and to be innovative with its products to meet varying customers’ needs.
Networking and Mentorship
The next thing is networking and mentorship. Both work as the wheels of our entrepreneurial journey. With good networking, you can meet potential partners and like-minded entrepreneurs. And your insight and horizon would be widened with an effective mentorship.
Points to Remember
Finally, to become a successful entrepreneur, Shobhit says a strong vision, adaptability, and resilience are the keys. And don’t forget to build an easy communicative environment with your team.
Do Not Run After External Funding
External funding is important, but the success of a startup is not solely dependent on it. In the words of Shobhit, with efficient operations, careful planning and execution, good growth is possible.
Following his commitment to create a sustainable seafood industry through transparency, customer education, and quality control, Shobhit is effectively leading the company. While building a strong reputation in the Delhi NCR market, the Dam Good Fish is dedicatedly serving 1,000+ customers every month.
