In a candid podcast interview, I recently had the chance to discuss the entrepreneurial journey of Varun Chopra, founder of The Teaser Company and Homified. We covered a wide range of topics, from the initial inspiration to start a business to the challenges of scaling and managing work-life balance.
Inception: College Days
Varun traces his entrepreneurial roots back to his college days at BITS Pilani, where he was exposed to various student-run societies and clubs. This piqued his curiosity about the inner workings of businesses. As he puts it:
“I was curious to experience how various societies functioned, like the dance club, music club, and how events were organized.”
A course on new venture creation further fueled his interest in entrepreneurship. Although it didn’t involve real money at that stage but gave him a perspective on how things work in real life.
And the best part was the 0% attendance policy of BITS Pilani that keeps you qualified to purue that degree even with 0 attendance.
The First Stepping Stone: Joining an Agency
After a brief stint at a minimalist advertising agency in Mumbai, Varun joined an advertising agency called Blue Vector, where he learned valuable skills like copywriting, storytelling, and brand building while working closely with the founders. This experience inspired him to consider starting his own venture.
He says,
“If they could build a successful 30-person agency in just a few years, why can’t I?”
Varun then moved to Gurgaon and joined a new co-working space called “Wework,” which had just launched in India. Here, he met aspiring entrepreneurs and freelancers, taking up small gigs like copywriting, website development, and social media marketing to sustain himself financially.
The Birth of The Teaser Company
In 2017, Varun founded The Teaser Company with his co-founder Shivam, a BITS Pilani senior with experience in advertising. They decided to focus solely on direct-to-consumer (D2C) businesses, recognizing the growing market and their passion for consumer tech products since childhood.
The initial years were challenging, with limited resources and a steep learning curve. Varun shares, “We were hardly making any salary, maybe ₹10,000-20,000 at that time.” However, they persevered, taking on clients and continuously refining their approach based on learnings.
Varun says,
“In the early days scalability should not be your primary concern. Focus on understanding the market demand and being close to consumers and clients. This will shape your service offerings.”
After a successful pilot project, they decided to focus solely on D2C and signed retainers with brands that showed promise.
An Eye-Opening Book: Built to Sell
However, they quickly realized the need to productize their services to achieve scalability and consistent cash flow – a challenge many agencies face.
A turning point came when they read the book “Built to Sell,” which provided a framework for transitioning their agency into a product company. After implementing its principles for over a year, they were able to streamline operations, structure payments, and scale efficiently.
Varun emphasizes,
“Productize yourself. Your authenticity and what you’re good at should be your product. Productization has scalability and efficiency built into it.”
The Birth of Homified and Lessons Learned
Inspired by the success of The Teaser Company, Varun and Shivam launched their second venture, Homified, in 2022. This time, he aimed to build a product company from the outset for smart gadgets.
As their business gained traction, Varun and Shivam realized the need for capital to fuel growth. They approached investors, including Mr. Shrinivasan, a BITS Pilani alumnus who had funded over 30 startups in India.
After evaluating the founders’ equation and perseverance, Shrinivasan invested in The Teaser Company. This enabled them to expand operations, hire a team, and scale their smart gadgets business. Currently, they generate monthly sales of ₹14-15 lakhs through their website and have just started out on Amazon.
He advises aspiring entrepreneurs,
“Don’t try to do too many things at once. Define your core desire and dedicate time to it consistently. Even if it takes two years, keep taking steps towards your goal daily.”
He believes that chasing money alone can quickly drain motivation, as substantial financial rewards rarely come instantly in entrepreneurship.
Some Books He Suggests
1. “The Almanack of Naval Ravikant” by Eric Jorgenson
He mentions this as his favorite book for wealth creation and business. He says he has read it 5-6 times in the last 8-10 months.
2. Winning Mindset
He recommends these books for the overall balance of the mind and soul.
3. The 1-Page Marketing Plan and Sell Like Crazy
He says he reads these books as a bible for marketing.
Advice for Aspiring Entrepreneurs
- Experiment in College: College is the perfect time to try different things without significant risks.
- Read and Implement: He suggests reading the same book multiple times, underlining key points, and actively applying the concepts.
- Manage Work-Life Balance: Entrepreneurship demands sacrifices, but Varun advises maintaining a balance. He says, ensure your personal life doesn’t suffer excessively.
Varun referred to a podcast of Nikhil Kamath that gives an idea of what is required to be an entrepreneur.
“There was a podcast by Nikhil Kamath where he discussed four different types of startups. And the secret sauce he derived from all four was that there is a bit of a rebel nature, meaning you are not satisfied with what is being offered.”
I hope Varun’s experiences motivate many more to take on the path of entrepreneurship while being prepared for the inevitable hurdles. His insights make it amply clear that with the right approach, mindset, and sustained efforts, achieving one’s entrepreneurial dreams is indeed possible. You can watch the whole podcast below.
