TheShareStory.in is an initiative to build a community of Entrepreneurs, Startups & Industry Stalwarts to celebrate success & to learn from shortfalls, and to Contribute, Inspire & Embellish Entrepreneurship by sharing their exciting Stories!
And as a part of our initiative, we invited yet another passionate Entrepreneur Mr. Akhil Thakur for an interview with us to understand more about his entrepreneurial journey. He is the Founder At Dealout Professionals. Let’s learn more about his exciting journey, his background and his advice for our growing community! Dynamic, daring and a go-getter—these words are floating around the Man Himself.
Tell us a little bit about yourself and your journey, please;
I am Akhil Thakur, a Company Secretary and Co-founder of Dealout Professionals. I belong to Ludhiana and pursued my graduation from one of the renowned colleges in Punjab i.e. S.C.D Govt. College, Panjab University. I pursued the Company Secretary (CS) course simultaneously with my Graduation and those 3 years were very demanding as I had to constantly jump between subjects very different in nature. I completed my Graduation in 2016 and the same year, I cleared the final stage examinations of CS. Thereafter in 2017, I shifted to Delhi NCR with an ambition to obtain vast exposure into the corporate circle during my articleship period and be able to join a known corporate brand after my articleship gets completed. I had served multiple organizations before venturing with my startup.
To be frank and truthful, I never dreamt of becoming an entrepreneur and that too, early in my career. I had always wished to be at a top-level leadership position in well renowned Company. After working for 3 years under different Entrepreneurs, I was bewitched with their journey and how they managed to create a brand and name for themselves. Also, working for 3 long years helped me realize that I might become a top executive one day but that will not help me to create a brand by myself. I will always be known by some other’s name or brand. Besides having a professional Degree boosted my plan to venture on my own and then came “Dealout Professionals”.
Please Provide a brief overview of your product & Services?
Dealout Professionals is a team of research driven Consultants providing advisory services in the areas of Company/LLP/NGO Registration, Startup advisory, Intellectual Property Rights, Business Registrations and Licensing, Corporate Due Diligence, RERA Project Registrations, Corporate Legal and Secretarial, Corporate Litigations and drafting/vetting of legal documents.
Under this brand, We work closely with Startup Founders to assist them with fulfilling the legal aspect of their venture. From Registering their legal Entity to securing all the necessary Licenses specific to their Industry to enduring timely compliance of their Entity, we do it all.
What inspired you to build the above Product & Service?
In the Company Secretary Course, we study various Laws which are prevalent in our Country governing the working and administration of different kind of Entities. Besides we have been designated as the Key Managerial Personnel under the Indian Companies Act and this holds us at a Senior Management position in a Company. For a Company, we act as the Advisors for the Directors of the Company.
As a Company Secretary, I have a strong grip on the Corporate Laws and that enables me to provide accurate advisory to my clients. Moreover, India is fast becoming a fertile land for new start-ups and Startup founders are always in a search of an advisor who can help them bring their business idea out in the market.
How did you find the industry/niche you are in?
Since the advent of the Present Government, the Compliance side of the Corporate Industry has found a new life. Govt. is giving due importance to the compliance framework that bounds the Business Houses. Also, Govt has been introducing new laws that make us study 24/7 to remain up to date. Also, with its initiative of “Ease of doing business”, changes are happening round the clock and we are at work to pass on these updates to our clients.
Overall our profession as a whole has founded more recognition in recent years and we have been praised by the Hon’ble Prime Minister himself on several occasions for our Competency, Diligence, and scope of work in the Corporate domain.
What is Your life Mantra?
I believe living in the present and make every possible effort to improve ourselves and enjoy our work. Worrying too much about the future will not allow you to live peacefully in the present and mind you, the future is not in our hands. Just, for example, the current pandemic which no-one anticipated has put a break to all our plans made at the beginning of the year.
One should plan for the future but present happiness, leisure, and comfort should not be compromised.
The most challenging part of your journey to date and how did you overcome those challenges?
The most challenging part for any entrepreneur is to go on his/her own, to pursue their dreams at the expense of their comforting Jobs. Moving out of the comfort zone is the most challenging part and it was no different for me.
Like I said earlier, my ambition was never to start my venture while I was studying or when I joined my first Company. So, the bent of mind was not there from the beginning. Only after working for 3 years, I realized that my growth should not lie in other hands but then also I had to gather the courage to leave my comforting job and practice my profession far from my home. My family gave me the much-needed motivation to take this step.
“My Startup journey was not planned but was purely an inspired one.”
How are you managing your life and work during Lockdown caused by COVID 19?
I am managing my work from my rented accommodation in Gurgaon. For a professional like me, it is not easy to be stuck inside the four walls because of our work. We are very much social flies as we have to meet our clients regularly to understand their evolving needs besides visiting various departments to complete our work. Though we have started client meetings over video media platforms, much of the work is inching further at a far slower speed.
The blessing in disguise in this whole pandemic is that we are giving time to ourselves. We are pursuing our hobbies, enriching ourselves with new skills which are a far cry during normal times. So, like everything has its boons and banes, current Lockdown is no different. I hope we get back to our normal lives soon.
What is your source of motivation for the day when you wake up?
To pursue my long-desired hobbies, cook new recipes, writing new articles. These activities are my motivation for every new day.
Money or Emotions, what comes first for you?
It depends on what character I am playing in a particular situation. As an entrepreneur, the money always assume the utmost importance and emotions do take a backseat but I ensure that I do not play against my work principles and Ethics. As a being outside my entrepreneurial role, I tend to be more of an emotional person and prefer to listen to my heart.
How do you manage your stress?
By not thinking too much. What’s done is done and can’t be changed and whatever is coming is not in our hands. So, I try to stay calm and divert my energies to things I like doing i.e. eating my hearts out.
What according to you are keys to success?
Hard work, determination, perseverance will always be the golden keys to success but, for me one more factor that works is; How you adapt to the changing times? Business houses have started conducting meetings over video media platforms, Entrepreneurs are shifting to social media platforms to generate leads and many more transformations are taking place.
What Online Apps/tools do you use the most and Why?
The first thing I do in the morning after waking up is to check news applications to know what’s happening around. I spend time on Linkedin, Facebook to share updates about my domain and of general importance. Else I like to switch to gaming apps to lighten up.
What habit you think, makes you more productive?
My eagerness to get my work completed at the earliest and not leaving it till the deadlines. This habit leaves me with extra essential time which I devote to writing articles, gasping on new laws, and regularly interacting with my clients.
Share a quote that inspires you the most.
There are quite a few but the one I heard in the recent time is “You Network is your net worth”
Your advice for Aspiring Entrepreneurs.
The path we chose to follow while we are young is not always the best for us. When you step out in the real world is when you learn what approach will benefit you in the long run. An Entrepreneur is hidden inside every one of us. All it takes is to bring the belief from your subconscious mind to the conscious mind.