Voxcrow co-founder Anil Dhakal shares his personal journey of business failure, gaining experience through jobs, and his essential tips for youth planning to start their own business in Nepal.
Anil Dhakal started his first IT company when he was just 21 years old. He even sold his family land to invest in his business. However, due to lack of experience, daily power cuts, political instability, and bad market conditions, his first business did not survive. Learning from that failure, he is now working as the co-founder and Chief Business Strategy Officer of Voxcrow Private Limited, a company that provides IT services to over 200 organizations.
Dhakal came to Kathmandu from Surkhet and started his entrepreneurial journey by opening a website and software company. After his first attempt failed, he closed the business and focused on developing his skills. After completing his studies, he worked in different companies to gain experience. He even worked as a graphic designer at IME and later took responsibility for business development. After gaining about four years of experience, he finally returned back to his entrepreneurship journey.
Voxcrow Services and New Plans for SMEs
Voxcrow currently provides cloud telephony, call center software, and customer communication platform services. Dhakal shared that the company is serving more than 200 organizations, including banks, financial institutions, insurance companies, hospitals, and digital service providers.
The company has recently launched a cheap cloud telephony service targeting small and medium enterprises (SMEs). Under this new plan, five users can use the service for just Rs. 1000 per month.
Experience is Necessary Before Starting a Business
Dhakal learned a very important lesson after his first business failed. He says that people should not rush into business without any experience.
According to him, a person should first work for two to four years to understand how the industry runs. He believes that doing this will greatly reduce the chance of failing in business. He also adds that just making a product is not enough. An entrepreneur needs to understand the entire process of sales, customer service, finance management, market expansion, and daily operations.
Business is Not for Everyone
Dhakal believes that having a wish to do business is not enough. If someone does not have a real interest or readiness to take risks, they can still make good financial progress by doing a good job and making savings and investments.
He suggests that people should first ensure basic financial security for themselves and their family before taking big business risks.
Three Main Advices for the Youth
The 36-year-old entrepreneur has three major advices for young people. First, they should become excellent in at least one core skill. Second, they must get two to four years of real industry experience. Finally, they should build a solid foundation of savings and investment before starting any business.
He also mentions that even in this era of Artificial Intelligence (AI), skills related to sales, content creation, and direct customer relations will always remain highly important.
Plenty of Opportunities in Nepal
Even though doing business in Nepal has challenges, Dhakal says there is no shortage of opportunities. There is great potential in fields like information technology, digital services, tourism, and innovation. He advises young people to decide on going abroad or staying in Nepal based on their own skills and interests.
According to him, the secret to a successful business is the ability to solve customer problems, not just trying to sell products. He concluded by saying that good sales is not just about selling, but about understanding customer problems and providing solutions.
AI Disclaimer: This article was originally published on https://bajarkochirfar.com. It has been translated with the help of AI. For the best understanding and accurate facts, we recommend reading the original Nepali version.
