Jobs On Sight is a first-of-its-kind mobile application armed with tools that accumulate the best in white- collar and blue- collar jobs. A mix of Indian market analysis, indigenization and global expertise are in unison to take human relations a notch higher. There is a seamless integration of blue-collar jobs into this platform that their team of experts has been able to do. This platform gives power to the unorganized sector and reduce hassles for the daily wage workers. After all, there is a growing demand for their skills and they are the pillars, but are sadly taken for granted. They intend to make themselves relevant to students and handhold them through summer internship of choice, helping them to utilize their time and make a first dent in their career.
Jobs On Sight International Pvt. Ltd. was launched in 11th Jan 2016. Mr. Avinash Sondhi is the founder & managing director. He is a corporate lawyer specialized in common law and Merger & Acquisitions. He was born and brought up in Ahmedabad and is a law graduate from a UK university. We are publishing an interview with him:
Q.: What is the problem you are trying to solve?
Ans: During my trips to airport, I saw how laborers were lined up on the roadside waiting for contractors to come and select them for daily work. They had access to smartphone but still had to stand out on the road during early morning. What if they get notified where the job opening is and can easily apply for it? Similarly, other individuals are unaware of nearest jobs, discount offers and service providers such as electrician etc. An idea struck in my mind to solve this problem of Discovery. What if you can get visibility about these services on an app. So, in JOS we created a platform where individuals/businesses can fulfill each other’s need and come together to make their life easier.
Q.: Can you share with us any insights that led you to believe that this is a big enough problem?
Ans: In this day and age of digitization and fast pace, the world is becoming a much smaller place. We at JOS have developed a unique platform which will allow users to keep up with this fast pace. Every Human Being can broadly be classified into 2 categories, “Service Provider” or “Service Seeker”. Keeping this in mind our Hyper
Location based platform provides 3 distinct verticals, namely:
- Employment
- Around You (SME businesses)
- Trades and Services (eg an electrician, a plumber etc)
White collar people have the access to various platforms to find out their next job or nearest deals & discounts. However, this is limited to a very small set of people. The Indian unorganized sector is a labor-intensive sector and accommodates around 90 % of total workforce of India. So, millions of Indians rely on word of mouth to discover the availability of jobs or deals & discounts at nearest business center. With JOS in their hands, the possibilities are endless!
Q.: Tell us about the Product / Solution. Explain how you went about the Product-Market Fit Process.
Ans: JOS is an easy and affordable platform that not only provides location-based jobs and related services but also provides live audience to local business deals and offers. JOS bridges the gap between a service provider and service seeker in more way than one. It helps detect both on a map without using airtime. We, at JOS, initially focused on creating a direct connect between job seeker and provider, while maintaining the privacy through in-app communication. Our location-based services and profile category/subcategory ensured that relevant candidates receive a notification as and when a job is posted. Based on successful implementation of location-based job services and instant notification, we conceptualized to democratize the advantages of internet/app economy to Individuals/SMEs with limited knowledge and understanding of digital marketing. The result, JOS, is an app available on iOS and Android, designed to provide location – based jobs and services. Added benefits come your way with a scope to transfer files, upload the CV, connect via video chats, calls or text. A preliminary interview is also possible virtually via the app. A smart phone with data connectivity is the only tool required.
Q.: What is your USP?
Ans: This is a first – of – its kind mobile application armed with tools that accumulate the best in white – collar and blue – collar jobs. With the added benefit of the “Around You” small business owners and Multi-National Companies alike can offer their products and services to the general public giving them a broader reach without spending a fortune. It utilizes cutting – edge technology to spot lucrative employment opportunities for job hunters in their areas. For employers willing to hire, the app allows spotting local talent. No one should feel the pinch of sharing their profit to some middlemen as commission. So, we kept unlimited Job Posting and deal announcement as a key feature of the JOS platform. Now every week or fortnight, you can advertise about your business or post your hiring requirements.
Q.: What were your assumptions when you entered the market, learning that you have? Who in your mind is your ideal customer? Do you have at least one of them signed up?
Ans: We knew that for a new product to make a space of its own will take time and efforts. We were confident that we have an amazing product in our hand and we were right. The response from the market is tremendous. We, now, just need to continue the momentum to create multiple success stories that we could showcase to the world. Sampling the market, while creating the product, has really helped us to shape the product the way it is today.
An ambitious Indian with smartphone is his/her hand is our ideal client. Over 50% Indian population falls in 15-45 years bracket and they are the most likely people to use smartphone for finding solutions to their problems. We have multiple clients signed up at this stage and we are working to match their needs to get more traction.
Q.: What has been your biggest failure as an entrepreneur and what did you learn from it??
Ans: In my opinion, there is no such thing as failure. You always learn from your past including minor or major setup. Take all your experiences, whether bitter or sweet, into account and improvise your decision making.
Q.: How are you pricing the Product? What is the logic behind it? What is the model you are following – Free / Freemium / Premium etc. ? Explain your thought process.
Ans: On our multiside platform, we have 2 set of users. We provide free registration to the employee or general user. The price is kept nominal for employers and SMEs. They need to pay INR 7100/- (including GST) for an annual subscription. They get additional 2 months of free access and hence can utilize JOS platform for 14 months. This way, we bring one side for free and other side by heavy subsidizing the cost. This cost-effective solution to hire or advertise is attracting many new businesses to join our platform. At the same time, through refer and earn, many users are onboarding the JOS platform.
Q.: How did you get your first customer?
Ans: I met my first client in the lift. He belonged to an IT firm and our quick introduction turned into opportunity for me when he got excited about our platform and visited our office to know more. After a short discussion, he agreed to install our app for hiring purpose. This incident further strengthens our belief that JOS is the need of the hour.
Q.: Please tell us about the investors (if any)
Ans: So far, the founder and his 2 partners have invested in the business. We haven’t reached out to investors yet. But now, we are looking for funding to develop market and expand into multiple cities. So, we are looking for like-minded investors to initiate a discussion.
Q.: Is there any interesting success story? If yes, please write about it?
Ans: There are some success stories in the limited time we have launched our app. A school was able to get both new admissions and teachers through our app. A health spa got customers and payments over JOS wallet. These success stories keep us motivated and inspire to do more.
Q.: What is the big picture of your startup? Is this Product/service leading to something bigger? If so, how?
Ans: Currently no platform supports the unskilled/low-skilled worker and small-time businessman. However, they are large in number and if served rightly, it can result in constant source of revenue. And similar problem exists in many Asian countries and hence, this will result in something really big.
Q.: Since inception, give us a sense of the value of business done by your venture? Please explain in details:
Ans: We have recently entered into market and haven’t made any attempt into marketing our product. Still we have over 60K+ users across India. We are getting enough traction but it’s too early to put any numbers on our business venture.
Q.: What is the insight that you have about this market, which no one else has? Uniqueness about your Startup.
Ans: Our uniqueness is our live audience. As soon as you post a job, it reaches the relevant candidates. As soon as you announce a deal or offer, it reaches your customer. And quick reaction from audience results in problem resolution or opportunity.
Q.: List all the names of the core Team Members, along with their Designated Roles – How you see them evolving over time. What would be each of their Skillsets? – Elaborate also if any of the team members has a specific domain expertise.
Ans: Sure.
- Avinash Sondhi – Founder and Managing Director – A corporate lawyer specialized in common law and Merger & Acquisitions. A law graduate from a UK university.
- Mr. Dinesh Lakhara – Director of Operations – He is an MBA graduate from IIM-Ahmedabad, has over 12 years of experience in Technology, Consulting, Operations and Management.
Q.: Who do You Perceive as Your Competition? How do you differentiate yourself with them?
Ans: Concept wise, we see our product as unique and no competition in current age. However, various segments in our product are served by well-known firms. Given their size and visibility, it wouldn’t be wise to call our self as their competition. We are yet to make a mark in the market and so our only competition is with our self. On JOS platform, people are looking for other individuals/businesses to their everyday problems. In our opinion, the user need not go to different platform for different activities. JOS provides services to its customers without charging any commission. In an affordable manner, we have created a marketplace for users to interact efficiently and effortlessly.
Q. 15: What would be your goal to accomplish in the next six months?
Ans: The market is the service seekers and providers of the lower-middle and middle class Indians who are increasingly getting access to smartphone. The Indian smart phone market currently comprises around 480* million devices in 2018. The growth rate is probably around 7% to 10% per year. So, with a modest 7% growth, the smartphone users in India, in 2019, will be 513.6 million (=480 * 7% increase). It’s the perfect time to launch and spread our product. As the product is live and kicking, it’s an appropriate time to invest in market development and expansion. The expansion into the mass centers of India should be accompanied by marketing channels and measures that motivate people in large numbers to integrate JOS into their daily lives. We intend to invest in market development in 5 Indian cities in next 6 months and around 30 Indian cities in next two years. With the product launch in Ahmedabad, we now want to create a strong base in Ahmedabad and develop Sales and Marketing Model. After success in Ahmedabad, we will simultaneously launch in new cities to aggressively develop and penetrate market. We will replicate and localize the initial sales and marketing model in each new city. We are also looking for distribution partners in various cities to boost the expansion plan.
Q.: What message do you want to convey to fellow entrepreneurs?
Ans: Keep your eyes open and you will find a problem worth solving
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Thanks Avinash. Best wishes!
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