Q. Please brief us about your company Graphycoon
Graphycoon is a digital marketing firm that works for the branding of newly launched companies as well as previously established companies that seek to create an online presence. Graphycoon is not just about graphic designs, we focus on the holistic branding of the company that ranges from bespoke designs to Public Relations, from Marketing and Sales to Community Building, and so on.
Q. When was Graphycoon started?
Graphycoon emerged as an idea while I was on a train from Delhi to my hometown. I had just applied for admissions at DU and was awaiting my class 12 results. I had done graphic designing during school times. So I always thought of making it a full-fledged business. I aspired to be an entrepreneur and at that time digitalization and startups were surfacing in the market which further pushed me to pursue my passion. That is when we made our website, started working on the development of our brand, and here we are today.
Q. We generally observe graphic designing as a one-time job but you aimed to create an entire company revolving around the idea of graphic designing. So what was your main idea behind it?
This is something we struggled with, in the initial stages of our journey. When I was working as a freelancer, the thoughts that revolved in my head were that they are not getting a long-term plan, or how to properly strategize and build a brand out of it. This was the problem that led me to start something which helped the companies present a long-term plan and move forward in the digital marketing domain. Many companies were unaware of how to do it, and that is where our firm came into the picture as a savior. Digital marketing has a really vast domain and there are some very creative companies like Swiggy that market themselves by posting the most random stuff and connecting it with food. The investment in digital marketing is the new way of brand creation and development.
Q. If a company reaches out to you, how long does the trial period go on and what is the duration you help them for?
This depends from business to business, or the location, or the audience they are targeting. We consider all the factors that are important and then we start working with the companies. The time duration can be two weeks or it can be two months as well. An irony is that we being a digital marketing firm have a barely active Instagram account but that's how things work. We are investing in PR and building relations which are more important than maintaining our Instagram.
Q. Where does your entrepreneurial mindset come from?
I am currently pursuing BA program and my long-term plan is to do UPSC. However, my entrepreneurial mindset is influenced by many factors. One of them is my hobby of reading books, especially self-enhancement ones. They have taught me a lot about how I can work on myself and improve my well-being. Coming to the business mindset, I think everyone in their lives wants to have financial independence and achieve something. As I shifted to Delhi, I got to know the value of money and that is what had driven me closer to becoming financially independent and passionate to just go for it.
Q. What were the initial struggles you had to face during the start of this company?
I think everyone struggles in their initial phase of getting clients or getting the desired team on board, but one of the initial struggles other than this for us was the pandemic. It's confusing for people to believe that how can a digital marketing firm struggle due to the pandemic but the clients that we work with were dependent on their physical stores which suffered during the pandemic so they usually had budget issues. So this was a struggle for us but eventually, things got better and we got the opportunity to work with some great clients as well.
Q. You are also the Co-founder of Visionfic Organisation, so who founded it and what is it about?
This was founded by Ms. Prerna Dewan, a friend of mine, and it works on the idea of providing opportunities to students who might not have a platform to explore themselves. We define it as a platform providing platform to others. Basically, the Visionific Organisation is the community of next-generation thinkers where the visionary minds get a chance to explore their dreams, discover their passion and express themselves in a manner unique to them. We organize and manage events ranging from conferences and educational workshops to live shows covering all mediums and styles of expression that one may find. We recently organized an event for book lovers where we had invited authors from all around the world.
Q. You are also a Ted circles host. Tell us more about that and how did you become a host for it?
I always had a keen interest in motivational and inspirational things. I started a TED-Ed club in my school, which was a very rare thing at that time. It was difficult to make people understand what it exactly was. But then eventually, I took TED membership, and now I am really grateful to obtain the license to organize my own TEDx event, which will happen in February, next year. We worked for more than two and a half months to get that license and now I'm really excited and looking forward to planning and organizing this event. Talking about TED Circles, it is basically a group discussion where people come together and carry on a smooth discussion. Every month Ted gives us a topic and we come together to talk about it. One of my dreams is to become a TED/TEDx speaker one day.
Q. Where do you draw your inspiration from?
I draw my inspiration from everything around me. I admire different people for the great things they've done. I'm a huge admirer of APJ Abdul Kalam sir for his selfless dedication to a mission. I admire M.S Dhoni for his calm and composed behavior. I admire Prerna and my family who are always there for me. Inspiration can be never-ending and it is what makes you work more passionately. I believe that you need inspiration to be inspired from. You don’t need a fancy name to seek inspiration from. You can also get inspiration from your own self as well.
Q. Give us a brief about your journey and what would you like to say to anyone who wants to achieve something similar in life.
I would like to say that my journey isn't only mine, but it's the journey of all the people who have worked with me. I have always been a team player and have faced some criticism for it, but that's who I am. I am a person who would love to hear different perspectives. My journey so far has been great and I would love to achieve a lot more things in my life. Even if I get setbacks in my life, I wouldn't be disheartened as it's just a phase of my life. I would aspire to learn from it and grow further.
I would just like to say to all the people out there that you should never limit yourself because of society. Society might not understand you and your dreams and ambitions and you are here to break all the shackles of society and you are the one that will bring a change in the society. I would conclude it by saying that always be carefree but never careless about things. Enjoy your life, enjoy your journey, never think about the destination, keep setting small goals and you'll achieve big things in life.
Highlights
● Prateek Mundeja is a 3rd-year student from Satyawadi college, Delhi University. He is pursuing a BA program (eco+ pol science) degree and is the founder of Graphycoon.
● Graphycoon is a digital marketing firm that works for the branding of previously established companies or new upcoming companies. It isn't only about graphic designing, as it manages the entire digital content.
● He always aspired to be an entrepreneur and at that time digitalization and startups were newly launching which further pushed him to pursue his passion. That is when he made his company website and started working on other things
● Graphycoon helps companies present a long-term plan and move forward in the digital marketing domain. Many companies are unaware of how to do it, and that is where their firm provides aid.
● An irony is that they are a digital marketing firm and have a barely active Instagram account but that's how things work for them. They invest in PR and building relations which are more important than maintaining their Instagram.
● They struggled during the pandemic as clients that they worked for weren't fully working on the digital platforms so they couldn't ask them for money during that phase. Eventually, things got better and they worked with some great clients.
● He is the Co-founder of The Visionfic Organisation which provides opportunities to students and tries to bring their extracurricular talent into reality by making them believe that they can achieve anything by redefining their perspective.
● He is also a TED circles host. He has a membership of TED and got a license to organize his own TEDx event, in February, next year.
● He has a long-term plan of doing UPSC. He draws his inspiration from everything around him. He believes that one needs inspiration to be inspired from and that you always get inspiration from your own self.
● He believes that his journey doesn't only belong to him, but it's the journey of all the people who have worked with him.
● He advises that one should always be carefree but never careless about things. One should enjoy their life, enjoy their journey, never think about the destination and keep setting small goals to achieve big things in life.
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Great one👍🏻✨