Praveen Maane is a different kind of entrepreneur. Despite his engineering background, he started a company called ezeemeal along with two other partners. This start-up company provides ready meals to working class and professional population. The company has incorporated many novel business concepts and its management model is worth emulating.
For Chronicle, Yogesh K. Upadhyaya discusses with Praveen about his exciting business.
Q-1: Please tell us about ezeemeal.
To put it in short, ezeemeal aims caters to all the people who do not cook regularly and are in need of good quality home cooked food. Our customers mainly are the corporate employees who have come from different part of the country to work in
ezeemeal presently has 12 full time employees and 2 part time employees both of whom are a part of our delivery team.
Apart from this, ezeemeal has recently entered main stream catering, i.e. we have entered into contracts with a couple of offices to directly run their pantries.
Q-2: How the idea was started?
After working for about three years for Infosys, I knew I needed a change. At the same time, I did not want to join any other software firm. I wanted to start something on my own. I had another idea, which was into main stream technology apart from the idea of starting ezeemeal. But reason I picked ezeemeal was because just when I was contemplating on the ideas, I met a guy with hotel management background with what I thought was enough passion to be unique. He now happens to be my partner.
On Partners: Satish is an MBA from
On the name: To be very frank, we wanted the name of our company to relate directly with what we wanted to do: provide convenient, good quality vegetarian home food to all those in need. We first picked up a few unique terms relating to our business model and spent about a complete day on deciding the name. We also wanted to be sure the website with the name was available. Thus ezeemeal was decided upon. Then another week was spent designing the logo.
Growth: It has been 8 months since we started ezeemeal with just 18 customers, with a capital of 5 lakhs. Presently we have a monthly turnover of about 2 lakhs rupees. We are adding about 50 customers every month. We hope to reach 750 customers by this year end.
Q-3: Describe your business model.
After probably 5 months in the business, we have understood and LEARNT that we have to make sure we keep innovating with our menu. We make sure that none of our items repeats for a minimum of 20 days. We keep taking continues feedback from our customers. Although it is very tough to customize the menu for every customer, we make every possible effort to do so.
We initially used to procure vegetables every morning ourselves but now, we find it more convenient and sensible to outsource that to the local vendors. There is tough competition from the local dabbawalas. But I think it is probably because of the type of connect we have been able to maintain with our customers that we are able to face competition.
Distribution of work: Right from the start we have taken up work that we thought we were good at. I designed the complete internal admin system and the website (www.ezeemeal.com is the public website) I also presently take care of the accounts and customer relations. My partners take care of the other important tasks of dealing with the vendors, procuring manpower, take care of the delivery system, the bikes etc.
Q-4: What is your recipe for the success of food catering business?
The recipe is very simple. Innovate big time and stay in constant touch with the customers. Maintain good quality from the root level and everything will fall into place by itself. Another most important aspect of any startup I believe is make sure everyone working for the company knows where the company is heading; make sure they understand the aspirations of the company.
Q-5: What advise will you give to new entrants in the field?
There are two things I would tell any budding entrepreneur. Make sure, that the work or the business you intend to enter is within your comfort zone. If you have any partners, spend time in distributing your work properly within your own comfort zones. This will pay huge dividends later on. Also, as Nandan (Ex CEO Infosys) puts it, make sure you and your partners share good enough rapport to grow old together J.
Speaking specifically to catering business, the most important thing that an entrant should take care of is constant innovation. Actually, it is not very tough to understand the importance of innovation in our business where in, our customers eat out of our hand each and every day of the week (unlike the regular hotels or main stream caterers whose customers taste their food once in a while)
Q-6: Please narrate your life during BHU days.
I happened to pass out of the batch that was considered the most notorious of all (in its time). To be frank, the average GPA of our batch is probably not worth talking about. All we did was enjoying to the fullest and learning from the experiences. Believe it or not, our branch was known to party as a group. We used to have a complete batch outing every month or so… we used to gather for birthday parties regularly (though we used to club 2 to 3 birthdays into one). We are still in touch with each one of us!! I miss those days when we use to catch up some thandai at 3 in the night J
To put in short, BHU was the turning point of my life. I went in as a very shy, introvert person and came out as a confident individual. It gave me tremendous exposure to different kinds of people and situations.
Q-7: Finally, about yourself.
I was born and brought up in
I am a tech savvy person (esp. mobiles). I love to stay in touch with my friends and don’t mind putting in an extra effort for the same. I am not yet married though my parents have started pressurizing me on this front. I frankly don’t intend to marry in the next couple of yearsJ. I might take up an MBA before I marry.
Also, I love to stay in touch with the happenings at BHU. I got in touch with Anshuman Singh (Electrical 1998) in my 4th year, under whose guidance we gave the institute the first website. From then on, though I could not give much to the institute, I have been in touch with the happenings there. I would love to start working for the institute in some way or the other soon.
Q-8: Thank you Praveen, for sharing your thoughts with us.
The pleasure was completely mine. I am glad to be a part of the BHU Alumni network. Thank you so much.
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Additional links:
http://www.ezeemeal.com/about.aspx
http://www.hindu.com/rp/2008/02/01/stories/2008020150120400.htm
