Pulkit Agrawal - It's Essential That You Overcome Your Fears of Making Mistakes (Co-Founder and CEO - Trell)

                                               

I think people don’t need formal degrees to succeed but education and training are a must for getting the curious brains exposed to exciting things being developed in the world around us.

Tell us about your background, journey, and upbringing. What inspired you to take action in your direction?

Like most college students, my co-founders and I have spent a significant amount of time searching for online content on fashion, personal care, grooming, travel, food, among others. While doing so, we soon figured out that we as Indians couldn’t relate to the content that was available online as it was very westernized and available only in English. 

Besides, there was a large chunk of content but that was purely for entertainment and didn’t cater to the interest-based needs of most of the people. Therefore, finding meaningful and relatable content in regional languages became a difficult task for consumers. 

This was the problem that we wanted to solve so that Indian consumers aren't devoid of meaningful content in regional languages. Thus, we looked at creating a platform that can provide content under a single umbrella, and that’s how Trell came into being.

To begin with, we started building community on the existing social media platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, etc., where our community group witnessed followers growing from almost zero to more than 100,000 on Instagram. 

While we were working on building that community, we came across a line of bloggers, foodies, photographers, fashionistas and understood their purpose of talking about things that they were doing on the internet. We even met 1000+ people who were following us and understood their needs. Eventually, we combined those learnings and launched Trell in 2017. 

Since then, the platform has grown rapidly while catering to a wide group of content creators and consumers. Today, Trell is one of the largest social commerce platforms in the country with over 45 million monthly active users. In addition, the platform is a one-stop shop for its users to purchase their preferred lifestyle products based on recommendations from trusted users and influencers curating content on the platform.


What are your future plans?

Over the next 5 years, my two co-founders and I have envisaged expanding Trell's footprint and enhancing its product offerings to become a global leader in the vlogging and social commerce space. 

For the foreseeable future, Trell will be focusing on empowering more micro-influencers and micro-entrepreneurs by adding more regional languages to its platform and partnering with various brands to augment its products.

What does your typical workday look like? 

I usually wake up each morning at around 7 am and like getting around seven hours of sleep per night to function effectively. My day starts with scrolling Trell right away and then opening up the mailbox and making notes on various projects going around.

After getting up, I take shower to be in the right headspace and enjoy some fruits and nuts for breakfast along with a morning glass of juice or coffee.

I spend most of my time thinking about how we can build a premier digital society where users can exchange meaningful information and build strong connections. I typically work 70 to 80 hours throughout the week, with most of my efforts focused on the product, hiring, design, and growth of Trell.

I rely on my stringent calendar and notes on Notion to keep myself on track with the priorities.

After meetings that typically last till 9 PM, I spend the next few hours reading a book, researching on the internet, reviewing the day to prepare for the next one, watching some informative videos, or talking with family. After a long day, I go to sleep at 12 am.

                                 

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Several global companies have come out and thrown their support behind not needing a formal education. What is your opinion about this? 

If there is one thing that I have learned while running a startup is that education does help in going a long way in building purpose-driven organizations. 

Having said that, however, there are several examples of entrepreneurs like Richard Branson, Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, etc., who didn’t have a formal degree for it but their learnings from the education system did help to succeed at being innovative and building their businesses. 

I think people don’t need formal degrees to succeed but education and training are a must for getting the curious brains exposed to exciting things being developed in the world around us.


How do you handle someone who has lied on their resume?

Integrity is an important quality that I look for in a professional who is going to be a part of the team. It's important that my team as well as I can trust a new member who is going to come on board. 

If the candidate takes the initial step by lying, I would give him or her an important piece of advice. I will tell that person that certain personality traits matter more than technical knowledge. At any organization, it's important for him or her to be transparent and have open communication which goes a long way in building one’s career.


How has Covid changed things at your workplace & which of these changes do you intend to make permanently?

Since COVID-19 hit us, we have become dependent on technology more than ever. We ensure that we are connected with our team members via digital tools like video conferencing. 

We have adapted to remote working over the internet. Though it seemed challenging initially, it helped to cut downtime for people that they spend on commuting and led to better outcomes. 

We plan to introduce a flexible workplace for our employees post COVID by leveraging technology since it can lead to better outcomes and increased focus on the important things than commute and distractions.



                                  

What advice do you have for aspiring entrepreneurs or those eyeing the top job?

There are three tips that I would like to share with an aspiring entrepreneur. Firstly, since you will be running an organization, it's important that you do what you are truly passionate about. If you care about something, you will leave no stone unturned to make your dream come true.

Secondly, focus on building a great team. When it's about a long-term vision, everyone needs a team that can help your company reach great heights and accomplish its goals.

Lastly, it's essential that you overcome your fears of making mistakes and challenge yourself at every point. While running a company, you will have to take risks, and have an open mind to learn from your mistakes.


Which is your favorite book/show and why? 

My favorite books have been “High Output Management” by Andrew Grove and “Working Backwards” by Colin Bryar and Bill Carr. Both of these books cover the two most important organizations of the technology revolution. The approach to culture, leadership, and best practices from two long-time Amazon executives and Intel CEO are golden lessons for anyone to learn and follow in their leadership conduct.

Bio - 

Founded as India’s first-ever mobile-based visual blogging platform, today Trell is the country’s largest lifestyle social commerce platform enabling millions of people to create and consume relevant and meaningful content in regional languages. The platform has grown rapidly with 45 million+ monthly active users and over 100 million downloads. 

October 2020, Trell added a ‘Shop’ section, marking its foray into the social commerce segment. Currently offering content in 8 regional languages, the platform is looking to scale by enhancing its offerings and become a global leader in the visual blogging and lifestyle commerce space in the coming years.