Interview with Chinmoy Sharma | Eerlik Media
I hope this can inspire you to become a successful entrepreneur too! Why is it important to hear the story of a successful entrepreneur?
Having the vision to become an entrepreneur is great. Making it happen is another story!
In that frame, I had the pleasure to interview Chinmoy Sharma, Co-founder of Eerlik Media. Chinmoy Sharma is one of the brains behind Eerlik Media, one of the new-age digital marketing firms that is already creating waves in the field of social media marketing because of its impressive reach, and a strong and dedicated client base. Chinmoy Sharma is a small-town boy who made it big in his life.
1. Hi! Let’s begin with an introduction. Can you please tell us about yourself, your background, and what brought you to start Eerlik Media?
I was born in Nalbari, Assam, and had to shift to Guwahati because of my father’s work. I completed my education in Guwahati. I did Bsc in Electronics in a college under Guwahati University. I joined social media in 2012 and opened a Facebook account right after my 10th. I spent a couple of hours online each day and it used to be fun. But after a year and a half, it got stagnating. . After my 12th in 2014, I got addicted to Twitter. I joined Twitter as a fan of Virat Kohli to cheer him up. In 2017 the latter half I got to know that influencer marketing is a good source of income. I started doing some work with some agencies. In 2018 I met my current business partner and discussed opening a digital marketing firm.
2. Please tell us something about your early days when you started Eerlik Media. What kind of challenges did you face while building this company from scratch?
In May 2018 Parikshit Shah from Navi Mumbai and I started this venture. At the initial stage, we informed agencies and freelancers that we are starting a digital marketing company. We received positive responses from everywhere. Our first client was from the entertainment Industry and he liked our work. This gave us a much-needed boost. My city does not have a plethora of opportunities as compared to Delhi or Mumbai. But, I managed to do it somehow. Initially, we had lots of problems due to the lack of capital.
3. What services is Eerlik Media offering presently?
We offer services like social media marketing, influencer marketing, content writing, graphic designing, website designing, SEM, SEO, etc. We basically help our clients by making them reach the pan-India audience. We make the best social media strategy for our clients. We believe in not only providing the best of the services but also in providing our clients with the best result.
4. What are some of the important things to keep in mind while starting a Media/Marketing agency in India.
It is important to learn about the market. Do thorough research on the activities of current companies. Set a business model. Build a website. Start generating client leads. You must have a good portfolio. Make sure that you post creative content regularly on your agency’s social media accounts.
5. How has the family been supportive?
Initially family was not very sure about my plunge into the world of digital marketing. They didn’t know what the field entailed and how it worked. They asked me to go for further studies but I convinced them. Dad was a little bit worried about the future. He clearly asked me “Will Digital Marketing give you that kind of money through which you can fulfill your dreams?” I answered in the affirmative. Since last year, they have been fully supportive and I feel I’m lucky that they understood what is my passion and what I wish to do.
6. Most companies look for funding? What is your take on funding?
Eerlik Media has been a bootstrap company so far. We have not tried getting investment or funding as such till now. That’s said, we don’t deny any possibility of that in upcoming times. Of course, funding gives a great boost to any startup but it’s equally important to have a proper plan to utilize the funds.
7. What are various career opportunities available in Media/Marketing?
Nowadays you’ve probably heard that digital marketing skills are in serious demand. Brands are focusing on digital marketing more than ever before. There are many career options like – SEO, SEM, Social media, E-commerce, Email Marketing, Content writing and management, Web development, Web design, copywriting and editing, Graphic Designing, Video/audio production, etc.
8. What’s the most important thing you’re working on right now, and how are you making it happen?
Since the start of the year, we have mostly been doing Social media marketing but from the last 2 months, we are giving more importance to content marketing, SEO, PR Marketing, Graphic Designing, etc. We are just trying to expand our service catalog.
9. Any suggestions for wannabe Entrepreneurs?
The first thing while starting a startup is that you will have to be passionate about it. If you are starting something new then don’t think first about money, first, you should work hard and smart. That is obvious that we all are working for money but once you get that track you can earn. Two words sentence that make me fully boost up for work is “STOP COMPLAINING”. Many of us think about starting something but most of them have a complaint about something which is stopping them to do that.
10. What has been the biggest challenge you have ever faced to date.
As I mentioned my partner is from Navi Mumbai and our office is in Navi Mumbai, so the biggest challenge for me is to leave my native place and move to the office location. In the beginning, we thought for digital marketing we can work from anywhere but after some months of starting, we realized that everything is not possible online.
Links
Instagram: www.instagram.com/imchinmoy18
Twitter: www.twitter.com/imchinmoy18
Facebook: www.facebook.com/iamchinmoy18
