Ankan Ghosh, a student of B.Sc in Media Science (Batch 2020-2023) at iLEAD, has become an entrepreneur and started his own business. His business 'The PrintCart' deals with 'printing solutions that are affordable for millennials.
Here's his story about how he managed to execute his ideas into a successful business.
There's something about holding a printed photograph in your hands that just feels special. It's like you're holding a piece of history in your hands. I remember the days when my grandparents would show me their old photographs, and I was fascinated by the way they looked.
I started taking photographs as a hobby a few years ago, and I quickly realized that I loved preserving memories in printed form. But when I went to local printing shops, I found them to be quite expensive. The rates online were even higher, so I decided to start my own business and offer affordable prints for everyone and that's why I started "The PrintCart." which is a platform where people could get high-quality prints at an affordable price.
I was inspired by the way photography has become so commonplace—everyone has a camera or smartphone in their pocket these days. I wanted to bring that same level of accessibility to prints, so that anyone could have a beautiful piece of art hanging on their wall or even keep them in the back of their phone cases, wallets, etc.
2. What is your business about? Who are your target customers?
With my business, people can order prints of their favourite photos online and get them delivered right to their door. And what's great is that the prices are really affordable, especially for the quality of the prints.
I want to provide art for everyone, and that's why my prices are low, starting from just Rs. 3. Not everyone can afford to keep memories in cloud storage, but with my prints, they can have beautiful memories to keep and cherish forever.
3. When did you start this business?
My initial planning and research started from the month of June 2022, and finally, on July 20, 2022, I launched The PrintCart.
4. Any mentionable achievements in your business till date?
My business showed a rapid growth as people started loving polaroids and wallet cards. In just only 12 days I reached the milestone of my first 100 customers where I printed more than 3000+ pictures.
5. How does your present studies/course/college help in your business?
I pursued Bsc in Media Science to enhance and polish my Photography and Cinematography skills but in this course, I also had subjects like Advertising, Marketing, Branding, Entrepreneurship, and other Practical subjects which gave a great boost in the proper execution of my business plan. My college helped me in developing my communication skills through assignments like presentations which is very important for every entrepreneur.
6. How do you manage your studies and business?
Running a business by a 19-year-old final-year student is not easy. With the growing numbers, the responsibility is also increasing daily. I maintain a schedule every day where I have to set my study time in college but during the exams, I stop taking orders for a while so that I could give more time to my studies and concentrate well. My mother helps me a lot with packaging and labeling. When I’m in college she labels all the orders which are ready to ship in the different parts of the country.
7. Anything else that you would like to say related to your entrepreneurial experience?
When it comes to starting my own business, I never imaged myself starting a business, but I found a need and filled it. After looking for a printing solution that was affordable for millennials, I always thought it would be someone who was super daring and aggressive, not someone like me who likes to take things slow and steady. But when I really thought about it, I realized that I had a great idea that could make a difference in the world. So I started doing my research, thinking about what the next steps would be and talking to as many people as I could about my idea. It was a lot of work, but it was worth it in the end. And what I learned is that being an entrepreneur is all about being flexible and being able to adapt to whatever situation you find yourself in.
Lastly, I would recommend to all ones who want to start their business, to take care of their mental health as you have to deal with failures and a lot of challenges unless you are mentally fit it would become difficult to deal with those. You have to be able to roll with the punches and take things as they come.
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