“My spirit drives me to solve problems. Hailing from a family of artists, I always found happiness in creating things. I understood that good engineering needs a creative way of thinking, and I just wanted to merge two different worlds together.”
The entrepreneurial story of Utsav Bhanja is like no other, as he almost began his professional journey when he was only in the 9th grade. To cover his remarkable journey, Entrepreneurs Today got in touch with Utsav Bhanja. As it is already apparent, from a very young age, Utsav had a clear vision for his future in terms of who he wanted to be and what he wanted to achieve.
Passion for innovation
It was his passion for innovation and his desire to help businesses succeed that led him to found Incfrog, a digital services company that has become a leader in its field. Incfrog is a digital services company that focuses on creating a diverse ecosystem to help businesses expand their markets and build a legacy with strategic and transformational leadership.
With a Master’s degree in Computer Applications and certification in Sustainable Business Strategy from Harvard Business School under his belt, Utsav has not only honed his skills and expertise but has also established a thriving business ecosystem. Through his leadership, Incfrog has expanded its reach across four specific industries, including Digital & IT, Media, Education, and Ecommerce.
His first company, Jackson Records Digital, founded in 2011, got the APAC Business Award for the best Digital Media company in East India in 2021. Utsav has experience in the digital industry, leading award-winning digital campaigns for Fortune 500 companies. Utsav offers daily coaching services to startups as a certified startup coach to assist with their leadership, management, and business necessities.
Getting to know Incfrog
Incfrog is a group of companies founded by Utsav in 2019 with a vision to create a diverse digital ecosystem that helps businesses grow through knowledge, technology, and data-driven execution. The foundation of Incfrog is based on the idea of providing friction-free digital services to business owners, including consulting, web design, digital strategy, online marketing, graphic & UI/UX design, etc.
Incfrog operates across four industries, including Digital & IT, Media, Education, and E-commerce. In addition, they have integrated sub-sectors such as Augmented Reality & Virtual Reality in their design services to provide clients with new dimensions for their digital and retail marketing possibilities. Incfrog’s core purpose is to promote “growth in diversity,” and they strive to achieve it through strategic and transformational leadership.
The entrepreneurial journey of Utsav
Because of his artistic family history, Utsav has a profound enthusiasm for problem-solving and creating things. As a means of providing for his family, he began his career path in the ninth grade by working as a freelance video editor. In 2007, he started his first retail and service shop for computers called Digisys. Later, he entered the online world with a website that attracted writers to write on the subjects they were passionate about.
Utsav developed a solid workforce, increased the scope of his offerings, and unveiled new services with time. He changed his brand in 2019 and is now active in three nations under the name Incfrog. Along the way, Utsav’s commitment to problem-solving, creativity, and learning propelled him to build a diversified digital ecosystem to support corporate growth through knowledge, technology, and data-driven execution.
Utsav’s thoughts on what sets Incfrog apart:
“At Incfrog, our primary focus is on providing the best digital enablement for businesses. A lot of companies would tell you the same. But here’s what we do – we depend on two kinds of data – mass/public data & behavioral data which we can analyze & build a case upon. Finally, we find the gap in client positioning and create a new digital storytelling process. Apart from the creative approach, two of the major differentiators are our quality of data-driven consulting and process-oriented execution system.”
What are some of the challenges he faced?
The initial challenge for the founder of Incfrog was dealing with a generation of clients who were unfamiliar with digital services. Building a successful firm has its challenges. Even more problematically, he was working alone from his house and had difficulty assembling a team and finding an office. As a result, there was a lack of understanding of industry norms, and a lack of respect for work-life balance, and the company began to lose money rather than make it. Utsav, nonetheless, was adamant about overcoming them to create a prosperous business.
Utsav focused on developing his milestones to serve as benchmarks for others to follow because he recognized that the root of the issue was ignorance and disinformation. He developed a rapport of trust with customers and content producers abroad, which eventually led to the creation of demand for his services and the resulting income. Utsav was able to steer his business toward success by allocating a portion of revenue to branding and maintaining a high level of customer trust. To gain Indian clients’ trust and subsequently generate demand for their services, they focused on cooperative arrangements with content creators outside. The organization produced income and acquired the knowledge and data necessary to guide itself toward success by investing in branding and maintaining the trust factor.
Lessons learned
As an entrepreneur, Utsav has picked up a number of important entrepreneurial principles, such as the significance of critically assessing one’s own goods and services and spotting gaps where necessary. He also thinks it’s important to focus on smaller business issues like finances, teamwork, marketing, and product development because they may quickly add up and become more significant roadblocks down the road.
Utsav additionally learned the value of using the word “no” when appropriate, especially when dealing with moral or policy matters. In addition, he emphasizes the importance of creating a supportive work environment where team members are appreciated and encouraged to express their thoughts. He also cautions against making business-harming decisions out of ego.
Plans going forward
The plans of the company include venturing into the renewable energy sector and contributing towards a sustainable planet. They also plan to accelerate the growth rate of existing businesses, create more job opportunities, and become a data-first company to provide business intelligence as a service to small and medium businesses. The aim is to make actionable data affordable for the startup ecosystem to help more companies thrive in the country. The motto of the company is “growth in diversity” and they are focused on shifting industries and consumption patterns of the new connected era.
We asked him about how he feels today, with everything he has achieved so far. He says,
“For someone who has been looked down upon by so many people, taunted for trying and failing so many times; finally stands on the 30th floor of his own office in a skyscraper in Singapore overlooking the great Marina Bay right in the middle of the business district… It feels like freedom. And when you see those proud, sparkling eyes of your mother and your life partner, who always stood strong to support your entrepreneurial madness – that’s the ultimate sense of accomplishment.”
