1.What is the Name of Your Venture?

Any specific reason for this

name?
Happydemics essence is spreading happiness within the artist
community by connecting them to the right audience. Shaan has been a
part of reality music shows and there was so much talent out there. Once
the season got over their talent didn't get any direction. Happydemic
strives to do that. Connecting exceptional talent
with honourable audiences and spreading happiness to our artist and
customers has been our aim... An epidemic of happiness, thus
Happydemic.

2.Who is your target Audience/clients?

Our strategy to acquire clients would be Business Business Customers
(B-B-C) like: corporates, restaurants, wedding planners. But more
importantly we believe in Word of Mouth. Our talent is fantastic and we
have a very systematic and transparent manner in which we deploy them.
I think a customer gets immense sense of relief when he actually knows
that it is a platform (a) that is transparent and (b) the talent is completely
vetted. We vet our talent by our talent hunters or our coaches where they
look at different parameters that would-be voice quality, performance and
presence. We make sure that all of them are matched well and that is one
benchmark that we have here. We have a certain benchmark in which we
attain our talent. When you have great talent and you have curated them
well, you have mentored them well, they are ought to get a good
audience. We only got clients mostly who are corporates as we go B-B-C
but a lot of B-C has been completely Word of Mouth.

3.Where is your venture based (city, state, country) & What are
your geographical target areas?
Though we launched in Mumbai, we have done our first few performances
in Delhi and Bengaluru as well. The goal is to start in Delhi and Bengaluru
shortly ... These 2 places have phenomenal potential and we are looking
at setting up and establishing a base in these 2 cities ... In early 2018, we
will look at 3 - 5 other cities in India. By that point of time, we would have
established a very good presence in Mumbai, Delhi and Bengaluru.

4.What problems does your venture resolve? What are your

products or services?
Happydemic is a platform that aims to bridge the gap between an artiste
and his audience. We call ourselves live entertainment experts and we
believe that a party is not a party if it's not live. We want to bring live
entertainment to everyone's doorsteps and remove the myths around live
entertainment that its very elaborate, there's a lot of space that is used,
it's too expensive, etc. We want to show everyone that "live is the way to
go" and that is the ethos that drives Happydemic.
We have created very unique and world class products such as
Songstruck, Thank God It's Monday , Corporates have Talent and many
others .. The goal has been to create business impact through live music
and experiences....At a family and individual level, we are offering
Songstruck and other live experiences...

5.Share the idea or story behind the venture. How did it came to
an existence? What motivated you to start your own venture?
I have been with Shaan for 20 years now, and I have seen him host a lot of
reality shows, host them initially and then he moved on to judging them,
and there was exceptional talent that came on to these platforms. So any
reality show has a whole lot of rounds that go in, and you have over
hundred kids with exceptional talent coming in but finally there's one
winner. So the idea behind Happydemic was to actually help the other 99,
to bring their talent up, to not let them spiral down because they were as
popular as their last season. A lot of these kids leave their cities, their
villages and they come to Mumbai to pursue this dream of music, and like
we all know that the city of Mumbai is such an expensive city, they have
talent but nowhere to perform so the spirit of Happydemic came from
there, that we wanted to be that gust of wind beneath their
wings to help them get work and to connect their exceptional
talent with honourable audiences

6.Who are your biggest competitors and how do you differentiate

yourself from them?
What we are doing truly is a Blue Ocean so technically there are no
competitors. However we would be foolish to say that. Many people think
that event managers are our competition but they are not. We work with
the best of the best Event Managers so we are not competing with Event
Management companies. Getting this point across sometimes to potential
clients is a challenge (as they have existing tieups with Event Companies
and so on). However once they understand that we are different and our
true value proposition is when we get opportunities to deliver world class
live music experiences.

7.How did you identify your co-founder? Tell us some thing about
your co-founder/s
Amar Pandit, Co-Founder & CFO of Happydemic is a respected
entrepreneur & leader with 20+ years of experience in IT & Financial
Services. He is the Author of 4 Personal Finance Books and Founder & CEO
of My Financial Advisor, the best private wealth management firm that
helps smart and informed choices about money.
He personally advises and coaches celebrities , doctors , senior corporate
executives and entrepreneurs on their personal finance matters. He is very
passionate about spreading financial literacy and does so through his
sharp and insightful columns published regularly in leading financial
dailies , publications and portals.

8.How did you hired your first team members? What skills Do you
want in your employees/team?
The skills I look for are ability to learn , openmindedness , their values
should match the companys vision and culture, autonomous (dont need
to be hand held ) and result oriented

9.What expansion plans are you looking for the next 2 years, next
5 years?
5 years from now I see Happydemic as a globally recognised brand. 5
years from now I know that every party will have live music as their
entertainment
Because we are going to bring it down to affordable prices. We also see
ourselves diverging into different performing arts and handling that too.
We see ourselves as one of the game changers in the live entertainment
space of the country.

Radhika sees Happydemic as a global brand who would have changed the
game of the live entertainment space of India in the next 5 years and sees
herself as a global entrepnreur in the next 10 years after having made a
positive impact in the music industry bu orgnaising it and having made
enough money for the externla and internal stakeholders.

10.Where do you want to see yourself in next 10 years?

In the next 10 years I see myself as a global entrepreneur. I see someone
who has made a very positive impact in the music industry who has
helped in organising this disorganised sector and of course as the CEO and
founder of the company, I see myself making adequate money for my
external and internal stakeholders

11.What are your goals over the next 1, 3, 6 and 12 months?

The goal setting for this year has already been done. As a team, we plan
to take Happydemic to Pune, Delhi and Bangalore. The goal in the next
month would be to start initiating these processes and to find the right
strategic partners. In the next 3 to 6 months we see ourselves setting up
in the above locations and before the end of 12 months we see ourselves
with full fledge operations there.

12.Have you raised any funding? Or have any plans for the
funding?
Amar and I bootstrapped the business initially. Additionally, we were
blessed to have a couple of angel investors (who happened to be friends)
who believed in us and invested in Happydemic. We used our initial funds
very wisely to build our team (management , artist, product development
and execution), technology platform , marketing and sales. We got more
done for less by being very resourceful (such as creating an awesome
talent video for a fraction of the cost of what it would if done by a big
agency or by anyone). First 8 months we operated from MFA offices. We
then moved to our own office and have now built a team of 27 passionate
professionals. Though there were a couple of big VC firms that approached
us after our launch, we have consciously stayed away from taking in too
much capital. Additionally we focused on building customers and funding
through internal accruals. We are very fortunate to have signed up 30+
visionary corporates, 14+ restaurants ,many families and individuals.

13.What were the problems you faced during the starting days
and how did you resolve them?
One of the initial challenges was on the business model itself. We started
off as a talent discovery platform but realized that some level of discovery
was already happening through Bollywood movies, Reality shows and the
internet. Beyond the discovery, there was no consistent work for them
(How many of us remember the Winner of Indian Idol 2, 3, 4 and
onwards?) so we focused on solving this problem. We then thought of
monetization through original songs of independent musicians but quickly
realized that it would be a tall order for us at the start (or this phase of our
company) itself to get consumers to pay for downloads. So we focused on
what we new best creating live experiences through music.
We overcame the challenge by deeply thinking about our assumptions,
looking at the data and then making unbiased decisions based on what we
saw. At times, our teams had very intense discussions on the business
model itself but we stuck to do what was right for the firm in the long
term. We avoided getting into the rat race of raising capital and to show
the world that we had raised so much capital and that we had so many
artists without actually building a robust business model. Instead we chose
to focus on building a real business and perfecting our business model.

14.What was the most challenging part of your journey till now?
How did you overcome those challenges?
The toughest challenge Ive faced as a woman entrepreneur was in
maintaining a balance between home and work. I have been fortunate
enough not to have major hurdles where running a business is concerned,
because Ive been from a business background, I know how a business
works. Even staying at home and running the house was also equally
tough because Shaan was travelling, I have two kids, I have a mother-in-
law, and there was a whole balance between Shaans hectic schedule and
house schedule. But I think the toughest thing that Ive probably ever
faced is a dilemma within me, whether Im doing enough for home or
enough for office. But I think that will constantly happen and I will have to
constantly learn to face it. Ive had tremendous meltdowns in the past, but
Ive learned. Shaans goodwill actually made it so much easier; hes
actually made a blueprint for Happydemics success. Topped with Amars
support where the numbers are concerned, hes been in the financial
stream for over 15 years himself. Weve got a foot in the door rather
easily than most other companies have and I cant deny that.

15.Are you married, single or in a relationship?

Im married to Shaan

16.What are your hobbies? What do you do in your non-work

time?
My hobby is to cook. I'm fond of reading and I love music. In my non work
time you'll find me with a glass of wine, cooking a great meal in the
kitchen.

17.Whats your favorite food & holiday destination?

I love Japanese food. My favourite holiday destination would be Portugal or
the Amalfi Coast in Italy.

18.Whom do you consider your idol or biggest motivator?

My idols would be Chanda Koshal and Indra Nooyi. They brilliantly manage
their career and home life and theyre a woman of substance.
My biggest motivator would be my husband Shaan and my children. In
fact,when Happydemiccompleted a year few days back, the trust and the
validation that my son put on me was something that really motivated me
to do better

19.What do you feel is the major difference between

entrepreneurs and those who work for someone else?
Entrepreneurs have a distinct quality about themselves. They have a
unique sense of persuasion. They have the ability to thrive in
uncertainties and a passionate desire to author their own projects. These
are some of the qualities that differentiates an entrepreneur from
someone who works under someone else.

20.If you had the chance to start your career over again, what
would you do differently?
Actually Ive just started my career, so I wouldn't want it to be any
different. I sat at home for 14 years taking care of my kids. finally I
stepped out 2 years back. I'm at the beginning of my career and I don't
think I would want to change that or do anything about it differently.
Whatever mistakes I've made, I've not only owned them but I've learnt to
move up and forward from them.

21.How has being an entrepreneur affected your family & Social

life?
Initially it would be very difficult I was always torn between the house and
work it got actually quite difficult for me to manage because I have always
been a hands-on mom and have been sitting at home for the past 13
years till one day I realised how well Shaan balances his personal and
professional life and I mirrored that. There are 24 hours in a day and I
decided to plan everything well in advance. I have from kitchen menu to
meetings of the day, everything is planned well and I make sure that I
stick to a schedule of the day. I actually imagine my entire day and I see
whether it is practical for me to fit in the kind of things I want to do that
day. It's not so, then I give the things that need to be done priority. From
kitchen menu to meeting schedule, chats of the kids extracurricular
activities, car pool, even a date with Shaan ...everything is planned! I have
things to do notes all over my cabin in office and on the fridge in my
kitchen.The only thing I have stopped doing is go to 'show your face' kind
of parties. I really don't have time to socialise that much and the time that
I have, I rather spend it with close family and friends.

22.Anything, you would like to say to our readers or upcoming

entrepreneurs?
I'd like to tell young entrepreneurs that there is no substitution for hard
work and focus. Always remember to make sure, whatever you do, you
have the right team because in any kind of business individuals don't win,
teams do!

23.Tell us something about your education & family background.

I grew up in a typical Punjabi joint family with my 3 sisters (my real sister
and 2 cousins). Our parents raised us like boys, where right from climbing
building walls to riding a 2 wheeler (which we would sneak out at night)
we have had a fun childhood. My grandma, mom and chachi were the
homemakers and papa and chacha were the bread earners. We had 3
bedrooms and 10 of us living under one roof. We went to
jamunabaiNarsee School together and completed our higher education
also from; NarseeMonjee College of Economics which was just 6 building
away. I was a complete juhu girl.

24.What is your USP which makes it unique & different from other
start-ups in similar domains.
Our USP is our ability to build and deliver creative solutions and
experiences for Corporates and Families/Individuals. We have done an
internal talent show for a MNC across India (at a fraction of the cost and
with absolute high quality). We have delivered high quality Jingles in just 2
days. Team Happydemic is the right blend of following skills (creative +
business + execution) and we are fortunate to have such passionate team
members on board who have developed superb Products and IPs.
Additionally, we already have a bank of 800+ Songs that we could use for
fresh content and so on.

25. What do you think is the biggest threat to the success of small
businesses & Start-ups today?
The biggest problem would be cash borrowing and resource management.
Like they say Cash is King and a healthy profit may look good on your
financial statement but if your capital expenditure or receivable collections
are draining on your cash you won't be able to sustain in the business for
long.

26. Do you consider yourself successful and by what means do

you measure success?
I wouldn't say I consider myself successful at such an early stage. I'd say
I'm taking the company in the right direction to be successful. I would
measure professional success on if I would be able to make money for my
external and internal stakeholders. Personal success would be the various
events that I plan to do for the day are just not only accomplished but are
accomplished well and I can hit the pillow in good sleep.

27.Please share complete name, address, phone number, email id

& website of Your Business & Contact Person.
Happydemic
Address: B-401 Sunvision Classic Building, Hanuman Road, Vile Parle East,
Mumbai 400 057.
Contact Number: 9819903739
Email Id: info@happydemic.com
Website: www.happydemic.com

There is no substitution for hard work and focus, says Radhika

Mukherjee Co-Founder & CEO of Happydemic and wife of Shantanu
Mukherjee, who is well known to all of us as our dear Shaan. Born in a
Punjabi family, she is a complete juhu girl who has been a successful
house maker for the past 13 years. When she saw Shaan judging reality
shows she realized that there is immense talent budding in our country
but due to the dearth of platforms available, the talent is not showcased,
so she decided to become an entrepreneur and bring a smile to the faces
of promising artisans and their families. To balance home and work has
been challenging for her but she manages by planning each day of her life
effectively so that she can decide the kitchen menu as well as attend
meetings. She derives her inspiration from her husband who has balanced
his personal and professional life quite well.

Their strategy is to acquire Business Business Customers (B-B-C) clients

like corporates, restaurants, and wedding planners and connect the artist
community to them so that the artists can showcase their talent in front of
honorable audience. They build their trust with B-B-C by deploying vetted
talent in a transparent way. The artists are selected on the basis of various
parameters like voice, performance and presence, and hence all the cream
is separated from the milk and the best talent is selected. Team
Happydemic is the right blend of creativity, business and execution. They
have developed many products, IPs and a bank of 800+ songs with the
help of their passionate team members.

Amar Pandit, Co-Founder & CFO of Happydemic is a respected

entrepreneur & leader with 20+ years of experience in IT & Financial
Services. He is the Author of 4 Personal Finance Books and Founder & CEO
of My Financial Advisor, the best private wealth management firm that
helps smart and informed choices about money. He is an integral cog in
this wheel that drives Happydemic.

One of the initial challenges they faced was with the business model. They
started as a talent discovery platform but realized that many parts of the
industry already cater to that need and hence decided to adopt a blue
ocean strategy by focusing on the harnessing the talent and providing
them with an audience which is a step forward in the chain.

Radhika sees Happydemic as a global brand that would have changed the
game of the live entertainment space of India in the next 5 years and sees
herself as a global entrepreneur after having made a positive impact in the
music industry by organizing it and having made enough money for the
external and internal stakeholders, in the next 10 years.