Page 90 - 8Days

GRAB YOUR COPY OF
STORY YIP JIEYING PHOTO CHEE YAN
DISNEY JUNIOR TODAY!
P: People rooted for us ’cos we solved a big problem
in their life [by making roti-making easier]. We’ve
a list of people who subscribe to our e-mails, and
we give them priority for pre-orders. Word of mouth
and social media help a lot. We also partnered with
Google to use their popular platforms like YouTube ISSUE 123 IS
and Gmail to identify new markets with strong
demand. We’re launching in the Middle East next ON SALE NOW!
month. AT ONLY S$6.20
R: We also work on maintaining strong credibility. (INCL. GST)
[We don’t stock our product in physical partner
stores ’cos] customers appreciate that they can buy
directly from us.
P: So far 85 per cent of our customers are happy
with their purchase. The Rotimatic is connected to
an app, so we can also fix machines remotely and
people don’t have to carry their machines to a repair
centre. Hopefully, [good after-sales service] will
convert the remaining 15 per cent!
During the early days of your startup, you were a
young married couple expecting a baby. Did you
struggle financially?
R: We poured all our savings into our company, ’cos
it was all in or nothing. Initially we didn’t even draw
a salary. For us, the pleasure of solving a problem
triumphs over making money. It’s funny ’cos in
India, most families would make sure that a guy is
[financially stable] before they’d allow their daughter
to marry him. But Pranoti’s parents were very
supportive.
P: Then Rishi’s start-up got acquired and that
cushioned us [financially], We were also lucky ’cos
our parents [in India] had done well for themselves
and we didn’t have to send money back home
to support our families. I come from a family of
mechanical engineers, and my mum is a math © Disney
teacher. [Rishi’s dad was a doctor, and his mother
worked in a bank].
R: We have 110 staff now, but our team was tiny
back then, only about 20 people. So Pranoti used to
drive to Johor Bahru herself to supervise Rotimatic’s
production, even when she was eight months
pregnant. After she gave birth, she strapped the baby FREE
to her chest to work at her desk (laughs). We had a
makeshift nursery in the office. DRAWSTRING
Did you have a Plan B? POUCH!
P: From an engineer’s point of view, it was always
one step at a time. What’s the worst thing that could
happen? At the end of the day, I still have something
great to put in my résumé, that I had attempted to
make something so difficult. Disney Junior Magazine is available at selected bookstores,
R: Having done a startup changed me. I knew that if convenience stores, supermarkets and leading newsstands.
this doesn’t work out, I will just find some other job For subscriptions, please e-mail magsubscription@jsimeducation.com.sg
to tide over till I can start something new again. or call 6646-6216 (Mon - Fri, 9am - 5pm).

For more info, go to www.rotimatic.com.
Published by Mediacorp Pte Ltd