I Went From Hawking To Build A $12000/Mo Fully-Featured CRM, ERP, HCM and Helpdesk Platform

Rohit Gadia

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Published: May 30th, 2022

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Rohit Gadia

Founder, OneHash, Inc.

$12K

revenue/mo

Founders

Employees

OneHash, Inc.

onehash.ai

from Bangalore, Karnataka, India

started August 2020

$12,000

revenue/mo

Founders

Employees

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Hello! Who are you and what business did you start?

Hello, my name is Rohit Gadia; co-founder of OneHash Inc. As of today, we offer two products namely OneHash CRM and OneChat that cater to small businesses looking to benefit from a combination of FOSS+ SaaS at an affordable cost that is generally available to the larger enterprises.

OneHash CRM's powerful reporting features allow you to quickly garner sales reports, monitor the performance, and gain valuable insight into timelines and current pipeline deals. OneHash CRM guarantees that a company's lack of financial resources will not prevent it from thriving. Furthermore, business owners and managers can track the results of ongoing marketing campaigns.OneHash CRM provides 90% of the SaaS features at 10% of the price.

Similarly, our recently launched product, OneChat, is an all-in-one, personalized, accelerated customer assistance that manages all your interactions with tailor-made and scalable customer support services. Through this tool, businesses can brew instant results, Draw engagement, integrate with third-party apps like Slack, Shopify, Woo Commerce, Calendly, and Stripe, support Omni-channel support, collect data in one place and automate agents. All this with the cleanest UI.

OneHash offers its services to businesses in e-commerce, education, agriculture, non-profits, and hospitality and is most prevalent in healthcare and manufacturing.

What's your backstory and how did you come up with the idea?

Born and raised in a small town in India, I was brought up to be a hustler. I moved to Bangalore- the Silicon Valley of India, for my undergrad. While my transition from a small town to one of the biggest metro cities in India was tough, I had big dreams and the burning desire to make those dreams come true. From sitting on the roadside doing odd jobs like selling sim cards, and volunteering in events to now being a multifaceted businessman, my struggles have taught me to never give up.

As an entrepreneur for the past 17 years, I have founded and invested in numerous startup ventures and small businesses in the field of finance and technology.

Birthed during the 2020 pandemic, OneHash CRM is a unique product based on the concept of FaaS (FOSS as a Service) which provides the benefits and agility of SaaS at the comfort and affordability of FOSS. We wanted to create a platform that was extremely robust and agile as well as fitted the pockets of all business sizes.

“Talk less and do more. Often, entrepreneurs may feel overwhelmed with all the knowledge and ‘motivational quotes that are available, however, a lot of time goes into gaining that knowledge and less into testing it.”

OneHash's journey began like any other startup's: with a two-person team and a modest investment of $2 million from their savings. The credibility and reliability of the platform were questioned when a CRM solution was made available at such a low cost. Another problem was finding employees who cared about the organization's mission and weren't just there for the money. After overcoming these obstacles and realizing its vision.

Despite its initial obstacles, OneHash now has more than 410000 signups and operations on all seven continents. The company has a vision of 10 million users within the next 10 years and a quest to provide an All-In-One FaaS solution to 95 percent of the world's SMBs. In terms of revenue, in the last financial year, we acquired $100,000 with monthly revenue of $12,000.

Take us through the process of designing, prototyping, and developing your first product.

Starting as merely an idea to make a difference, OneHash has been taking the business world by storm. Being the World’s 1st FaaS, OneHash offers small business enterprises services that are generally available to the larger enterprises from A-Z. This is how our journey has been so far:

2015: The prototype was first tested.
2018-2019: OneHash CRM was finally in development. As exciting as developing this in-house product was, it was also one of the most crucial times of our lives. With a lot of patience, persistence, and hard work, within a year, our product was born!
August 2020: OneHash was officially registered.
December 2020: Acquired our first international client. This milestone not only set the bar for us but (hopefully and possibly) our competitors.
Highlight: within less than a year since OneHash CRM’s launch, there were 1800+ signups, 360+ Customers, and 200+ Recurring Subscribers.
August 2021: After exactly a year since OneHash was registered, we made some major upgrades and revamps to our product and its features.
March 2022: Launched OneChat. Nearly two years after offering OneHash CRM to our customers, we gladly and proudly launched an all-in-one customer assistance tool that is affordable and easy to use.

Describe the process of launching the business.

After our product was developed, Onehash’s journey started with implementation projects. Because our product was rather new in the market, it dramatically failed. Needless to say, our ‘never give transitioned attitude is what struck our light bulb moment, and we moved to an MMR strategy. In simpler terms, OneHash went from an implementation model to a rather suited DIY.

Before entering this business we very well knew that the SaaS industry has cutthroat competition. With new startups coming into the market every day, we had to face a lot of tough competition. But what gave up an edge over our competitors was the uniqueness of our concept. We are the world’s 1st FaaS making us different from our competitors.

Another important factor has been our pricing. OneHash CRM’s affordability makes it a tool that businesses of any size can afford. Our platform is fit for businesses from all domains and fields. Whether you need marketing automation for your real estate business or pipeline management for a marketing agency, we have got everything covered under one roof. Simply put, OneHash CRM is an all-in-one solution that caters to the needs of all enterprises.

“Lasting relationships with your customers help you in building credibility as a brand, thus attracting fresh customers.”

To make the entire system comprehensive and understandable we have created a complete range of module-explanatory videos for easier understanding and usage which are available on our Youtube Channel. Furthermore, our 24\5 readily available chat support on our website and social media platforms enables our customers the opportunity to drop in their queries with guaranteed early response time.

Since launch, what has worked to attract and retain customers?

What OneHash brings to business owners who want to create lasting customer relationships is our scope of extendibility which makes us a right fit for all industry types. Another very important reason is the all in one nature of our products that attract customers from all over the world. Understanding customer issues and queries are key. Once we come across something that might be a little problematic we make sure to assist our customers in the best way possible.

While interacting, we always keep in mind that ‘the customer is always right. This doesn’t mean that we think less of ourselves, instead express empathy and make our customers feel heard. Lasting relationships with your customers help you in building credibility as a brand, thus attracting fresh customers.

“It’s not just about the idea, but innovation, passion, dedication, execution, and commitments. Simply putting the law of attraction in practice, what you give is what you get.”

Of course, media presence including interview opportunities like this helps spread the word. Engaging with prospective customers and clients on social media platforms including Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram. Just having accounts won’t do the deed.

To iterate on our strategies, social media has helped us “spread the word” not just about OneHash but also for upcoming small businesses and/or entrepreneurs to learn certain technical terms about B2B and our team’s favorite- daily motivational quotes.

Creating the right content that will draw the audience to follow you on the respective platforms, ultimately converting them to real customers, should be your goal. In addition, traction through blogs can be another source of building your customer base.

How are you doing today and what does the future look like?

Since its initial launch, today we have over 41000 signups from around the globe and an evaluation of 2028’s target sales to generate a revenue of 180 Million Dollars, which will account for 0.19 % of the total 96.5 Billion dollar market.

In addition, our product(s)being so unique allows us to give prospective customers the option to experience OneHash on a free trial basis. This way we open gates of trust and honesty allowing customers to make the right decision for their business.

“Having an educational background in the business you’re in may be beneficial. However, it is not the key requirement to be a good entrepreneur.”

Most importantly, to reiterate, OneHash CRM is affordable and is priced at USD 99 for unlimited users. Similarly, OneChat is priced at USD 27.

Through starting the business, have you learned anything particularly helpful or advantageous?

First, one of the best pieces of advice that I have witnessed and learned through my experience is to talk less and do more. Often, entrepreneurs may feel overwhelmed with all the knowledge and ‘motivational quotes that are available, however, a lot of time goes into gaining that knowledge and less into testing it. In simple words, apply the 80/20 rule wherein you spend 20% of your time learning and 80% on execution.

Second, before you get into any business, always double-check if your business is scalable and whether or not it can add real value to your customers, employees, shareholders, and society. If any of these 4 are undervalued, your business may suffer.

Third, the fruit of hard work may taste, but for anyone looking to get into the field of entrepreneurship, never forget that being an entrepreneur is not easy. Life is bound to get tough, but that’s okay!

Fourth, the more you share your success, knowledge, and profits, the more it will come back to you. It’s not just about the idea, but innovation, passion, dedication, execution, and commitments. Simply putting the law of attraction in practice, what you give is what you get.

Finally, one golden thumb rule that all of us at OneHash apply is, “persistence is key.” It may seem like common knowledge to many, but when tested and put to practice, results show. In my case, with many successes, came plentiful failures. But if it wasn’t for the burning desire to keep going, I wouldn’t have been where I am today. The quote “time is money” is one of the most virtuous sayings I have lived by throughout my journey as an entrepreneur. And to not put that ‘time’ or money to good use is a waste of my skills.

In short, keep dreaming, keep believing and keep working hard till you make your thoughts a reality.

What platform/tools do you use for your business?

We have a dedicated project management tool for all our project requirements. We also use tools specific to design and social media management like Sendible, and our own CRM, HR. Accounting tools.

What have been the most influential books, podcasts, or other resources?

With a master’s degree in Business Administration from SPJIMR Mumbai, I am also proudly a voracious reader and an avid observer.

“Persistence is key. It may seem like common knowledge to many, but when tested and put to practice, results show. In my case, with many successes, came plentiful failures.”

One of my favorite books that I have read and suggest to many is Screw it, Let's do it: Lessons In Life by Richard Branson.

Advice for other entrepreneurs who want to get started or are just starting out?

Despite the pandemic, the SaaS industry is vast and competitive. You should do extensive research on your target audience and competitors before launching a business in this field. Learn everything you can about your product, including its benefits and drawbacks, before putting it to use.

Having an educational background in the business you’re in may be beneficial. However, it is not the key requirement to be a good entrepreneur. Market research, product knowledge and our expertise in the field that your product is are the main factors that decide how good of an entrepreneur you are.

To raise consumer awareness of your brand, develop thoughtful marketing strategies. In the early stages of your business, it's especially important to focus on satisfying your customers so that they will come to believe in your company and its products.