Shaan and I have known each other for several years now, and he has even helped me with RAAHI while we were in college together several years ago. After spending some time behind the desk post-graduation, Shaan decided to learn programming and take his talents to Austin so he can help others do what he did. He is now teaching the first batch of students learn how to become developers in a matter of weeks. I appreciate him taking the time to share his tips and experiences with me as he starts his new venture.
What ignited the spark in you to start a new business venture and how did the idea for MakerSquare come about?
I wanted to give other people the opportunity to do what I did. Switch careers into tech. The idea for MakerSquare quickly gained momentum after talking to Ravi in Austin, and was solidified once we got Shehzan and Harsh on board. The groundwork for creating a web development school was laid out for us by the awesome team at Bitmaker Labs.
How did you decide on the location for MakerSquare?
We decided on Austin because it was ripe for a school like this. Ravi wanted to learn how to code, and asked me whether I should take similar courses throughout the country. After talking for a while about courses in Chicago, San Fran and NYC, we thought “Why the heck isn’t there a program in Austin?”. That’s when we decided on the location. I was thrilled because I’ve always wanted to live in Austin after visiting there a few times in the last few years. If you haven’t been, you should go. It’s an amazing place.
How do you find people to bring into your organization that truly care about the organization the way you do?
You find people who care about helping other people. That’s what this business is all about. Empowering other people to live better, more fulfilling lives through a career in web development, or a career helping startups get off the ground. If you find people that care way more about the people you’re servicing than anything else, you’ve built yourself a great team. Elon Musk said something at SXSW that resonated with me. He said one mistake he’s made over and over is hiring people for their hard skills instead of their personality. Find the right personality fit, and everything else will fall into place.
What is your greatest fear, and how do you manage fear?
Regret. I manage it by making decisions that I know I won’t regret. I don’t want to look back 10 years from now and regret that I didn’t take a leap towards my goals. I want to look back and at least know I tried.
What is the best way to achieve long-term success?
Don’t delay anything. Take baby steps towards your long-term goal, and don’t stop.
How do you build a successful customer base?
Provide a quality product. A great way to see if the product or service you are providing is valuable is to charge your customers for it. If customers continue to pay and are happy with the product, you’re on the right track. Don’t get distracted by anything else. Get your customers to pay for your service, and keep them happy. The rest of your business will take care of itself if you can do those two things.
If you had the chance to start your career over again, what would you do differently?
I would have learned how to code at an earlier age.
Pathik: Well, you’re doing it now and you’re not exactly “old” yet. Good luck with MakerSquare and I can’t wait to hear about your first batch of students!
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