Waqar Azmi, Founder, Sutra Services Pvt. Ltd.

but finding them is equally tough. What’s worse, Startups or Emerging companies generally don’t have the advantage of a “brand” name, stability, market value, etc., that a big brand offers, which makes their hiring tasks even more difficult.

A generic job portal doesn’t give access specifically to a startup-friendly professionals’ database, and your run-of-the-mill HR consultants don’t understand the Startups as deeply as required.”

“Sutra fills this gap.”

“We're an energetic and ambitious bunch of guys who run a people consulting firm, exclusively meant only for Startups & Emerging new-age tech, digital, dotcom, media and mobileVAS companies. We partner with startups and emerging companies at an early stage, and provide them with a steady stream of talented professionals to fuel their growth.”

There is a sound strategy behind the decision to undertake this Herculean task. The goal is to turn a gift for matchmaking into a profitable venture. Waqar says “In the last couple of years, more than $1 billion has been invested in startups & emerging companies. There are 100+ companies funded by over 40 venture capital and Angel firms all around India. Close to 10% of this money is spent on hiring people for these companies. Sutra aims at capturing at least 20% to 40% of this market, both through our boutique consulting firm, and the job portal. Through both our businesses, we collectively cater to over a 100 startups at any given point in time.”

He differentiates from the other recruitment firms through his own words “*niche focus – dedicated to a specific category of industry *We make an extra effort in understanding the startup inside out – its business model, the founding team, future plans and prospects, etc. This helps us find & convince the right candidate.*Under Sutra HR, our boutique consulting firm, we have a growing internal database of over 1500 professionals willing to work in startups and emerging companies. *Our startup centric job portal (www.SutraJobs.com) has hundreds of subscribers at any given point of time, who are actively looking out for a job in startups. Sutra HR works on a consulting fee model based on commissions. SutraJobs.com is current a free job portal, but will soon be monetized using a pay-per-performance model.”

The forward thinking Waqar has a plan of action dedicated to taking Sutra Services to every city possible and he is not stopping for any borders either. He says “Sutra HR will be expanded through a franchise or partnership network of branches across the country (metros and tier 1 cities) and then internationally, by replicating the same model in growing economies.”

“SutraJobs, besides serving as a job portal, will scale up through -

*Online Job Network - help startups reach out to a targeted pool of professionals

*Job Widgets/Job Boards - to enable an alternate revenue stream for blogs/portals/sites relevant to there industries

*SAAS business - with innovative and web 2.0 based software products to streamline and reduce recruitment costs for growing companies, besides build their industry specific candidate database”

With such a clear vision of his entrepreneurial future, it is but obvious that he was tailor made for the life of the self employed. He first exhibited signs of his orientation towards creating business in college. He recalls saying “Right from my college days I have been very entrepreneurial. During my engineering I ran an online ecommerce business, and after graduating too, I never took up a job. Frankly speaking I was never a good student and didn't believe much in marks and grades, as much as practical knowledge & experience. In entrepreneurship, I found my calling. The thrill to create something unique and at the same time be in the driver’s seat, gave me the motivation to start my own venture. At the end of the day, nothing can compare to the feeling one gets on adding value to an ecosystem, influencing and changing lives of thousands of people everyday.”

Creating the business was a different challenge from surviving in the business as he soon found out. Waqar confesses that he encountered a peculiar thorn in his side saying “Ironic as it might seem, hiring the right people – that’s been the biggest challenge! J

Another challenge for us has been not getting type cast as yet another HR consultancy. It’s been difficult convincing companies and professionals alike, about who we are and what we do. Besides these two, the other challenges have been very generic in nature that any other startup or new company would face.”

“In the first year, though things were very action packed and profitable, I made a mistake of getting too engrossed and not realizing that Sutra was tilting towards a proprietor firm (one man show), than a growing company with strong foundation and solid people. I recognized this mistake and knew that going this way would not let Sutra scale up. That’s when I started building a strong core founding team and also brought MVP (Morpheus Venture Partners) aboard – who have been instrumental in making Sutra what it is today.

But, I don’t look at this as a “mistake” because I believe that in an entrepreneurship, there is no such thing as a mistake. It’s just a new learning experience, every day.”

He started Sutra with just a phone, a PC, and a network of friends in the industry; which he decided was capital enough and went forward with his dreams. He reminisces “Once we had about a lac rupees in the bank, we went into proper operations with a small startup office and 2 employees. Then I moved onto creating a professional look for Sutra by branding and marketing it using innovative means on a shoe string budgets. Currently we have 7 employees and 1 branch in Chembur (2 people) apart from the main office in Andheri (5 people).”

“We’ve been able to recruit more than a 120 people for startups & emerging companies, from all over India, in a short span of 15 months. Then there are a few close relationships which we share with companies wherein almost 25% of their entire work force has been recruited through Sutra. For instance, at an internet back office startup in Mumbai, we’ve been instrumental in growing their 4 member team to a 40 member work force (50% through Sutra). This is a typical example of our business model, wherein we partner with companies at an early stage and stand alongside in helping them reach next level, and beyond.”

Even after all the hardships he has never thought about throwing in the towel. The Young Entrepreneur speaks on this saying “I started this venture with no baggage of an opportunity lost since I wasn’t leaving behind a salaried job or family business. And the kind of progress and potential that I have seen while running Sutra, gives me no reason to think of doing a “job”. In fact, people who have joined me have left their plush jobs to be an integral part of this growing endeavor.”

His towering motivation and spirit are soaring, for when it comes to entrepreneurship, the highs and the lows are an element of life. He says “The sense of belonging, ownership and single handed responsibility of running a value adding company, keeps me buckled onto the rollercoaster. Above all this, the thrill and excitement of seeing results of our own sweat and efforts, is enough to take the ride every day.”

“Our vision for not just 2010, but across time is pretty simple – to be THE place for any startup or emerging company, looking for talent or any people related services. Also, another in progress work is to remove the misconception that we’re a HR Consultant or placement agency. In fact, we’re a tech startup ourselves, on our way to launch a slew of web 2.0 products/services.”

With the future looking bright despite the stormy financial weather Waqar has a few helpful tips for those in the market for sound advice. He elaborates “If you have an idea, and truly believe in its potential then go for it! Research about it, gather your knowledge, get a realistic plan in place, wear a parachute – and jump!” 

”Contrary to popular perception, entrepreneurship is not as cool as it might seem. Only if you’re sure you can handle pressure from all sides, only then take the plunge. Surround yourself with smart people. People look to invest in a great team more than a great idea; make sure you choose the RIGHT people.”

”Try to keep your cost as low as possible; it will help you a lot in good and bad times. 

Start small and think big because the cost of thinking big or small is same...it’s free! 

More than idea put your effort in execution because a great idea is of no use if not executed well.”

We wish Waqar all the best in finding the right matches and hope he fulfills all his dreams.