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Want to learn what it takes to be successful online? Try OnlineBusiness bootcamp

Want to learn what it takes to be successful online? Try OnlineBusiness bootcamp

Friday May 02, 2014 , 4 min Read

A 6-week bootcamp to help you take your business online and build it. That, in short, is OnlineBusiness.org, a new startup founded by entrepreneur Gaurav Gurbaxani and his team at Pragmites, a 7-year-old internet consulting company. For years, he has been guiding his friends on how to be successful online and this bootcamp was designed to make the digital journey more organised, he told YourStory.

Delivered online over six weeks, this bootcamp will give you access to a new set of video and work sheet each week that will guide and train the participants. "The various aspects of internet marketing can seem overwhelming, complex and challenging to implement. In our Bootcamp, we have streamlined the process so that you are just given enough of the right information to take action in a sequence that will build your knowledge base over 6 weeks in a natural manner," Gaurav says. "Our training team with over 50 years combined experience in Internet Marketing will be there to help you. They will answer any questions that you may have along the way through our online forum."

Online Bootcamp had its first batch launch in January 2014. "We got very positive feedback from the participants," he says. They have incorporated all the learnings from that as well for this second batch which will begin on 26 May 2014. Registration for it has just begun.


Gaurav online business

Recap to Pragmites

Gaurav says he realised at the age of 14 that he would be an internet entrepreneur. "My first online love was Google Adsense. Back in 1999, you really needed to be fortunate to have a dial- up internet connection in India. I still remember crossing my fingers, hoping that it would connect while the modem made a strange sound," he recalls.

Before starting up, he worked with Directi, where he learnt about internet marketing. "My boss there, one of the smartest dudes I know, mentored me until I was ready to startup." In 2007, Gaurav started Pragmites Internet Consulting in Pune with his father. Even without a website, they got their first few sales. "My dad’s acquaintances were kind enough to be our guinea pigs. We were in business and started offering similar services to a bunch of local clients. Back in the day, we had to rely primarily on word of mouth marketing."


pragmites

They were offering a variety of services, including SEO, PPC, email marketing and other "internet stuff". They had over 80 clients in Pune. "We had our taste of success and we wanted more. We launched our company on Elance. That was an adrenaline rush! $ 92,856 later, while maintaining a 95% positive recommendation on Elance, we decided to jump ship for bigger and better things."Reinventing themselves overnight

They partnered with the biggies of internet marketing and launched multiple products. When they ran out of office space, they built a system that allowed anyone to work remotely for them. "We dominated the first 3 positions in Google for the keyword "work from home" and soon built a team of over 5000 freelancers. Soon we outsourced 80% of our overall business operations." This helped them scale.

But eventually processes changed as the rest of the world caught up, and Pragmites had to re-invent themselves. "Fortunately, with our outsourcing model, we did not have to downsize when our SEO business was impacted by the algorithmic changes which forced our business to change overnight."

In their 4th year, Pragmites found a cofounder in Stanley Adams. Today, they have a core-team of 5 and outsource tasks with 7 virtual assistants based in the Philippines.

Pragmites offer high-end internet marketing services to small and medium businesses. They service over 150 clients who require regular Search Engine Optimization. For two years, the company has been simultaneously building their product, OnlineBusiness.org. "It is still a baby and we are shy of a 100 paid members," Gaurav says.

His big dream is to get 10,000 Indian businesses online this year with the OnlineBusiness bootcamp. "We plan to achieve this by over delivering with early batches of bootcampers and of course, allowing them to do the talking for us both online and offline."

If you are willing to roll-up your sleeves and are ready to be entrepreneurial online, Gaurav promises that this bootcamp is just what you were looking for.

Check out this OnlineBusiness bootcamp here and tell us what you think about it in the comments below.