Working as a freelancer can help a person discover their talent and often opens up new avenues to becoming a full-time entrepreneur. For Ramanand Kumar Deepak, his time as a freelancer paved the way for him to hone his skills as an e-commerce solutions consultant. The company he went on to establish is RKD Consultancy Services which helps clients manage their business on Amazon, eBay and more recently Indian portals like Amazon India, Flipkart and Snapdeal.

With clients ranging from the USA, U.K, Israel and the Philippines, Ramanand has a varied global portfolio providing him with a unique knowledge of the global e-commerce marketplace. He is now looking to take on more projects in India and expand his team commensurate to the growth of his business.

In conversation with GlobalLinker (GL) Ramanand Kumar Deepak (RKD) shares his journey from being a freelancer to a founder of a consultancy and his vision for the company’s future.

GL: Tell us about your business and how it came into being.

RKD: I started my freelance career back in 2011 just to make extra income. I used to get projects from freelancing portals. Gradually, I became competent in Amazon Web Services, Amazon.com ecosystem, WalMart.com, Overstock, Sears and other online marketplaces across the globe. My initial job target was to fulfill the requirements of my global clients but as I became skilled, I started offering services in the e-commerce support domain for global clients. As of now, I have two USA based clients and one Israel based client for Amazon services and my monthly turnover is around Rs.1.5 lakhs from these three. Besides this, I also offer online accounting services and visa processing services to my UK based client.

The knowledge and skills which I developed in the past 6 years, working for clients, is now helping me to think of new business ideas. Soon after completion of legal formalities, I am going to launch my own product line in the online marketplace amazon.in.

GL: What are the challenges you have faced in establishing your business?

RKD: My main challenge was to get projects at good rates. Due to the low quality bids from the Philippines freelance market, I used to get low rates but my returning clients were more than 70% due to good quality of services I offered. My client satisfaction rate is 100% till date. During my initial days, I sometimes got nothing for the services I offered to global clients just because someone already agreed to work at a lower rate. But, gradually I managed to build a good client history and profile on the freelance website I use which resulted in me landing quality jobs from clients across the globe.

Besides my freelancing network, I do have personal clients who came to know about me from existing clients from a freelancing portal and word-of-mouth marketing.

GL: What is the USP of your business?

RKD: Since I am in the service industry, I believe that quality of service is my sole USP. I always believe in quality work no matter how easy the task is.

GL: What are some of the milestones of your business?

RKD: As of now, I have developed a strong reputation, so much so that friends and colleagues of my existing clients call me to inquire for my services and availability. Today, I have a team including my wife, to deliver good quality online services that fulfill the requirements of my clients. In the last 6 months, I crossed the mark of Rs 8 lakhs in turnover and am now looking to achieve Rs 12-15 lakhs in 2017.

GL: What role do you feel GlobalLinker plays in connecting and assisting SMEs?

RKD: I need to grow my team and also land projects from India. Because of these reasons, I believe GlobalLinker will be beneficial for me. I am also foraying into the online retail market so obviously SMEs will be there for me.

GL: What is your big business dream?

RKD: I want to take my business to a level that an acronym like RCS is known for RKD Consultancy Services across the globe. I want to help fellow Indians get employment working for my firm so that we can then grow mutually.

GL: What is your message to aspiring entrepreneurs?

RKD: Believe in your strengths and don’t accept defeat when you don’t see good results immediately.

Disclaimer: This article is based solely on the inputs shared by the featured member. GlobalLinker does not necessarily endorse the views, opinions & facts stated by the member.