Manu Jain: Skyrocketing a Tech Enterprise Through Innovation

From an entrepreneur to the managing director of one of Asia’a fastest-growing tech ventures, read how Jain did it all, and continues to look for more

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April 20, 2021 3 min read

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Manu Jain, who started off as an ambitious engineer, has worked in McKinsey & Company along with having started his own company Jabong. Currently he is the Managing Director of MI India, and in a chat with Entreprenuer India he discussed about his journey, personal brand, the tech market, and much more.

Manouvering the MarketTalking about growing a brand from ground up in a dacade, Manu talks about a difference in approach. He said Xiaomi made the offline market by breaking the trend of relentless advertising and hefty profit margins. He knew that lower profit margins and redefining their strategy was the only way to success.

“Building a brand online is definitely easier and faster. Building offline was tough for us. We knew we had to be true to who we are. We had to cut down all the cost and be super efficient,” he said.

Building a personal BrandManu talks about his personal brand on social media and emphasizes on its importance. “I would say I’m still learning. We are no longer in 1980s where the only mode of communication was TV. That was a one way communication. With the advent of social media over the last 10 years or so, It’s an incredible platform with a two way communication,” he says.

“You put something on social media and you get an instant feedback whether it is good, bad, or ugly. I post atleast once in a day on all the platforms,” he shared. He also emphasizes onbeing regular on social media, checking engagement sources, and reading comments to build a great personal brand and interact with the right people.

The Start-Up Horizon“We are a huge believer of start-ups and we ourselves are a start-ups that’s just 10 years old. One of the most interesting things about our approach is a model of hundreds of companies working within the Xiaomi Umbrella, and we would love to work with more,” Manu said.

Manu Jain’s journey from a regular Engineering student to a Country Manager of a leading tech-brand saw several ups and downs. He talks about and how he found his footing with Xiaomi – “In 2012-13 my fascination with mobile or smartphone devices increased. I went on a backpacking trip to China and met several founders including those of Xiaomi,” he said. He advices young entrepreneurs to be original and not try to do what others are doing – “Start small, with one or two stores, perfect the business model, and then expand further.”

Listen to Manu talking about how he grew his brand, his journey through different start-ups and where his vision is headed only on Entrepreneur India’s digital cover for April featuring the Incredible Managing Director, Manu Kumar Jain