DeFi for the People

Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Giorgi Khazaradze, CEO of Aurox, located in Dallas, TX, USA.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

Aurox is a leading DeFi crypto software company. We develop simple, powerful tools for crypto traders and investors - from a trading terminal and web3 wallet to smart contract protocols. Today, more than 70,000 crypto traders trust the Aurox Terminal to help them make intelligent and educated investment decisions. And 20,000 users trust the Aurox Wallet to hold custody of their own assets while seamlessly and securely interacting with decentralized systems across the internet.

Tell us about yourself

We created Aurox because we believe that crypto and DeFi are the future. In 2016, we started trading crypto and saw just how clunky, slow, and vulnerable to hacks the trading terminals were. With outdated, inaccurate market and volume information, these poorly-developed platforms made it even more difficult to make profitable trades.

So we decided to invest our own money to build a terminal that we, as traders, would want to use. A few years later, more than 80,000 crypto traders trust the Aurox Terminal for their investment needs.

That original drive continues today. We see a finance system that is broken. It’s expensive, slow, and untrustworthy. What’s worse, many of the leading crypto companies today are basically just papering over the old, broken financial model. Think about it: their platforms are not only glitchy and vulnerable to hacks but are operated by unethical leaders. It’s sad.

We are committed to changing that. That’s why we are developing simple, powerful, secure software - from our innovative web3 wallet to our powerful smart contract protocols - that will bring DeFi to the masses.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

Earning the trust of more than 80,000 crypto traders. These individuals trust the Aurox Terminal for their investment needs, and they trust the Aurox Wallet to hold custody of their own assets while seamlessly and securely interacting with decentralized systems across the internet. We continue to be laser-focused on developing simple, powerful, secure software that will bring DeFi to the masses.

What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?

Building and managing a team of driven leaders. The Aurox team - from the co-founders to each and every developer across the world - is critical to our success.

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

Spend a significant amount of time researching the field of your potential business. You should write out the entire business plan. Once you are able to map out all the potential problems and their solutions, you can see the whole picture and gauge whether the business model isn’t feasible or needs adjustments.
If your business is innovative and the niche is highly competitive, you might want to think about outside funding. Bootstrapping can be great at the start to maintain control of the company, but eventually, competitors that raise millions of dollars will outcompete. Raising money isn’t easy, so begin the process before you ever need to. Just be careful raising outside funding, as there are a lot of ways founders will lose control of their company or get taken advantage of.
Running a new business is not easy. Most businesses do not see exponential growth right out of the gate. It takes a lot of work, time, and patience to grow your business. Which means some people give up earlier than they should. Do not get discouraged if you don’t see immediate growth, and find data to figure out why. Use data as a resource to try new techniques, improve your business, and market to new audiences. A significant portion of running a successful business requires constantly split testing various aspects of it.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://getaurox.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/getaurox
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/giorgi-khazaradze-6b00b3215/

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

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