Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Yatin Singal, co-founder, and CEO of Singal's Indian Grocery, located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

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

Singals.ca is Canada's favourite online Indian store providing access to over 1000+ authentic Indian products all over Canada. We also provide free delivery on orders over $49 in Quebec and Ontario!

Tell us about yourself

I arrived in Canada as a student and realized despite there being plenty of stores offering Indian products, the logistics of the final mile delivery to the customer were quite challenging. They made it even more difficult due to the large distances and harsh climate in Canada. Melissa and I saw an opportunity in this challenge. We decided to bridge this gap for over 2M people of the South Asian community living in Canada.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

To establish a brand in the South Asian community space. Being a small business, it is often tough to get through to consumers amongst the big brands with large marketing budgets. We at Singal's Indian Grocery have managed to create a unique brand for our consumers signifying trust and exceptional customer service.

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

Being able to keep at it. Running a business is a roller coaster ride both in terms of emotions and results. It takes a lot of patience, humility, and perseverance to keep at it in all circumstances and not give up when things get tough.

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

  1. Don't be afraid to start small. In this day of social media, we often see glamorous startups backed with a large amount of funding that can easily intimidate people into starting small. However, a successful business needs a lot more than just funding to thrive. So starting small will provide you with massive learning in those aspects.
  2. Let customers guide your business model. As business owners, we often have ideas on how we want our business to function and eventually evolve. While that is fine, ultimately, the customer is the final judge of any business model. So if what your customers are telling you conflicts with your idea of how to run your business - Listen to them.
  3. Differentiate yourself. It is highly likely that whatever business you will end up pursuing already has dozens if not more alternatives/competitors. So you have to carve a space in the market around a value proposition that is different from others.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.singals.ca/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/singalscanada

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solopreneur that you'd like to share, then email community@subkit.com; we'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

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