Interested in starting your own journey but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Nikhil Shahapurkar, Founder of The Daily Reader, located in Vancouver, BC, Canada.
What's your organization, and who are your members?
My venture is The Daily Reader, a non-profit blog established primarily for readers of all ages. The blog's motto is "Consistent and simplified articles to inculcate, promote and support good reading habits." The Daily Reader strives to be the preferred source of knowledge, entertainment, and information, for everyone. If I have to define the blog's objective in one word, it would be knowledge. I enjoy writing, and if I can contribute something to society while I'm enjoying it, then it is an absolute win-win. There's something for everyone at The Daily Reader - Short stories, Business articles, Editorial essays, and Self-help are some popular categories.
Tell us about yourself
It has to do with my voracious reading hobby. I've always been a reader and have enjoyed numerous books since I was a kid. If you consistently read for over 15 years, undoubtedly, your fingers twitch to write. That's how I got into writing - expressing my thoughts. From the career side, I had chosen Marketing. Back in 2011, digital marketing had just started to pick up, and that's when I first went online and signed up for a Facebook page - Must Read Books. It was purely to enjoy and share my love of reading with others. I started it in 2012. The page is still active and has over 25K followers. But I did not feel right posting my articles there. Its primary purpose was, and still is today, to be an online book club, to encourage people to read more and to connect with like-minded people.
So with my knowledge of Marketing and passion for writing, I designed The Daily Reader. Initially, it was only meant to be my portfolio. It started as nikhilshahapurkar.com, but as the subscribers grew, I knew I had to make it more professional and reader-friendly. Keeping The Daily Reader and Must Read Books is daunting, especially with changing social media algorithms. It's very easy to lose your spot on top, and convincing people to read is yet another challenge. But then we all pick our battles, and I chose mine. There are few days when I don't feel like writing or updating because it can be overwhelming - especially with only me looking after every single aspect of both ventures with a full-time job. But it is something I love, so the exhaustion and work are worth it, especially when I get replies to my monthly newsletters.
What's your biggest accomplishment as an organization?
I don't sell anything on The Daily Reader or Must Read Books. So I don't have numbers or happy customers but what I do have are happy readers - readers who took my suggestions to read good books and readers who suggested to me some good books. When I think in terms of business, the most significant accomplishment any business can have is sustainability. To even stay in such turbulent and unprecedented times is an accomplishment. The blog will be truly successful if I am able to sustain it and keep it updated and active for another decade.
What's one of the hardest things that comes with being an organization?
Since both my ventures are online, I think the biggest challenge for me is keeping up the engagement. There is so much content churned out of every medium. There are the notorious social media, but apart from that, other apps and websites generate so much content that it's hard to keep up with it - as a reader myself. I can only imagine how tough it would be for my readers to keep up.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow an organization today?
I could give you hundreds of tips on how to start, run and grow a business - I got a few articles written on it in The Daily Reader, but here's the thing. If you are starting a business, there will be times when you have to do everything yourself. To do that, you have to 'know' everything. In many incidences, you would have no help and have to roll up your sleeves and do it yourself. And the ability to do that will differentiate successful ventures from others. Numbers are short-lived. There is growth at times, and at other times, there isn't. But how passionate you are to make it work, to sustain it for a long period, will be the deciding factor.
Where can people find you and your group?
Website: https://www.thedailyreader.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mustreadbooks007
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mustreadbooks77/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-daily-reader/
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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