By: Joshua Finley
“At home, dinner table conversations often featured discussions on business ideas, concepts and opportunities,” says Shiksha Tripathi, founder and CEO of Think ABM. “My father was ambitious and enterprising. He took on side hustles and was fearless when experimenting with new ideas. His can-do attitude and the learnings he generously and courageously shared with all of us inspired me immensely and left a deep impression.” It was a sign that indicated Shiksha’s entrepreneurial journey was meant to be.
As a student, Shiksha was diligent, determined, and focused. She was just out of college, and she landed her first job with a well-known MNC. She did exceedingly well, yet she was denied a promotion. This became a pivotal point in her career. Reflecting on her life goals, she realized she wanted to gain better control over her career growth opportunities and take charge of her success. She wanted the freedom to pursue her vision and make independent decisions.
With this clarity, she turned to entrepreneurship with her first venture, SocialInsight. This was a lead originator that offered white-labeled leads to large publishers and agencies.
At the core of SocialInsight was a database that Shiksha and her team meticulously built. The focus was on quality and accuracy, and every element of it was thoroughly and painstakingly verified. The data quality became the biggest draw and was very well received by their target audience.
The database was further layered with nuanced data extracted using AI algorithms that identified intent and leveraged psychographics. The use of lookalike modeling further helped distill high-potential leads that their target audience loved.
The Beginning of Think ABM
Despite its success, Shiksha felt she could do better. The SocialInsight’s business model did not require direct interaction with marketers. An entity that could integrate this would take the lead quality and relevance several notches higher and provide marketers with highly actionable leads.
“I read that data was highly in demand. The market was worth billions, yet most available data was outdated, decayed, irrelevant and often useless, generating low ROI on marketing campaigns,” says Shiksha. “Moreover, even when businesses were provided with the right contacts, their SDRs or BDRs were often not equipped with the information or skills to nurture and convert the contacts effectively.”
Intent and Psychographic Layering – the Game Changer
Determined to address this gap, Shiksha launched her next entrepreneurial venture, Think ABM. The mission here was to provide marketers with end-to-end lead-generation services. The existing high-quality database would be enriched with additional information leveraging technology to deliver high-potential, conversion-ready leads. The strategy involved layering in psychographic data extracted through a proprietary tool and also attaching intent scores to provide qualified leads. This proved to be a significant game changer.
SDRs and BDRs now had additional information on each lead. Besides knowing which were in-market leads, they could also customize content and communication to connect effortlessly, resulting in maximum impact and enduring relationships.
Think of ABM as an All-in-One Marketing Solution
“I wanted Think ABM to be unique,” says Shiksha. “I wanted to ensure we were not just another subscription-based data provider.” We position ourselves as a one-stop shop for marketers looking for leads. We partner with our clients. We are a team that understands our client’s specific needs and we provide consultative and regular lead-generation services to feed the client’s pipeline seamlessly.
Our leads empower SDRs and BDRs, making them most effective and closing more deals. They get access to customer insights that enable them to personalize messaging, enhance nurturing or even cold-call or schedule appointments. “
Learnings as an Entrepreneur
“I learned that I do not need to do everything. I do not need to know everything. I need to find good people who are excellent at their role,” says Shiksha. As a solopreneur or a founder, it is hard to let go, but one of the things Shiksha strongly believes is that people should be allowed to do their work. Leaders must let people do their jobs and only intervene to support or facilitate the team. They must be like the music conductor who brings together an orchestra.
A second learning she shared was that people thrive in structure. Clarity of why they are there, what they need to do, what their goals are and how they need to do it – if these are clear, people are most likely to succeed in what they are trying to achieve, she says.
Defining Success and the Lure of Entrepreneurship
“The endless possibilities that entrepreneurship offers are what makes it so exciting. For me, it is like being given an empty canvas. I can bring together all my skills – my creative talents and my scientific side – to set my goals, build my team, chart out the roadmap and create the masterpiece I have envisioned.”
For Shiksha, success is a shifting goalpost. She sets goals, such as launching a product, hiring a team, gaining logos, or reaching a specific target. They are important to provide direction to efforts, but once attained; she does not look back. Instead, she sets new goals. Never satisfied or content, she is relentless, pushing boundaries and hungry to set new records. “It’s both a curse and a boon,” laughs Shiksha.
On her Philosophy Towards Work
“Honesty in sharing your vision and roadmap for the organization is necessary to get employee buy-in. This helps everybody feel committed to the business goal. Additionally, the ability to bring together the team to collaborate and work together is a crucial skill for a leader.”
Attempting to accomplish too many things all at once is a common weakness, making the ability to prioritize tasks into must-have, good-to-have buckets is a crucial skill for efficient time management.
“One of the best learnings is that it is not only my job to make the organization successful. The success of a venture is a team effort, and everyone must play their part in achieving it. When I bring people on board who also want to make this a success and buy into my vision, then it is a shared work, and I do not have to go to bed with that task or feeling that it is completely on me.”
“This helps me to detach myself in a good way from work and just be the person I am, but also go back into work and fully immerse myself into just dreaming, achieving and working towards new goals,” says Shiksha.
Published by: Josh Tatunay
