Interview: Sharad Goyal, Founder of Entera, a trailblazing SaaS Venture

An interview with Sharad Goyal, Entrepreneur & Founder of Entera, a trailblazing SaaS Venture

Meet Sharad Goyal, the trailblazing entrepreneur and founder of Entera, a leading SaaS venture. With a passion for technology and a knack for innovation, Sharad has propelled Entera to the forefront of the industry. His visionary leadership and strategic acumen have transformed the way businesses operate in the digital landscape.

Can you share the inspiration behind founding Entera and how the idea came to fruition? What motivated you to venture into the SaaS industry with a focus on supporting Indian startups?

Sharad Goyal: I feel the motivation for Entera came long ago. When I was pursuing my master’s in 2013-14, I always wanted to be in the ERP business because I felt adept at solving business problems.

I aimed to achieve this through tech-driven software, as ERPs usually provide effective solutions to major business challenges. What further motivated me to enter this industry was the increasing complexity of ERP systems. Dealing with custom software involved too many stakeholders, which made the process cumbersome and time-consuming.

Many clients had a vague idea of the solution they wanted but lacked a clear understanding of their actual needs. Explaining the right solutions to people who believed they already knew what they wanted proved to be very difficult. These problems are more prominent in Start-ups.

Therefore, I decided to focus on startups. Serving startups necessitates economical solutions, which is why we transitioned from custom ERPs to SaaS.

Entera is poised to revolutionize how Indian startups operate in the digital age. Could you provide an overview of the key features and services your platform offers, and how it differentiates itself from other solutions in the market?

Sharad Goyal: The main idea behind Entera CRM, our newly launched product, is to make the process of using a CRM a no brainer. We want to take you from point A to point B with minimal input.

Our goal is to keep it simple and easy to use. Entera CRM is designed specifically for simplicity, while many well-made software solutions in the market offer extensive features, they can often be overwhelming.

If you need a simplistic solution for a startup, Entera CRM is an excellent choice. As we grow, we plan to build multiple products to significantly aid startups. Startups today have a lot of pain and problems. ENTERA intends to take a few pain away with simple and easy to use solutions and aid the start-up entrepreneurs in their growth trajectory.

Startups often face various challenges, from funding to scaling operations efficiently. How does Entera address these pain points and empower startups to thrive in today’s competitive landscape?

Sharad Goyal: Entera is not a software that helps you secure funding, but it is highly efficient and cost-effective. If you are a startup looking to scale and systematize your operations, such as handling customer interactions or managing your leads, Entera is the ideal solution.

Our product is simple to use, allowing you to plug and play immediately without a steep learning curve. You can get trained in about 15 minutes, and often without needing any additional help.

We empower startups by minimizing training time, ensuring simplicity, and taking you from point A to point B without any extra hassle or unnecessary features.

Collaboration and networking are essential for the growth of startups. How does Entera facilitate connections and partnerships within the startup ecosystem to foster innovation and growth?

Sharad Goyal: Entera primarily addresses specific business problems rather than facilitating direct connections or partnerships through the software itself. However, because Entera is very user-friendly, once you’ve used it, you’ll find that many others are already trained in its use.

This common knowledge base makes it easier to find trained individuals, fostering better partnerships in that sense.

In the future, we plan to introduce blogs and platforms where startups can collaborate, discuss our product, and share insights on leveraging the full power of Entera. This will further support networking and partnership opportunities among our users.

India’s startup ecosystem is evolving rapidly. What trends do you foresee shaping the future of startups in the country, and how is Entera positioned to adapt and support these changes?

Sharad Goyal: India’s startup ecosystem is evolving rapidly, and I couldn’t agree more. The upcoming trend is that growth will matter more, and people will have less time for trivial tasks.

Therefore, it’s crucial to have strong processes and simpler systems that are easy to manage.

Essentially, if one person leaves and another joins, there should be no time wasted in transitioning. AI is set to play a significant role, and we are working on integrating AI into Entera.

This will provide better and simpler insights, expedite tasks, and deliver required data more quickly. I believe that in the near future, Entera will be pivotal because of its simplicity, quick adaptability, minimal training time, and top-notch support.

Although AI is not currently integrated, we intend to include it to enhance our offerings further.

Building a successful SaaS venture requires a deep understanding of customer needs and market dynamics. How does Entera gather feedback from its users, and how do you use this feedback to iterate and improve the platform?

Sharad Goyal: To build any quality product, customer feedback is the primary ingredient. We have a system in place where we regularly contact our customers to see if we can assist them in any way.

We inquire about any specific features they need, any additional support they require, and whether they are enjoying the product. If they are not, we ask what’s going wrong. We also check if they are actively using the product and gather general feedback.

For example, today one of my first customers spent the entire day sending me constant feedback while implementing Entera in his company. He shared everything—good, bad, and great.

Fortunately, there was no negative feedback; he only had one service request related to an existing feature that we had failed to explain properly. As a result, we’ve now added an extra segment in our training module. Feedback is crucial. Without it, I wouldn’t have been able to build the CRM to its current standard.

In your opinion, what are the key ingredients for startup success, and how does Entera help aspiring entrepreneurs and early-stage startups navigate the path to success?

Sharad Goyal: I believe that getting the processes right, implementing effective systems, and hiring the right people are essential for getting a startup up and running. Startups typically figure out who the right people are on their own, as they define their own unique culture.

However, when it comes to processes and systems, that’s where we come in. We aim to provide you with a standardized system in a very simple format that both you and your peers can understand and use effectively. This ensures easy communication and alignment among your team members, fostering a strong community.

Transitioning from a job to a startup often comes with uncertainty about your role. For instance, if you’re a software developer, you understand software development, but building a company involves additional responsibilities such as managing clients, handling payroll, and navigating legal issues.

There are many potential pitfalls, and I believe Entera can help alleviate some of the major problems entrepreneurs face, ensuring a seamless experience. By removing these obstacles, entrepreneurs can focus solely on growing their businesses.

In conclusion, our conversation with Sharad Goyal has unveiled the essence of entrepreneurial brilliance driving Entera’s success. Sharad’s commitment to innovation and excellence sets a remarkable standard for the SaaS industry, inspiring aspiring entrepreneurs to chart their own path towards groundbreaking achievements.

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