Sameer Maheshwari, Founder and CEO of HealthKart
Taking Unchartered Paths to Create Massive Impact on Society
"Entrepreneurship traits can be learned, but they are largely ingrained", says Mr. Sameer Maheshwari
Legendary management consultant Peter Drucker once said, "Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things."With the trait of juggling here and now and creating a mission and goals for overall improvement of Healthcare Industry, Sameer Maheshwari, Founder and CEO of HealthKart takes the core responsibility to drive the mission of providing affordable preventive care solution via quality and products.
He is a result oriented and passionate individual, who derives inspiration from the people who work with him, and the potential of the impact that company could have on society.
There are several leaders who inspire Sameer, including Steve Jobs, Elon Musk, Barack Obama, Narendra Modi and modern day Indian entrepreneurs such as Sachin / Binny / Mukesh Bansal, because they have all followed their inner calling, and taken unchartered paths to create massive impact to societies / economies / countries.
Idea came from the fact that healthcare delivery, which is the backbone of wellness of any country, was highly unorganized (95%+) back in 2009, and there was an opportunity to bring about organization and quality to the sector via growth of internet penetration / eCommerce.
Having lived in the US for 12 years and having seen the dynamics of a developed world, Sameer was clear on how the sector would evolve at a macro level, and thereby the opportunity was clear.
Mission at the outset was to make available the largest range of quality medical products to consumers across the country, by setting up the largest online pharmacy platform. Along the way, realizing another large opportunity in fast growing preventive care segment, they spun out online pharmacy into 1MG and focused HealthKart on preventive care.
When HealthKart started in 2009, though Sameer had worked for 10-12 years in US, it was his first start in India. There were several hurdles initially – getting used to working culture in India and adapting managerial principles etc. – and doing this while identifying the economically viable business model and adjusting to a new personal life.
Work ethics and managerial expectations were quite different as compared to the US. But most importantly, it was difficult then to convince people to join the startup wagon because there weren't too many success stories to look upto.
But constant perseverance and belief in the mission has got him going till date. Prashant Tandon, his co-founder and Shikha Maheshwari, his wife, have been the biggest influences of his life. They have lived the volatility of entrepreneurial journey with him.
HealthKart is India's largest online/offline nutrition store. HealthKart offers comprehensive range of high quality supplements such as proteins, vitamins, minerals etc., sourced from across the world. These supplements are used for athletic performance, fitness and wellness. HealthKart delivers these products through a combination of online portal and 40+ retail stores.
The company also offers assistance to its customers in product selection and diet planning through trained nutritionists. HealthKart has served over 1.5mm customers, and delivers 80,000+ products to 500+ cities in any given month. HealthKart also own MuscleBlaze, one of India's largest sports nutrition brands.
Entrepreneurship has taught Sameer several leadership lessons, but the key ones have been:
(a) be long term perseverant and not lose focus along the way;
(b) be agile and open on manoeuvring business model;
(c)be open-minded, intellectually curious and always approach problems from the first principles; and
(d) always invest in building the right team and ensure your teammates are successful.
HealthKart has reached thus far because of no single principle, but combination of all the above.
Healthcare is going to fundamentally transform in years to come. Technology advancements are at the helm of such change. On one end, it is driving much better treatments through biotechnology and genetics, and on the other hand, it is making such solutions available at scale via communication technologies.
The new found awareness via technology is also leading people to approach healthcare through preventive and fitness lens. These trends are permanent and will only exponentially manifest themselves in years to come. Within the organization, Sameer encourage creative thinking by fostering a culture of first principle thinking and always questioning about what and how status quo can get disrupted.
Entrepreneur is someone who can visualize the future, both immediate and long term; correlate with changing market pulse, and be the driver of change with smart resource allocation. Entrepreneur derives his inspiration from self belief, and is ready to take big bets/ risks to drive the change. Sameer believes while entrepreneurship traits can be learned, but they are largely ingrained.
Chasing unviable business models because of macro funding environment, and not pursuing long term value creation driven by your fundamental "self belief" is the biggest mistake that entreprenuer commit. This not only derails the entrepreneur, but may also leads to significant loss of time, which is the most precious entity in the world we live in
HealthKart will be the largest omni-channel retailer and consumer brands' company in the nutrition space, spanning performance, fitness and wellness segments. Fundamental belief in positive changes in the Indian economy and trust on their own ability to succeed thus far has been a ray of hope for Sameer and his team.
It is their aim to have the leading range of healthcare products always presented at their best.
In order to achieve this aim they have developed a highly skilled and professional workforce. They have a reputation for the relationships they develop with their customers to understand and meet their needs. They have a comprehensive and innovative range of healthcare products, which they deliver from their modern, well positioned and efficiently managed online platform 'Healthkart'.
HealthKart is India's largest online health & fitness store for men and women with the latest collections of health, fitness and similar products featuring the best brands.
The online platform for their steady growth since its inception has been their strong business ethics and values, of integrity, trust, and long-term relationships with their customers, suppliers, and all they work with.
As probably the largest online healthcare suppliers in India, they are able to offer the value for money that is essential for their customers, and the reliability that comes with almost 100% of their products being delivered on their trained delivery boys.
All of their team aim to provide the highest levels of customer service, and strive to exceed their ethos – "Committed to Care".
A happy employee brings prosperity in business. Aspirants full of energy, highly innovative and with a fire in the belly to do something new are the apples of Healthkart.
The management style at Healthkart is highly participative. The top leadership of the company genuinely takes interest in the well being and growth of every people at the company. Work is celebrated at Healthkart by following the paradigm to empower people for innovation and out of the box thinking. Healthkart has fostered innovation culture over a period of time since its inception.
Healthkart's employees are the heart and soul of a go-beyond culture that enables Healthkart to attract and retain one of the best team in the nation and drives the company's competitive advantage. Their commitment to shared values unites them globally and fosters and environment in which innovation and teamwork thrive.
Healthkart's customers and partners can feel the difference in the way they collaborate with clients. Inspired and happy employees make success happen for Healthkart's customers and partners throughout the country. At Healthkart, they share a vision to be a model company.
This vision drives the company to deliver the best possible results for the communities they serve by living a set of core values. The people at Healthkart believe that being a model company means winning in the marketplace with integrity and honor. A great culture is the foundation for success—for them and for their customers and partners.
In this new era of modernization, India is becoming lover of online shoppers like never before. 'Healthkart'- which aims to build the leading full-stack fitness destination of India, is a brainchild of Sameer Maheshwari, an IIT Delhi Graduate and Master in Business Administration from Harvard Business school, who created something of a history in the great Indian online healthcare shopping revolution.
Prior to founding Healthkart, he also served for many other companies holing reputed designations and responsibilities.
His prime objective is to add value to the organization by his thought leadership and vision, resulting in quality products & platform ecosystem services. He firmly believes in passionately following his dream and amalgamating the same with his professional goals so that he loves each and every moment of his work.
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