Behind The Boardroom: With Vedant Singh Thakur (My Content Cafe’s CEO)

A few days back, I got a chance to meet and interview Vedant Singh Thakur. There were a lot of things that I got to learn about entrepreneurship, a founder’s mindset, and some life values. 

After meeting Vedant, I can proudly say that dreams and passion don’t look for the qualification or the place you belong. Small-town kids can also dream big. Life has countless opportunities waiting for you; all you need is a vision to see it and hard work and deep passion to achieve it. 

In this article, I will share my experience interviewing Vedant and what learning I got from him. Moreover, I am pretty sure that you all will get a lot of learning. But before diving into the learnings, let’s know.

Who is Vedant Singh Thakur? 

Vedant Singh Thakur is a Mechanical Engineer, Indian Entrepreneur, and founder and CEO of My Content Cafe (MCC). MCC is a content marketing agency currently serving over 50 clients in 8 counties, providing services like Growth Marketing, Search Marketing, Social Media Growth, and Growth Consultancy. 

Throughout this journey, Vedant stood as a leader, leading a professional and proactive team. While meeting Vednat, I can feel the aura of knowledge around the room. 

I know you must be curious to know about the questions I asked and the answers Vedant gave. So, without any further ado, let’s dive into the Q&A session.

So presenting to you all Behind The Boardroom with Vedant Singh Thakur.

Q: What was the pivotal moment in your life that gave you the idea for your start-up?

A: So this was my first question, to which Vedant said. So, his journey began in the city of dreams, aka Mumbai, when he was working with one of the leading media and entertainment firms. 

During the pandemic, Vedant didn’t have much work for 6 months, so after some self-analysis and guidance from friends, the idea of MCC was born.  

Before establishing his agency, Vedant worked as a freelancer writing scripts, which he considers as one of his key strengths. And the rest is history. Moving on to the next question. 

Q: What one thing would you change about your past if you could go back in time?

A: So, Vedant took no time and said, “I would start early!!” I was quite shocked, but when Vedant went on with my answer, I can relate a lot. The question in my mind was, “How can someone start early without any prior experience?”

So that’s when Vedant said that you can do a couple of gigs/projects for free to test your skills. This will help you gain the trust of your customers, and nonetheless, you’ll have to portfolio that the upcoming clients can pay you. 

Another question here is, “Is experience mandatory?” to which Vedant replied,” If you need money for your business, then yes,” or either you can have experience working in the industry or a good portfolio to show your clients. This will help you build trust. 

Q: As a leader, which was the most challenging decision you made? 

A: So, according to Vedant, the challenge is shifting work culture after the pandemic. Basically, managing remote and on-site employees. But as the KPI (Key Performance Indicator) is set, the gets easier, and now he’s able to get the most out of his team. Then I asked him, “Remote work vs. office work productivity: Is there a difference?”

He answered, “It depends from person to person and, most importantly, how the leader is managing the team!” According to him, “Empathy and Communication ” are one of the most underrated qualities every founder should have. 

Q: Which is the biggest failure that you faced which turned out to be a blessing in disguise?

A: So Vedant shared an incident about a high-ticket client; if I have to reveal, it was a deal worth over $10,000. So Vednat and the company had to turn down the company because they could not share the same values. The value he was talking about was that the client wants Vedant and Co as their extension.

Which was not good for the existing clients and certainly not good for the reputation of the company. According to Vedant, if you cannot match your values with someone, you cannot give your 100%. 

Q: If you weren’t a founder, what would be your profession?

A: So Vedant gave a smile and said he would be working in the media industry itself, which reminds me of how he started his journey. One thing very less people know about Vednat is that he’s also a trained actor, so he might try acting as a profession as well. 

Q: What are your methods to destress yourself?

A: As a founder, it is evident that stress is always a companion throughout your journey. So Vedant shared his ways to de-stress and chill out. He tries to spend time away from gadgets and looks forward to going on short trips with his friends. 

Sometimes, when his friends are not available, he loves to watch documentaries, and because of this, his life partner considers him very boring 🤣🤣. When I asked about his favorite movie/documentary/series, he said “Ford vs Ferrari” 

Q: Which is the most expensive trip you have ever been to?

A: To this, Vednat said Dubai. Then he said that he went all bonkers while he was in Dubai. In order to understand this, he said that he spent so much there that a normal person could make 3 Dubai trips out of it. 

Moreover, during his time in Dubai, he forgot that he was a founder, and as a 25-year-old, he lived his time there to the fullest. Going on a shopping spree and going on to the most expensive restaurants. But he considers it as an investment for that you have to watch the podcast. 

Q: What is the best part and worst part of being a founder?

A: So this is one of the most interesting questions of the podcast. So the best part of being a founder, according to Vedant, is understanding the game of the industry and keeping yourself updated. Because there will be times when you have to go all in. The thrill and the responsibility are something that makes the role of a founder the best.

The worst part is that sometimes you have to make some critical decisions. Whether it’s about your team or it’s about a client. So, decisions can be harsh, but someone has to do it. 

Q: What is your advice for the young generation/students?

A: The answer lies in one word, which is “Explore.” His tip was not to get conscious of seeing all the teenage founders. Explore as much as you can, don’t rely on anyone, and go beyond your studies/degree and try to get some on-ground exploration. 

Who knows, you might find the thing that you are really passionate about and can turn it into a profession. Write down your interest, filter it out, and keep doing it. That is how Vednat found his goal, and in the same way, you can do it as well. 

Q: Where do you see yourself and your company in the next 5 years?

A: Well, this is one of the most common interview questions. So on this, Vedant replied that he wants to see him and his company collaborate with startups/clients from the Fortune 500 company. 

Q: What is the piece of technology/software you cannot live without?

A: The answer was straight, and he said ChatGPT and what next laughter can be heard all across the room. Well, it is the reality that we have accepted artificial intelligence with open arms, and now it’s a part of our daily lives. 

Q: What does the future look like with the presence of Artificial Intelligence?

A: We talked about it for a long so if I have to describe it in a nutshell, then Vedant said that we have to adapt according to the changing technology. Everything comes down to the fact of how we are using it. 

We don’t have to use AI for 100% of our work; we have to use our brain and creativity to get enhanced and better work. 

Q: How much is your salary?

A: I know this is one of the interesting questions. But I personally believe that this is not something that should be written publically. Cause after a year the number is changed. But we have discussed this segment in the podcast, so if you are curious, then do check it out. 

Author’s Verdict

Meeting Vedant was an experience full of knowledge, laughs, and, most importantly, values. I personally got to experience some great insight into a founder’s mindset, and I am pretty sure that this will help you all to understand the world of entrepreneurship even better. 

So stay tuned because, in the future, we are going to bring more founders and will present you with their valuable knowledge and experience.