The Of-crazy year at a glance!
By Mohit Chaudhary, Chief Marketing Officer
Since 20th April 2017, my life and my journey with OfBusiness has been nothing less than a roller coaster ride.
2019 was a landmark year in my journey with OfBusiness. We achieved several milestones, believed in extreme experimentation, burnt our hands with few of them, outgrew market trends and industry average by leaps and bounds, faced few exits, etc. Few notable memories worth mentioning are -
- Office Inauguration: 27–03–2019
Itni shiddhat se maine tujhe paane ki koshish ki hai,
Ki har zarre ne tujhe mujhse milaane ki saajish ki hai!
Finding a new office, matching our specifications: size, area, interiors, cost, availability, etc. was a nightmare! After having rejected almost 20+ offices, we finalized a deal. We negotiated for hours, post which the landlord gave it to a young bunch of aggressive dreaming youngsters at a peanuts price, convincing himself this being his act of social responsibility towards budding India. Further, we didn’t stop there; we made our landlord our customer.
2) New Products: Extreme Experimentation!
Tujhe dhundta hun main har kahin, jo easily milti mujhe hai nahi,
mujhe jiske IRR pe ho yakin, wo product hai kahan!
2019 was the year when we were all out brainstorming, strategizing, hiring and executing various financial products; which can solve the existing credit issue, maintain high IRR while ensuring super-low NPAs. We came up with new products to suit the SMEs and kept innovating. Even though we galloped in terms of AUM, Geographies, Team Size, one thing which has still struck core to our DNA is the willingness for extreme experimentation and adapting/modulating as per market need as quickly as it can get.
3) Hiring Rockstars: OfBusiness 2.0!
Kiska hai ye tumko intezaar main hoon naa!
2019 was a massive year for us in terms of next-gen leaders. We were one of the top and preferred recruiters for full-time roles as well as for internships from top tier colleges across India. We hired over fifty plus interns and full-time joinees as Management Trainees for senior roles from such campuses directly. Kudos to our HR and the entire team for ensuring that we get nothing but the best which these institutes have to offer.
4) Exits
Abhi naa jaao chod ke, dil abhi bhara nahi!
There were a few of us who left OfBusiness and started their own venture or probably joined some other organization better suited to their skill set. We, at OfBusiness, will continue to develop such leaders, who will make us proud wherever they will go. We always believe in our Motto. Once an OfBian, forever One.
As Mckinsey says, we are as proud of our alumni as we are of our current employees.
5) Market ka Naya player
Saheb, Ye lambi race ka ghoda hai!
We became a proper, full-fledged recognized branded NBFC and lender in the city. SMEs, partners, suppliers, etc. now know what OfBusiness is and what it stands for.
6) Team Bonding
Hum Saath Saath hain
An OfBian is always true to his DNA: ABC (Altruism, Brotherhood, Camaraderie). Though we have grown exponentially in terms of AUM, a number of employees, geographies, verticals/products, one thing which has still stayed constant is the DNA (and we are super proud of it). Most of the companies topple during the mid-growth phase because the DNA/ fundamentals are not right; we at OfBusiness have always prioritized DNA and our ABC culture before anything else. Kudos to the entire HR team for keeping alive the true OfBian spirit and for promoting the ABC culture.
7) Feathers in cap
Oh! Boy, while others were shutting down their shops there was one player who crossed a milestone in the same year and was marked as Systemically Important NBFC by RBI. OfBusiness got featured across various magazines/ forums/ events for being one of the top fintech players in the industry. This is for you; This is for every OFBian (present and ex). We have been featured by Economic Times, Financial Times as the Champions in their fields
8) Geographies
Saari duniya… par main chhaun, bas itna sa khwaab hai!
We increased our footprint left-right-center in 2019. Opened full-fledged offices across 5 different regions and started operations in more than 10 cities. Kudos to the entire Maharashtra team for starting off with a bang.
9) Generation Z OFBians
Hum do hamaare do!
Over 20+ OFBians got married, and over 30+ Generation Z OFBians were born in 2019. Wishing them all the good luck, success and health from all of us, hoping that someday when they grow up and read about us being a part of ‘Sensex’, they would proudly say “My parents built the firm to what it is today.”
To summarize it, it was a great year for us.
2020 has even bigger and adventurous challenges for us. Let’s gear up for this next level roller-coaster ride.
It takes years of hard work to earn one minute at the top.