Speaking of Startup Episode 156: Anoop Menon Founder of Confianz and Stackbench

Have you heard about the immigrant from India who moves to Belmont, NC, becomes a Clemson fan, and walks into a South Carolina Gamecock fan club bar to watch a football game? You’ll hear that story and more in our podcast this week with Anoop Menon, Founder and CEO of Confianz. Anoop was building custom solutions from open-sourced ERP platforms for small to medium businesses (SMBs) when he moved to America ten years ago with his business, Confianz. Along the way, Anoop chased many rabbits (i.e., new business ideas) before having to put guardrails up that kept him focused on Confianz unless a new idea hit specific key metrics. Stackbench, which caters to the law enforcement sector, did just that. And now Anoop has the team to help grow Confianz while he spends time building up Stackbench. Highlights from episode 156: The importance of coaching for entrepreneurs Cultural differences in business between India and the U.S. Why being customer-focused is as important as your niche Active listening is a highly coveted yet grossly underappreciated skill The power of saying no when building your business The importance of good market research when pitching new products in your company Why having an open and honest dialogue with customers can be the best way to grow your business How working for free can pay off huge in the long run Importance of customer-testing before deployment Why relationships, trust, and customer service trump everything else in business When and how to use resellers to grow your business Check out this episode to hear about Anoop’s journey and the relationships, humor, and lessons he’s learned along the way.   William Bissett is the owner of and an Investment Advisor Representative of Portus Wealth Advisors, a Registered Investment Adviser. Registration does not imply a certain level of skill or training. Opinions expressed on this program do not necessarily reflect those of Portus Wealth Advisors. The topics discussed, and opinions given are not intended to address the specific needs of any listener. Portus Wealth Advisors does not offer legal or tax advice, and listeners are encouraged to discuss their financial needs with the appropriate professional regarding their individual circumstances.  Investments described herein may be speculative and involve a substantial loss risk. Interests may be offered only to persons who qualify as accredited investors under applicable state and federal regulation or an eligible employee of the management company. There generally is no public market for the Interests. Prospective investors should particularly note that many factors affect performance, including changes in market conditions and interest rates, and other economic, political or financial developments. Past performance is not, and should not be construed as, indicative of future results.