scaling
to
success
This is a success story of a marketing and advertising agency in India. Our advertising agency is headquartered in New Delhi. Established under the dynamic leadership of its promoter Uday Sonthalia, Uni Square Concepts is known for its expertise and perfectionism. The team is adept at creating TV Commercials and provides all kinds of branding solutions and online marketing strategies to maximize the growth potential of clients. We also specialize in generating original content.
Uni Square Concepts
GROWTH OVER THE YEARS OF UNI SQUARE CONCEPTS
The founder, Mr. Uday Sonthalia is the example of a perfect entrepreneur in this startup growth case study in India. Having started the business with nil funding or capital, he has had to face all organization challenges with stoic belief and hardwork. He promoted the business through financial bootstrapping and made the business self-sustained within a short period of time. While making this success story of marketing and advertising agency in India, instead of looking to manage the challenges using short-term method, he set up long-term approaches which have made the organization sustainable in the long run while also creating an environment for growth, as highlighted in this use case of advertising agency revenue growth. For a person who reads the organizational journey over the years, it cannot help but be noticed that it has always been well-adapted and adjusted to the changing trends of the industry. The founder upholds the importance of his values and ethics above all. He firmly believes that these are the identifying characteristics of any good leader and follows the same. Uni Square Concepts is a classic example of a success story of marketing and advertising agency in India!
POOJA
Creative & Operations Associate, uni Square Concepts
SITUATED IN INDIA, ADVERTISING FOR THE World.
[ BIRTH OF AN IDEA, THE BIRTH OF THE COMPANY ]
INSPIRATION BEHIND THE LAUNCH OF THE COMPANY
Exploring new dimensions of creativity has always been the underlying ideology for any work done by Uni Square Concepts. This ha led our story to be counted as a success story of marketing and advertising agency in India. This was also one of the core ideas upon which the company was founded. The company was started with a view of exploring all possible venues, thus being able to provide suitable solutions for clients. The idea was to be equally present in all fields of work, to ensure that no work was left behind due to lack of exposure in that field and that the client’s propositions were taken forth in the right direction.
The ideology of the company was the brainchild of the Founder/CEO, Mr. Uday Sonthalia. Genetically blessed with business and entrepreneurial abilities and having been educated in the top schools of the country, the founder was always an inquisitive young man with a penchant for ideas, creativity and entrepreneurship. With an eye for recognizing potential in little ideas which can eventually become huge accomplishments, he has been the driving force behind the growth of the organization, making Uni Square Concepts a startup growth case study in India.
For any startup to succeed, the untiring spirit of the entrepreneur/founder is of utmost importance. Uday Sonthalia knew this in the success story of his marketing and advertising agency in India. Especially for an organization such as Uni Square Concepts, which provides all-round marketing solutions, the challenges faced are many. Although profits are a very important goal, the brand-building part of the process is indispensable. Uni Square Concepts has had to undergo several challenges along the way of becoming what it is today, and providing a startup growth case study in India. With an ever-changing and adaptable work mode centered around a strong core, the organization has found the perfect balance to survive the challenges of this highly competitive industry.
The founder, although having a young organization, has done something that no other up-and-coming organization would do: share his knowledge with students in the form of workshops and events. Being a startup and taking up events like the Annual Entrepreneurship Summit, which was hosted by Uni Square Concepts in 2014 and 2016, requires immense foresight, planning and confidence, which the founder has had from day one. Further accomplishments are listed in the next sections of this use case of advertising agency revenue growth. This again led to another challenge, which is still ongoing. In today’s market scenario, it is difficult for the company to find hard-working and experienced people to employ, because such people with experience are already working in bigger firms. People from younger generations, who have maybe just finished college, require training even after they have been employed. Thus, finding hardworking and talented people with a penchant for learning is a hard task.
[ STRENUOUS SITUATIONS, DEMANDING TIMES ]
THE CHALLENGE
In today’s competitive scenario, a startup faces many struggles, right from obtaining new clients and retaining them, unavailability of HR, legal issues, marketing and management, organizational constraints, and many more. Surviving beyond these as an organization requires immense willpower, forethought and planning on the part of the founder.
FIRST MAJOR CHALLENGE
One of the first challenges faced by Uni Square Concepts was sourcing clients. Being a startup, it was difficult in the initial stages to get good clients who would trust this young organization with their work. This forms the basis of this startup growth case study in India. At that point, the team started talking to their contacts and prepared a marketing strategy for the organization. They started listing Uni Square, their tariffs and packages in publications. Even after they started getting these clients, the major problem was that of getting paid on time. No one was willing to pay them for the work they did; instead, the clients used to get work done and not pay the company. This resulted in losses for the company. A solution had to be arrived at and they did find one: advanced payments. The concept of advanced payments is non-existent in the advertising industry but due to the quality and ethicality of work, Uni Square was able to find good clients who were willing to pay in advance. This trust was important for the company’s growth. The industry standard defying practice, contributes to this success story of marketing and advertising agency in India.
CROSSING THE HURDLE OF GETTING THE FIRST CUSTOMER
The organization’s first client was a garment exporter, who approached the company for its services in September 2013, the month after the company was started. The budget was of merely Rs. 2,000 and after the work was done, the profits left were only Rs.70. This use case of advertising agency revenue growth will highlight further the dramatic change of events and the recipes of success. Even though the founder doesn’t come from a financially poor background, he worked with dedication. Not considering the profit margin, he worked through the night to maintain deadline and deliver a satisfactory experience to the customer. This ideology was implemented not only for the first customer, but also for many other customers who trusted the company in its initial stages. The hard work and efforts paid off and slowly the company started developing a trust in its customers and started growing. Only after powering through the initial years in this manner, has the company risen to such a position that they can now demand value and clients also happily provide them with the same.
ANOTHER MAJOR CHALLENGE WAS THAT OF HUMAN RESOURCES
It was difficult to find talented and hard-working people to recruit. Since they were a startup, they did not have any policies or legal documents laid down for the new employees. Only a basic offer letter was signed, which led to these new employees slacking off at work. This was when they decided to formulate proper legal documents and employment policies; everything would be on paper henceforth. It also acted as a major stepping stone in this startup growth case study in India. This again led to another challenge, which is still ongoing. In today’s market scenario, it is difficult for the company to find hard-working and experienced people to employ, because such people with experience are already working in bigger firms. People from younger generations, who have maybe just finished college, require training even after they have been employed. Thus, finding hardworking and talented people with a penchant for learning is a hard task.
OTHER CHALLENGES
Besides these organizational difficulties, the major threat the organization faced from outside was legal issues. For an organization to be truly ethical, the software they use for official purposes must be paid for and not pirated. This was what Uni Square Concepts was also adhering to. Being a startup with no capital, slow client sourcing and a low income flow, did not stop them from being ethical. All the software they use, were properly purchased in spite of the costs; all their initial income was invested in good software. For softwares, which were too expensive and of less utility, they found cheaper but equally effective alternatives because ethics is a core value at Uni Square Concepts. However, the software providers kept contacting them every year, questioning their integrity. This was a blow to their morality, but they weathered these struggles and stood strong. A software provider even audited their office, with the motive of finding unethical practices, but left after checking their spotless records. These ethics and high moral standards were the primary reasons for their ease of business, even during demonetization and the introduction of GST (Goods and Services Tax in India).
Now, the foundations are laid, proper systems are in place and the organization has experience and knowledge, goodwill and assets (well-built office, world class website etc.). The startup growth case study in India has taken an all new shape. They have earned sustenance and a profitable position. The challenge that they face right now is further growth in the market and taking the organization to the next level. Looking to compete with the top agencies and entering that league, the organization is facing the challenge of getting recognition. The business must also become self-sustaining both financially and operationally. This means that, even in the absence of the founder, the activities must not come to a halt. This is the next big challenge which they face. Nevertheless, this doesn’t defy the success story of this marketing and advertising agency in India.
[ Outcome ]
Results
Right from its launch in August 2013, the company has been striving to establish themselves as a multi-faceted company, making this article a top use case of advertising agency revenue growth. With their first customer, a garments exporter, Uni Square Concepts has only been powering forward in their journey through several challenges. With the launch of their website in January 2014, there has been a steady growth in their organization’s strength. The website version 2.0 was also relaunched in March of the same year. This again reflects the importance of keeping up with the changes in the industry and adapting to new trends.
That same year, an important event in the timeline of the agency took place in the success story of marketing and advertising agency in India: the Annual Entrepreneurship Summit. With Prof. (Dr.) Balvinder Shukla, Vice chancellor, Amity University presiding as the inaugural chief guest of the event and Dr. Kiran Bedi as the chief guest of the valedictory session, the event was a huge success for Uni Square Concepts. With the presence of several eminent entrepreneurs, eminent faculties of several prestigious business schools of the country, the event was truly memorable. With speakers from various fields sharing their entrepreneurial journeys and the founder, Mr. Uday Sonthalia himself delivering an address on entrepreneurship, the Annual Entrepreneurship Summit 2014, was a feather in Uni Square Concepts’ proverbial hat.
With the experience gained in this event, the organization was ready to host several upcoming events, like the Global Crypto Summit in July 2014 and the Concept Carnival in December 2014. Both events were major successes for Uni Square Concepts. The Concept Carnival was a combination of two workshops, on Social Media Marketing and on Graphic Design. It was a brilliant opportunity for freshers to develop their skills and to become aware of rising trends in the industry.
The organization is also always on the lookout for new talent and go by the values of the founder, who believes in the power of an idea and is always encouraging to never dismiss an idea as small or silly. This has led to several workshops being conducted by the founder and the organization, on creativity, on marketing and advertising and the importance of digital media as an important source and platform. In September 2014, the Creativity Workshop was organized for students of class XI, who were inquisitive and creative.
The year 2015 was another eventful year for the organization, with two big events, The Gain BitCoin in March and UnoCoin in April of the same year. Both events dealt with the growing global cryptocurrency surge. October of that year, came another prestigious opportunity; as a testament to his hardwork and entrepreneurial and leadership skills, the founder, Mr. Uday Sonthalia was invited to conduct a session at TGC India. The session for students was on advertising and as an inspiring individual, his address was equally successful. The accolades were to increase in the coming months. Every year, Delhi Public School has its Inter-DPS commerce fest, Vanijya. For the year 2015, the founder was invited as a judge for their “Creative Curve” competition.
With the success of the Annual Entrepreneurship Summit 2014 in their experience, the organization hosted the Summit for the second time in January 2016. With a huge footfall and involvement and prestigious speakers and guests, the event was a success story of marketing and advertising agency in India with which Uni Square Concepts ushered in the year 2016.
Always on the lookout for new talent, Uni Square Concepts held a campus placement drive at GLA University in February 2017. Many people were inspired by this startup growth case study in India during the journey. In September of the same year, the CEO was invited as a guest of honor to the prestigious Amity Entrepreneurship Forum by Amity University.
Uni Square Concepts achieved a milestone on 10th August 2017, when the long awaited changes finally took place. With the completion of 4 successful years on 10th August 2017, Uni Square Concepts grew at all fronts and shifted to a bigger awing office space. The new office provided the team with a state of the art setup, along with modern and luxurious interiors, to justify an advertising agency. The use case of advertising agency revenue growth highlights the increase in revenue by working hard and ethically.
The hard work of any organization never goes unnoticed. With Uni Square Concepts slowly but steadily making a progress on the upward organizational success curve, the HR Association of India awarded them with the “Excellence in Creative Business” Award, in January 2018. In April 2018, the founder/ CEO was invited to judge Technovation, The B Plan competition at Amitech, Amity University.
By reading this startup growth case study in India, so far, you must have realised that an organization’s success always depends on their ability to keep in touch with the changes in the market and shift their internal environment accordingly. With the experience gained by Uni Square Concepts in all forums including technical and creative in both marketing and designing, The Uni Square Blog was launched. The blog is a means of putting forth their learnings and experiences as pieces of information packaged for quick consumption. This experience and confidence were the motivations behind The Uni Square Awards 2018 in August 2018, which was also in commemoration of the organization turning five. They have powered through many struggles and have seen tremendous growth, from a single-room office to a well-planned office of their own after four years of hard work.
The success of this use case of advertising agency revenue growth can be judged by the fact that in 2019, Uni Square Concepts was rated as the number one advertising agency in Delhi by Three Best Rated. The Uni Square Awards 2019 was organized to mark the milestone of Uni Square Concepts turning 6. The event witnessed the launch of ‘The Unparalleled Roadmap, handbook to get your dream job’, a book authored by the CEO.
In this startup growth case study in India, over the years, USC has had the opportunity of curating a clientele from various industries, ranging from pharma and healthcare, films, events, hospitality, development sector (NGOs), sports and real estate, to name a few. The solutions provided to these organizations have been numerous, varied and completely built upon the basis of creative thinking without abandoning the principles of marketing and design. The company has designed marketing plans, logos and sites, created and built domains, set up ad campaigns, made TVCs and written SEO/ SEM content for these clients. The ideology the company was started with, that of diversifying and establishing in all fields, has gone beyond the kind of work done to the types of clients the work is done for.
The hierarchy at Uni Square Concepts is flat structured, wherein experienced and talented personnel manage and oversee the day to day operations of the company, along with contributing to strategic planning. Everyone is at the same level of hierarchy, headed by the founder. This way, there is a healthy room for discussion and the work environment is welcoming and participatory.