It is very rare that we see people with specific aims and plans in mind in this modern-day world. But that is exactly what our champion is, he’s a “Man with a plan”. Pragadeesh Kannan, 24, is a young and budding entrepreneur. Even at such a young age, he can boast of having a startup under his belt.
Though he has a very tough looking name, under that façade, he’s a very amicable person. “Unlike many, I am not an accidental engineer. I was planning to land in a top engineering college because my Mom wanted me to. And yeah, studied hard and got into Printing Engineering at CEG, Anna University in Chennai.
From my 12th standard, my passion for editing photos started to develop. Over the years, I started getting more interested with designing and the amazing outcomes it could provide. That’s how I became a designer. Apart from that, I am a movie buff. Most of my weekends are spent at movie theatres munching popcorns. Music forms a very important part of my life and Rahman is my saviour.”
Being an engineer and moving into content writing is not an unheard-of move. Speaking about that, Pragadeesh says, “Content writing was something not on my list. I never knew I could write although I was capable of weaving stories in many exam papers. I managed to write a small book for my friend and that’s when I knew I could write. It was an accidental discovery. Later, after repeated attempts at multiple snippets, I have finally published a short story on amazon kindle. So, I guess I can call myself a writer from now on.”
Starting one’s own startup at a young age is a dream for many kids, but Pragadeesh has made it a reality. He’s a founder of Dize Designs, which is essentially into customizing photo frames. Talking about Dize, he says, “I love making personalized gifts for my friends on their birthdays. It started with my best friend’s birthday. I had made a mosaic art and posted on Instagram.
A classmate of mine saw that and asked me if I could make one for her friend. Playfully, I suggested a nominal amount and she instantly agreed. And that’s how the idea was born. One week later, I had five orders, and since then, there has been no looking back. We now have 200 plus customers and 600+ frames which have been delivered. Most of the orders are from referrals and the amount I have spent on marketing is very less. Good product acts as a self-marketing tool. This is what I believe in.”
We all know how difficult it is to get into venture like this especially since creativity and demand don’t always see eye to eye. Pragadeesh is very clear when he replies to this and says, “We outsource the frames. We have a close association with the manufacturers and we check for the quality of each frame once it is completed. And all our orders, we have done with the same manufacturer. Consistency has been always been the key for us. That’s how we ensure quality.”
Pragadeesh Kannan is also working as a Graphic Designer at Inkmonk, which is into printing. When asked about how he manages both the jobs simultaneously, he smiles and says, “Dize Designs is actually a team of four. I handle the design and customer engagement part. My parents and sister handle the logistics and operations part. Without them, nothing would have been possible. So, most of the workload is shared. And I follow the common rule, work while you work. play while you play. And that’s why I don’t think about Dize Designs when I am at my day job at Inkmonk. I don’t think about Inkmonk when I work at night for Dize Designs.”
When asked about the future of Dize, he says, “As of now, I am going with the flow. I have a plan to start an online store for Dize Designs soon. After that, will take a major decision on how I should proceed. But currently, building a fully functional site for Dize Designs is the biggest plan. Apart from this, I am looking forward to learning more stuff. I wish to publish a full bound book one day.”
When asked about the ubiquitous question of traditional vs non-traditional jobs, he’s a big supporter of doing it one’s own way. “DO what interests you. If it doesn’t, take a bold decision and step out of it. If you don’t do what you love, you will always be depressed and disgusted with yourself. To stay positive and happy, the only way is to fit yourself with what you love. Eventually, everything else will fall into place. So, when you want to deviate from the traditional career path to do something you like, I just have two words. DO IT.”
At 24, Pragadeesh Kannan is already shaping up to be a world class entrepreneur. With the full support of his family, friends and his learnings of the real market, we might soon see him as a top-notch executive making all of us proud.
