Last updated - November 28, 2024
In the fast-paced and ever-evolving world of eCommerce, navigating the complexities of running a successful online business requires the right tools, innovative solutions, and a deep understanding of customer needs.
Mr. Vijay Chelakkat, the Founder and CEO of Elula Tech Pvt. Ltd., has made significant strides in this space, creating a company that simplifies eCommerce operations through brands like LearnWoo, ELEXtensions, and ReachShip.
In this interview, Mr. Vijay shares his entrepreneurial journey, the challenges he faced in the early days of Elula Tech, and how he continues to lead his company with a customer-centric approach.
Can you share your journey from starting your career to founding Elula Tech? What were the key moments that led you to become an entrepreneur?
My journey from starting my career to founding Elula Tech has been filled with valuable lessons, growth, and a deep passion for solving problems. I began my career in the tech industry (Wipro, PayPal), gaining hands-on experience in software development and business operations. During this time, I noticed the complexities many online store owners faced, especially around managing e-commerce functionalities like pricing, shipping, and product customization.
One key moment was realizing how much potential there was to create tools that could simplify and automate these tasks. That sparked my interest in WooCommerce, which eventually led to the creation of ELEXtensions, a brand focused on developing plugins to enhance the WooCommerce experience. Building ELEXtensions taught me the importance of listening to users, understanding their pain points, and providing solutions that truly make a difference.
Another pivotal moment came when I recognized the need for not just tools, but educational resources. This realization led to the creation of LearnWoo, a platform designed to provide comprehensive learning materials for WooCommerce and WordPress users. Seeing the positive impact of this venture reinforced my desire to keep innovating and expanding my efforts.
Finally, with the growing importance of logistics in e-commerce, I founded ReachShip, which focuses on simplifying the shipping process for WooCommerce store owners by integrating with major carriers. The idea was to offer a complete solution, from the store to the customer’s doorstep.
The transition to entrepreneurship felt natural as I combined my technical knowledge with a desire to solve real-world problems. Each step of the way, the goal has been to empower businesses with the right tools and knowledge, and that drive continues to fuel my journey today with Elula Tech Private Limited.
What were some of the biggest challenges you faced in the early days of Elula Tech, and how did you overcome them?
In the early days of Elula Tech, one of the biggest challenges was establishing credibility in a competitive market. As a new company, building trust with potential customers was crucial, especially when offering solutions in the e-commerce space, where users often rely on proven tools and services. To overcome this, we focused heavily on delivering high-quality, reliable products right from the start. We made sure to listen closely to user feedback, refine our offerings, and provide excellent customer support to build a positive reputation over time.
Another significant challenge was managing limited resources, particularly in terms of time and manpower. As a small team, we had to prioritize and work efficiently to ensure that we could meet deadlines while maintaining the quality of our products. We adopted an agile development approach, breaking down larger projects into smaller, manageable tasks and continuously iterating based on user needs and market trends.
Finally, scaling our operations while ensuring consistent product quality was a challenge. As demand grew for our solutions, it became essential to streamline processes, automate tasks where possible, and bring on board the right talent to support our growth. Building a strong, skilled team and fostering a collaborative work environment helped us scale without compromising on the user experience.
Through a combination of persistence, adaptability, and a clear focus on delivering value to our customers, we were able to overcome these early challenges and continue growing as a company.
How has your leadership style evolved over the years, and what key principles guide your decision-making as a CEO?
Over the years, my leadership style has evolved from a more hands-on, task-oriented approach to a more strategic and empowering role. In the early stages of Elula Tech, I was deeply involved in every aspect of the business, from product development to customer support. As the company grew, I learned the importance of trusting my team and giving them the autonomy to take ownership of their work. This shift allowed me to focus on the bigger picture—driving innovation, setting long-term goals, and building strategic partnerships.
One key principle that guides my decision-making as a CEO is putting the customer at the center of everything we do. I believe that understanding our users’ needs and addressing their pain points is the foundation for creating valuable products and services. Every decision, whether it’s related to product development or business strategy, is made with the end-user in mind.
Another guiding principle is fostering a culture of continuous learning and innovation. I encourage my team to stay curious, embrace new challenges, and never settle for the status quo. This mindset not only drives our company forward but also keeps us adaptable in a rapidly changing industry.
Lastly, I focus on long-term sustainability rather than short-term gains. Whether it’s in terms of growth, partnerships, or product development, I prioritize decisions that contribute to the long-term success and stability of the business, ensuring that we build something that can stand the test of time.
These principles—customer-centricity, continuous learning, and long-term thinking—have shaped my leadership style and decision-making as Elula Tech has grown.
What was your vision when you founded Elula Tech, and how has it evolved with the success of brands like LearnWoo, ELEXtensions, and ReachShip?
When I founded Elula Tech, my vision was to create a company that could simplify the complex processes of running an e-commerce business. I wanted to build solutions that not only solved immediate pain points but also empowered online store owners to grow and scale their businesses with ease. Initially, the focus was on providing efficient and user-friendly WooCommerce extensions through ELEXtensions, which addressed the needs of small and medium-sized businesses by enhancing their store’s functionality.
As Elula Tech grew and ELEXtensions gained success, I realized that there was a broader opportunity to support the e-commerce community. That’s when we launched LearnWoo, with the vision to educate and guide WooCommerce users through detailed tutorials, resources, and industry insights. Our goal was to bridge the knowledge gap and help both beginners and seasoned users unlock the full potential of their stores.
The success of ReachShip marked the next evolution of our vision, as we recognized the need for more seamless and efficient shipping solutions. As shipping is a critical part of e-commerce, we aimed to make logistics simpler for businesses by offering real-time shipping rates, multi-carrier integration, and automated shipping processes.
Over time, my vision has evolved from simply offering tools and resources to creating a holistic ecosystem for e-commerce businesses. Today, we’re focused on continuing to innovate and expand our offerings to support merchants at every stage of their journey—from learning and setting up their stores to managing operations and logistics efficiently. While the scope of our vision has broadened, the core mission remains the same: to help e-commerce businesses thrive with powerful, easy-to-use solutions.
With the rapidly changing landscape of eCommerce, how does Elula Tech stay ahead of the curve?
We do this by embracing a few key strategies:
Customer-Centric Innovation: We continuously listen to our users and gather feedback to understand their evolving needs. By maintaining a close connection with our customer base, we can develop and refine our products to stay aligned with real-world challenges. This has allowed us to anticipate trends and build solutions that address the pain points of eCommerce businesses before they become widespread.
Agility and Adaptability: The eCommerce space is constantly evolving with new technologies, market demands, and consumer behaviors. To stay ahead, we remain agile in our approach, regularly updating our products and services to incorporate the latest features, integrations, and improvements. Whether it’s new payment gateways, advanced shipping options, or enhanced WooCommerce functionalities, we strive to ensure that our solutions remain relevant and future-ready.
Investing in R&D: We actively invest in research and development to explore new tools, technologies, and platforms that can improve the user experience. This includes experimenting with AI, automation, and data-driven solutions that help eCommerce merchants optimize their operations and grow their businesses. By staying at the forefront of technological advancements, we can offer cutting-edge features that set us apart.
Educational Resources: Through LearnWoo, we stay ahead by continuously educating our audience about the latest trends, best practices, and updates in the eCommerce world. By empowering our users with knowledge, we not only build trust but also help them stay informed and prepared for industry shifts.
Strategic Partnerships: To remain competitive, we focus on building partnerships with key players in the eCommerce ecosystem, including logistics providers like Australia Post and DHL, and payment gateways. These partnerships allow us to integrate new services and offer more comprehensive solutions that cater to the needs of a diverse range of businesses.
ELEXtensions offers customizable WordPress and WooCommerce solutions. How do you identify the needs of your customers, and what’s your process for developing these products?
Active Customer Feedback: We actively engage with our users through support channels, forums, and social media to gather feedback on existing products and learn about the challenges they face. This direct communication helps us identify pain points, feature requests, and areas for improvement. We also monitor reviews and testimonials to gauge user satisfaction and identify trends in customer needs.
Industry Research and Trends: The eCommerce landscape is constantly evolving, with new technologies, regulations, and consumer behaviors emerging. Our team keeps a close eye on industry trends, WordPress and WooCommerce updates, and competitor offerings to stay informed about what’s changing and where the demand is heading. This helps us anticipate what features and integrations will be most valuable to our users.
Support Tickets and User Data: Our support team plays a crucial role in helping us understand user challenges. We analyze patterns in support tickets and common queries to identify areas where users might struggle or need more customization options. This data-driven approach helps us prioritize features that can make the biggest impact on user experience.
ReachShip simplifies logistics for businesses. What was the inspiration behind this product, and how do you see it evolving in the future to meet the needs of your customers?
The inspiration behind ReachShip came from a clear need to simplify the complex and often time-consuming logistics process that many eCommerce businesses face. As we worked closely with WooCommerce store owners through our other brands, it became evident that managing shipping, especially across multiple carriers, was a significant pain point. Many businesses struggled with finding the best shipping rates, automating shipping processes, and efficiently handling order fulfillment. We wanted to develop a solution that could seamlessly integrate with their stores and provide a user-friendly way to manage logistics without hassle.
The future of ReachShip will focus on deepening our integrations with more shipping carriers, eCommerce platforms and expanding our automation capabilities. As businesses grow and customer expectations for fast, reliable shipping continue to rise, we plan to evolve the product by incorporating AI-driven logistics optimizations and offering tools that help businesses make smarter decisions on shipping routes, carriers, and costs. Additionally, we envision ReachShip becoming a more comprehensive solution, offering easy and intuitive ways to print shipping labels, real-time tracking, analytics, and insights to help businesses streamline their entire fulfillment process.
What advice would you give to someone starting their own tech startup today? What are the common pitfalls to avoid?
Start Small and Iterate: Don’t aim for perfection from the beginning. Launch a minimum viable product (MVP) as soon as possible, gather feedback, and then iterate based on what you learn. This agile approach allows you to adapt quickly and ensures that you’re building something that resonates with your market.
Build a Strong Team: Surround yourself with people who are not only talented but also share your vision and passion. A strong, aligned team is essential for navigating the ups and downs of a startup journey.
Manage Your Finances Carefully: Cash flow management is crucial in the early stages. It’s easy to get carried away with spending, but it’s important to be frugal and ensure you have enough runway to reach key milestones. Don’t rely on future fundraising as a safety net—plan as if you’ll need to bootstrap longer than expected.
How do you go about building a strong and cohesive team? What qualities do you look for when hiring, especially in the early stages of a startup?
Shared Vision and Passion: In the early stages of a startup, it’s essential to bring on people who are not just skilled but also deeply aligned with the company’s mission and vision. I look for individuals who are genuinely passionate about solving the problem we’re addressing and are excited about the journey we’re on. When team members share the same vision, it fosters a sense of purpose and drives commitment, which is crucial in the fast-paced, often uncertain environment of a startup.
Adaptability and Resilience: In a startup, things can change rapidly, and the ability to adapt is key. I prioritize hiring people who are comfortable with ambiguity, able to pivot when necessary, and resilient in the face of challenges. Startups are full of highs and lows, and it’s important to have a team that can weather those storms and remain focused on the long-term goal.
Complementary Skills: Building a well-rounded team means bringing together individuals with different strengths and expertise. I look for people who can fill gaps in the current team’s skill set and complement each other’s abilities. This diversity in skills and perspectives helps the team innovate and tackle challenges from different angles.
Strong Communication and Collaboration: Since startups often involve small teams working closely together, strong communication skills are a must. I look for people who are not only great at their jobs but also collaborative, able to give and receive feedback, and willing to contribute to a culture of openness and trust.
Prioritize hiring individuals who have a growth mindset—those who are curious, always looking to learn, and open to feedback. In a startup, there’s constant room for improvement, and having team members who are eager to grow both personally and professionally is invaluable.
Where do you see the eCommerce industry heading in the next 5-10 years, and how do you plan to position Elula Tech in this evolving landscape?
As consumers increasingly expect personalized shopping experiences, the use of artificial intelligence will become crucial. AI will enable businesses to analyze customer data more effectively, providing tailored product recommendations and marketing strategies that resonate with individual preferences.
As sustainability becomes a key factor in consumer decisions, we will explore ways to help our customers implement eco-friendly practices and transparency within their operations. By staying adaptable and forward-thinking, we aim to not only respond to the changes in the eCommerce landscape but also to lead our customers toward success in this dynamic environment.