How Gaurav Kokitkar is creating his roadmap to success in his startup through our online degree

Meet Gaurav, a determined online learner hailing from the picturesque town of Ratnagiri, Maharashtra. With a background in science, Gaurav didn’t want to pursue engineering and defied convention by following his passion for visual storytelling, embarking on a journey into the world of fashion photography with a BA degree. However, he didn’t want to pursue a career in fashion photography and wanted to pursue it as a hobby. Moreover, his attention grew towards starting a business of his own.  

It was in November 2019 when Gaurav decided to kickstart his business, when he was interning at an advertising agency in Bengaluru. This was also when the first case of Covid broke out. However, he didn’t want to pause his idea and he took the leap.  

A startup idea from his roots 

His startup idea rooted from the place he belongs to- Ratnagiri. Ratnagiri, a city in Maharashtra, is popular for Alphonso mangoes. Seasonal Alphonso mangoes are regarded as on e of the fruit’s best types in terms of sweetness, richness, and flavor. In comparison to other mango types, Alphonso mangoes are generally 20% more expensive. The Ratnagiri Alphonso mango is rather expensive, but its taste and quality make up for its high cost. Wondering how this led to his startup idea? Let’s explore.  

“Wanted to help my farmers” 

“I drew inspiration from my father for my startup. He was a government employee in the agricultural sector. I was already well-connected with several farmers in Ratnagiri, which is famous for alphonso mangoes. I knew the struggles they went through to sell those mangoes. In cities, sellers make up to 20-30% of their profits selling mangoes. But, in Ratnagiri, farmers don’t make profits as most of the money is lost to middlemen, who fix the price for the mangoes. I wanted to break that chain. So, I started a venture which helps farmers sell mangoes directly to the customer. “Mymango” is an e-commerce platform that allows farmers to directly sell their produce to the final consumer.” So far, Gaurav has had over 1,000 clients in 1 year.  

“My business taught me patience” 

Gaurav’s startup experience was life altering for him. He faced new challenges every day and overcame them. The best learning during his journey was patience, he says. “I think patience is the best lesson I learnt. Because during Covid, there were many logistical issues that we had to face. From gathering the produce to packaging, the entire process was challenging. When we started off, we only had the idea but didn’t have the resources to get into the market. It was a tough period, I would say. Soon enough, we got in touch with multiple stakeholders like our delivery partners and began to distribute our products all While his business was running successfully, he decided to pursue an online MBA. 

“Wanted to gain entrepreneurial expertise” 

“During my startup journey, I was exposed to several challenges in terms of expenditures, marketing and sales. I realized that he needed to enhance in knowledge in finance. So, I wanted to pursue an MBA to gain the entrepreneurial expertise that I lacked.” 

“I enhanced my financial skills through this online MBA” 

After his research, Gaurav decided to choose Manipal University Jaipur for his online MBA. Impressed with the flexibility that the degree offers, Gaurav pursued his online MBA in Finance to enhance his knowledge and hone his financial skills. “From the management perspective, there are many subjects like HR, which really interested me. Through this degree, I realized how important it is to keep my employees happy. I always assumed they were a liability to my company. Only after pursuing my MBA, I realized that they are in fact as asset to my business and company,” Gaurav says.  

Another reason why Gaurav chose an online MBA is because he wanted to study at his own pace and time. “The weekend lectures were great. I usually study during the night, so it was easy for me to balance work and academics. The curriculum was industry relevant and helped me gain knowledge in several aspects of business. I must say that the LMS was excellent. It was user-friendly and all the content was available in one place. The LMS saves student data so efficiently that it is easier for me to revisit the same content,” Gaurav says. 

A proud online graduate of MUJ! 

In another proud moment, Gaurav was among the first batch of online learners who graduated from Manipal University Jaipur in December 2023. Manipal University Jaipur conducted its first in-person Convocation in its picturesque campus in Jaipur. Speaking of his experience attending the Convocation, Gaurav says, “The Convocation was very well-organized I got an opportunity to meet my peers in person, after interacting with them virtually for the last two years. It was also a great experience to receive my degree certificate in person, even though the entire program was online. Meeting my classmates personally helped me establish a social connection. We also chatted a lot about our experience during the MBA course.” 

Final words 

While Gaurav is busy restructuring his business model, he is also working as a full time Data Analyst in Pune. To understand how to effectively make use of data to make business decisions, he also pursued a certification course in business analytics. Along with the zest to learn and acquire knowledge continuously, Gaurav is now a proud Manipal alumnus.