Deepak Shukla is an SEO expert and co-founder of SERPWizz, an online SEO auditing tool for businesses. SERPWizz was founded by award-winning SEO agency creators to provide top-quality SEO white label services. Over the last month, SERPWizz has gone onto triple its revenue.
Deepak has since gone on to invest in algorithmic trading, launch 3 apps, build a 5-figure online course and start a plant-based food delivery service.
Deepak Shukla has featured in TEDx, SEMrush, BBC & more.
When he’s not running his business, you’ll find him running marathons, getting tattoos, or playing with his cat Jenny!
What were the top 3 mistakes you made as an entrepreneur, and if you could start over what would you do differently?
Giving People The Benefit Of The Doubt
When you’re a founder, you’re on the hook – that means if someone doesn’t deliver, it’s you who takes the wrap. That’s why I regret giving too many people the benefit of the doubt. For example, I have had people promise they could work for me for the next three months, but then bail without notice in a matter of days.
If people didn’t deliver when they said they would, I would say – well they didn’t deliver, so it’s not my fault. Now I’d say it was my fault for being naive. How often have you gone through with your new year’s resolutions? How many times have you bailed on a plan at the last minute? You can’t just assume people will follow through, because it’s you and your business on the line. If I had acted differently, I would have been let down way less and succeeded in business more quickly.
Letting My Business Reflect My Personal Flaws
When you become a founder, it can be hard to separate yourself from your business. As my business grew, I started to notice my business reflected my personal flaws. I can be random and chaotic, I do lots of things all at once, and my business started to reflect that. I followed ‘shiny things’ (opportunities that seemed that quick money makers) instead of improving what I had already. For example, I began to hear stories about investment opportunities that seemed like a great way to make money fairly quickly. I ended up investing £5k in a business that didn’t scale well, while my Customer Relationship Management System was non-existent and needed sorting out. Had I stopped to consider which operational priorities really made sense for my business, I wouldn’t have done this. I was a victim of my own way of thinking.
Not Getting A Business Growth Coach
This mistake relates to my last. It took hiring and speaking to my business growth coach to realise that my business reflected some of my personal shortcomings. When you’re working alone, it can be hard to step outside of your head and look at what you have produced. Even if you aren’t working alone and you’re working with friends, you should get a business coach. This is because people who know you are accustomed to your cognitive patterns and behaviour. They cannot provide an objective and realistic assessment of yourself as a businessperson.
This is especially the case when you have a level of emotional investment in your business too. I think that this is the case for most founders, you wouldn’t start a business if you didn’t believe in it completely. That’s how I learned that it’s usually mental breakthroughs, such as a recognition of your own negative behaviour, that gets your business moving – not some kind of magic business strategy or excellent business plan. A good business coach will help you adjust your mindset and relentlessly keep you accountable. Yes, hiring a business coach costs money, but ultimately, you will recoup that money. As soon as your budget allows you to hire a good business coach, hire one.
Deepak Shukla, Co-Founder, SERPWizz
Top 3 Business Mistakes: Neil Patel of KISSmetrics: My Top 3 Business Mistakes
