The Genesis of Muzigal

Muzigal is essentially an app which acts as a stage for collating music and learning on a global scale. As Muzigal would put it, it is a global academy for music. The creation of this app supposedly had its roots in the intention of democratising the music teaching and learning environment and making it accessible to all. The app claims to make the entire online learning seamless and smooth, right from the booking, scheduling, live video sessions and even the actual curriculum.

When you do a quick search on Google Play Store or the Apple Store, you will find a myriad of apps that cater to musical learning such as digital pianos, apps with sheet music to practice different songs, apps to find the right pitch so you can train your voice or even some that allow you to practice for a future as a Disk Jockey (DJ). There is plenty of variety out there to choose from, so why Muzigal?

Entrepreneurship is a spirit-driven field. That spirit, as per Dr. Yeluri, could come out of anything. He backs research that says the motive of revenge could be a guiding force behind successful entrepreneurs. “It is! Sometimes out of shackles, when we get the space to do things our way, we get that drive. It is a big factor. If it is revenge against the restrictions that one might have been put under, then so be it.” 

During the 1990s, Yeluri was in Karnataka completing his bachelors in dental surgery at the SJM Dental College. He got his first business experience during this period. In his third year of studies, he started a food-joint with his cousin. An affordable meal-joint for students that served Andhra food. He chose Andhra food as their serving because many Andhra students studied in his college. By this time, Yeluri was still in the grooming age of 22.  He credits this early start to time and his friends. “I would study a day before exams and get through. I used the free time to talk to people,” he says. 

Networking for an entrepreneur starts right from an early age. It is a skill to possess. The difficult part is to separate the wheat from the chaff. Dr. Yeluri, however, has an interesting rule in making friends, “So I make two types of friends. These are clearly defined types. One who are intellectuals, skilled people who know their trade. The other end is on the opposite extreme. These are the sets of people who have no idea what needs to be done. They are just living day by day. No hope, no care. They are fun people to get along with it. See, both the spectrums are happy, you see. Both have clarity in what they are doing (chuckles).” On being asked, which side of the spectrum does he lie on, he adds, “I like to be on both the ends. I want to live as I want to live, carefree but by being of some use to the community”.

What Is Risk?

At one point in the journey, the risk becomes a crucial word in an entrepreneur’s life. There is always some lingering fear of failure. In the ever-relaxed voice of Dr. Yeluri, he quickly does away with the idea of risk. “What is a risk? What will happen if you fail? You lose money, that is it. How much will you lose, only the amount you have, right? No problem, there is always going to be something you can do. Become a cab driver or maybe teach people in a village. Do something, whatever gives you a 3-time meal, that’s all. In India, your family will anyway feed you at least. A small amount like five thousand can easily give you some Pani Puri for breakfast and meal in the night.” Dr Yeluri believes entrepreneurs should become comfortable in the easy mantra of “start early, fail early”. As per him, there is nothing much you can do with, “You lose only the amount you were worthy of, isn’t it? You can’t lose something that was bestowed upon you more than your worth. That is unlikely for an entrepreneur. So why worry,” he asserts. 

Often entrepreneurs are seen as smart horses of the business stable. Their approach is expected to scale operations at a demanding pace. In turn, the competitive mindset bends the ethical backbone of the individual. Are you a principled man? I ask Dr. Yeluri. His reply is prompt, “Totally. Nothing without principles. Business of any kind shall not be done without it. This is what your employees, investors and other people would look for too. Our lives get shaped too through such principles. You might lose some money now but on a longer run, ethics are good.” 

Honesty, Fearlessness And Trip To Agra

Vocal about space for improvement, Yeluri opens up on his weaknesses, “On the top of my mind comes this lack of daily order. As I said, I never had a proper classroom-type education. So, the day-to-day operational management is not something I’m good at. Micro-management is something I don’t do generally. That means I’m trying to work upon it.” Dr. Yeluri is a believer of fun in life. “I don’t call myself busy. Unless it is a new start-up, I’m mostly free. I enjoy my time with family. I like to sing a lot and play guitar in my free time.”

For Dr. Yeluri, there is no scope for excuses if you want something. Fear of losing as per him is just another palliation. He braved his way early in life with decisions that made him the fearless entrepreneur that he is today. For that, he turns a few pages back in his life and shares an incident that has a lot of learning for budding entrepreneurs. “In a market in Bangalore, I used to see nice pairs of shoes being sold at around 350 rupees. Back in my hometown Vizag, the same shoes were being sold at 750 rupees. I enquired a bit and found out; it was Agra from where these shoes were coming from. I knew, since the margin shift between Bangalore and Vizag is such, Agra markets must be selling them even cheaper. Next day with a little cash, I was on a train to Agra. In less than 48 hours, I was at my own stall for shoes back in my hometown. We sold well and I realized, how many business opportunities are there to work with!”