Social media platforms have supplanted traditional forms of marketing and advertising during the past ten years, in addition to virtually everything else. If you have a teenager, you understand the influence social media and its influencers have on society. Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter, YouTube, JOSH, etc are just a few examples of the social media sites that have altered the way people behave, learn, and communicate.
Before social media became popular, marketing and advertising frequently featured well-known celebrities because businesses understood that using such celebrities to promote their goods would encourage their fan bases to make purchases. There would be a demand for something if people believed that if it was good enough for a celebrity to use it, it must also be good. The development of social media influence is intriguing as it provides a platform and opportunity to commoners to make it big and showcase the hidden potential.
This is the story of a man who overcame all odds by having a remarkable capacity for self-belief and putting his all into everything he does. Shivashish Tarkas is well-known for his exceptional people management abilities and unwavering dedication to his work. He is the founder and CEO of The InterMentalist. Began his entrepreneurial journey in 2015 at the young age of 21 with a 3500 INR investment. In the south of India, Shivashish is currently the most in-demand and most sought after in the influencer industry.
With a fully organised, disciplined approach in place, He has successfully collaborated with more than 100 national and international brands over the past 4 years. In the southern part of India, he is well-known among celebrities, actors, online content producers, fashion and lifestyle influencers. The company’s growth has multiplied several times, and it appears that there is no looking back.
Before becoming a Brand
A month later after finishing his college, Shivashish started this company. He states, “I finished my last semester exam in May 2015 and in July 2015 – The InterMentalist was started on a very soft note. It was a start-up when ‘start-up’ was not even a thing and Digitalisation in India was still at its early stage.”. The InterMentalist was in process of building something way ahead of its time. To support the vision, It use to provide website and design services alongside social media marketing which was yet to take its shape in Indian market and in Indian economy.
From door to door marketing to sending cold mails to basic social media promotion to word of mouth – Shivashish left no leaf unturned to make things work and give a push that it needed to pull off. It’s a tale of him and his friend who use to travel across business hubs in Chennai city to explore synergies and try to get some work. It took him almost 90+ days since inception to fetch his first ideal client and that’s how a journey towards something big started.
It was indeed a calculated move taken by him. Unconventional approach did all the wonders. Though everything wasn’t validated, It did involve considerable amount of research, market understanding alongside market predictions done during college days. Completely bootstrapped, It had many limitations towards every path taken yet successfully finding its way out.
As per Shivashish, Opportunities are in plenty when it comes to entrepreneurship in today’s time. He strongly believes that a start-up doesn’t have to be always about an unique idea or a concept, The idea could be ordinary but the way of functioning the same can still make a lot of difference in the Indian market today. To start, all that is required is the correct intention and the appropriate direction. Mind blocks are self-created, and overthinking makes them worse. It’s tough to overcome, but you’ve got to believe that you can, and then you will, and then time will.
Industry Overview
According to Shivashish, it serves as modern advertising medium and is the finest technique to establish and promote a brand. Though, it’s not everyone’s cup of tea at the moment. Traditional business owners and modern day aspiring entrepreneurs are yet to understand how exactly digital marketing works and functions.
Shivashish argues that because the Indian market is so diverse, it is important to have a solid grasp of the various states and market conditions found in each region. He thinks the best way for a brand to look at it would be to pick regional players like The InterMentalist to curate and offer market experience when it comes to influencers. He adds that it cannot be generic like how it’s currently going.
The journey:
During our further conversation with him, He expresses the impact of spirituality in his life and how it has helped mentally to remain in pace with work as well as personal life. Support from parents at any given point of time was a strong arm for Shivashish and still continues to play an important role.
The organisation’s concept of “What we can do with what we have” & “Come with problem, Go with solution” has widely been admired.
The company is going to turn 8 this year. Shivashish owns 100% stake in it. He adds “50 USD was the investment I made to start this business.” He also adds, “We made use of a computer which was already in place since years, A fan and a light and nothing much otherwise. One could say that financial, infrastructure and human resource investment was close to zero.”
Today, The InterMentalist is one of the finest influencer marketing network cum influencer marketing agency in South India.
Considerable groundwork is done on an everyday basis while serving its clients. A complete track of the market is kept. He further shares that the company is not here for aggressive expansion, but it is working aggressively to bring in more and more brands to south India to promote through InterMentalist and experience a new paradigm of marketing.
Take on AI and Unpredictable Transformation
Shivashish considers that AI will not only change digital marketing but also change the way people live. He says – “It is very difficult to predict its long-term impact on influencer industry due to the uncertainty in terms of market and its belief towards AI. Right now, automating influencer market and the process is highly unlikely to happen. It’s limitation to understand human intelligence and practicality involved here makes them far behind in race.”
Written by Steve Sanchez.
