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Rafi Chowdhury is the founder of Chowdhury’s Digital and co-founder of myCampusHacks. He helps companies like Vapetek, Shapes Brow Bar, Win Hyundai, Wound Care Surgeons, and Easley Transportation grow their revenue. Examiner.com calls him the go-to guy for traffic generation, SplashOPM says he is one of the top Growth Hacking gurus on the web, Start-up Dhaka says he is one of the youngest and most successful marketers ever to come from Bangladesh, and Northeast Today Magazine calls him a web analytics Expert. He was recognized by the University of Memphis for creating one of the most innovative start-up websites for the students, While The Hans India considers his blog posts to be “incredible”. In his free time, Rafi is an advisor to the British Young Asian Entrepreneurs.
City where you’re from: Dhaka, Bangladesh
Hobbies: Chess, Basketball, Ping Pong, Swing Dancing, Nutrition and Fitness, All things Marketing & Business
Favorite quote:
“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”
Twitter: _rafichowdhury
Why did you decide to become an entrepreneur?
I knew that there was only one way I can be in control of my time and my finances, and that is to be in business for myself and build my own customer base. There was not any other available options for me. I always knew that simply trading my time for money and helping someone else build a business was not going to be something I could do for the rest of my life.
Who were your biggest influences? Was there a defining moment in your life?
In general it would be my parents, my grandfather, and my mentors. I think they have given me the proper direction and have helped to ground me in my faith, beliefs, and principles. After the foundations are set, I think it’s just a matter of experiences that determine where we end up. But, I know that at the end of the day, if I am ever unsure on how a decision should be made, I will always reflect back to my morals and beliefs and know exactly what the right thing to do should be. God is always there to answer any question 🙂
But in the business world, I have learned a great deal from people like Neil Patel, Brian Dean, Mark Zuckerberg, Jeet Banerjee, Cameron Johnson, and so many others I can keep listing.
Now
What are you working on? How did you come up with this idea?
I’m working on www.organicallureshop.com. I met my business partner over dinner in California and we decided that we each have the skillset needed to make this into a million-dollar company. We are working hard to make this company a success and stand firmly behind what the company stands for and the products we offer to our customers 🙂
How is your product/service different and unique? What has been your favorite moment with it? What’s the vision?
We believe that everyone has the right to be and feel beautiful without harming their bodies in the long run. We help people achieve their beauty goals by presenting them with natural beauty products which not only work beautifully but causes no damage to the body.
If you do Facebook ads, what types of creatives/campaigns do you use (we like specifics)?
Check out the Organic Allure Facebook page for some examples. We also run lots of Amazon ads.
Did you experience failure along the way? What did you learn from it?
I have failed over and over again and again. This is my 9th start-up. Most of the stuff I tried failed. Each time I failed, I just learned so many ways not to try to do something the next time. While I do think my failures obviously made me sharper as an entrepreneur, I do think that it was unnecessary. The best trick is to actually learn from other people’s mistakes instead of your own. And learn from mentors: those who have already done what you are about to do.
Value-add questions
Give the readers the best entrepreneurship advice you have.
Start as early as possible and partner with rich and successful people who have already done what you are trying to do.
What are some of your favorite sites?
- www.rafichowdhury.com
- www.fourhourworkweek.com
- www.chowdhurysdigital.com
- www.quicksprout.coom
- www.neilpatel.com
- www.moz.com
- www.backlinko.com
While working on your project, have you come across any interesting bit of knowledge that you’d like to share?
Add all your customers as friends on Facebook. Just keep adding and adding and adding. Make new accounts and add more more. Once you build a huge community of customers, the rest is easy.
Build a super strong personal brand by constantly sharing every aspect of your life. It will make it so much easier then later when you go to sell something.
Become friends with rich and successful people. Take them out to drink, have lunch with them, party with them. Always spend time with with people who are better at the thing you are trying to get good at.
What daily habits do you have that allow you to perform at your peak?
Read “How to Win Friends and Influence People” by Dale Carnegie. I practice those habits every single day.
What should an entrepreneur focus on?
Being satisfied and having a life full of fun, satisfaction, and love for others.
Walk us step-by-step through the process that you had to go through to get from the early stages to where you are today.
What are your top 10 books?
- How to Win Friends and Influence People
- Blink
- The Tipping Point
- Outliers
- Rich Dad Poor Dad
- You Call The Shots
- The 4-hour Workweek
- The Black Swan
- Influence
- Thinking Fast and Slow
- (Bonus) David and Goliath
Where do you see yourself and your product in a couple years?
At the million dollar mark 😉
I see myself as a more mature and satisfied person than today. Hopefully, a bit more knowledgeable too 😉
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