Meet Swapnil Dubey, An IT Professional and Entrepreneur at Heart.

IT is a vast sector. We are constantly progressing in this field. New technologies are luring us and we are adopting a new lifestyle, effortlessly. Today, everyone is techno-savvy and have a hang of the world moving at a high pace towards the online world. But do we know how are these technologies made easy for us? How is the employment generated in these fields, who keep on working behind the computer screen to facilitate an easy access to these technologies? It is a tough process and the journey is an inspiring one. An entrepreneur works for recognition but that is not an easy thing. We know about the technology or their inventions but very few know the face behind the invention. Our series of interviews deal with the recognition of these strong faces behind these endeavors.
Swapnil Dubey, took up the task of educating the budding IT aspirants and mold them into new Bill Gates and stand a new Microsoft company. She has her own struggles, being a woman. She left her job to raise a family but she did not settle with this compromise. She rose to power again and started her own endeavor as SCom IT Academy. It deals with IT professionals and young IT aspirants. She with her co-founder Tushar Shrivastava runs this academy and also offers placement along with the training. Based in Pune, she is contributing in the new technologies by raising these IT specialists. Let’s go through her interview to know more about her amazing endeavor.
1. What is the Name of Your Venture? Any specific reason for this name?
Scom IT Academy. The reason is very simple that I wanted to keep something related to IT because we deal with IT courses. S stands for Swapnil and Com for computers. So, basically, it is Swapnil Computers IT Academy.
2. Who is your target Audience/clients?
Our target audience is IT professionals who have minimum experience of 5-6 years. Also, we help professionals in enhancing their IT skills with job assistance. Another thing that we are looking up to is college students who want to enhance their skills and get placed by our academy. Even freshers are welcomed.
3. Where your venture is based (city, state, country) & What are your geographical target areas?
Keshav Nagar, Pune. Nearby areas only because we are at the center of IT hub. Magarpatta and Kharadi are two surrounding area which has the IT Companies and crowd. People from far off places are also coming to join the academy so in some way we are expanding to other geographical areas as well.
4. What problems does your venture resolve? What are your products or services?
We deal in skill enhancement plus placement support. As I have said that we provide job opportunities as well.
5. Share the idea or story behind the venture. How did it come to an existence? What motivated you to start your own venture?
The idea was that 4 years back I left an IT job. I have an experience of 8 years in this industry. The reason for leaving my job was my pregnancy and responsibility of a kid. After 2 years, I should go for IT company and I even got an offer letter from an MNC but my priority was my family. So, then I thought of opening my own institution and there when this idea took shape.
6. Who are your biggest competitors and how do you differentiate yourself from them?
There are many institutions of the same nature as mine in Pune. SO, competition is there, undoubtedly. But I beg to differ from other institution in my teaching. I am an experienced tutor and I help my students or professionals instill those experience in their course study. That makes them enhance their skill better.
7. How did you identify your co-founder? Tell us something about your co-founder/s?
Tushar Shrivastava is my colleague and co-founder. He takes care of marketing and admin department. Tushar had a business eye and he also left his previous job. Do, I thought why not include him in my endeavor. Apart from a good colleague, he is also a motivator and positive thinker which is by and large very much important for any institution.
8. How did you hire your first team members? What skills do you want in your employees/team?
I have Prachi who has her own excellence center where she gives training for personality development. She is working with us. All in all, we have 3 employees. Talking about the skills, since we are an IT sector we generally look for a person who has a positive attitude, well-versed with analytical skills and lastly a motivator. He should be able to work under pressure and constantly fetch creative ideas for the development and betterment of our institution.
9. What expansion plans are you looking for the next 2 years, next 5 years?
A vision is very important. In the next coming years, we will focus mainly on our growth through tie-ups with other companies. This tie-up will fetch us more students and professional tutors as well. There will be other add on in subjects, courses. We will adopt new technologies and train our students in those areas.
10. Where do you want to see yourself in next 10 years?
I would like to see myself as one of those big institutions in 10 years. Word of mouth should act for us. We should be known to others by just a word of mouth from our students or professionals.
11. What are your goals over the next 1, 3, 6 and 12 months?
I am trying hard to get IT Companies Tie Ups for placement purposes.
12. Have you risen any funding? Or have any plans for the funding?
Not now, but maybe in a year or two I can think of raising any funds.
13. What were the problems you faced during the starting days and how did you resolve them?
I was alone in setting up this institution. The idea, the progress and its execution were done by me alone. So, in those times I didn’t have anybody to guide me and tell me what I should do and what not. Today, we have advanced so much but in my time it was like, even if one student comes, it will be a successful endeavor.
14. What was the most challenging part of your journey till now? How did you overcome those challenges?
I face challenges in placements. Because IT market was down for some time so, I face a little difficulty then. People who wanted to enhance their skills came to us but when it came to placements we could do it easily. Tying up with an IT sector is not an easy task. Sometimes it happens that candidate is there but no company has come to hire them. So that part is challenging enough.
15. Are you married, single or in a relationship?
I am married. I have a child.
16. What are your hobbies? What do you do in your non-work time?
I love reading books and traveling. I am very much interested in new technologies. I have my own ideas for an app so I am currently doing research on that. Maybe in future, I may come up with an application of my own.
17. What’s your favorite food & holiday destination?
I prefer to go to sea-beaches for relaxation.
18. Whom do you consider your idol or biggest motivator?
My husband is my biggest motivator. He is a positive thinker and he understands my talent. It is he who motivated me to take up this institution. My second motivator is my mom. She has always supported me in my good and bad days. Now, I am strong enough to handle this institution alone.
19. What do you feel is the major difference between entrepreneurs and those who work for someone else?
I have been an employee before and now I am an entrepreneur. When I was an employee I always used to fixate on my how much less is my salary and that I deserve more. But now when I am running a business, I know how hard it is to run a business keeping in mind the welfare of all the employees. Salary comes every month but in a business that becomes profit and it is not constant always. Business is run by effort, we cannot just sit idle. Everything has to be managed by us only. So there lies the major difference.
20. If you had the chance to start your career over again, what would you do differently?
I think I would not do anything but IT only even if I get another chance. The struggle that I went through has framed my today and I think even if I start again I will zero in at any IT sector only.
21. How has being an entrepreneur affected your family & Social life?
I don’t realize when I missed my weekend. I am so much engrossed in my work. When I was an employee, we used to go holidaying every weekend but now it’s not like that. But I take pleasure in this so, there’s no problem with that.
22. Anything, you would like to say to our readers or upcoming entrepreneurs?
A proper plan and model should be there before you take up any start-up. Patience and sustainability are the keys to the success of any start-up.
23. Tell us something about your education & family background
I am postgraduate in M.C.A from Jabalpur.My parents were government employees. They always taught me that education is very important in life and even I was very interested in my studies. I took up engineering, did my M.C.A. When I was in class 7th, the computer was fascinating to me. So, from an early age, I was interested in IT sector.
24. What is your USP which makes it unique & different from other startups in similar domains? After Training, Our candidates are trained enough to work from  day1 when they placed in companies.
25. What do you think is the biggest threat to the success of small businesses & Start-ups today? 
The biggest threat is poor marketing.
26. Do you consider yourself successful and by what means do you measure success?
Yes, I can say since my business is stable now.
27. Please share complete name, address, phone number, email id & website of Your Business & Contact Person along with the pictures of your founder, co-founder, the team(if any) as well as your logos.
Name – Mrs. Swapnil Dubey
Address- Scom IT Academy, Survey No-40, Near Amruteshwar Temple, Keshav Nagar, Pune
Phone No -9922303228
Email Id- [email protected]
Website: www.scomitacademy.com