Gurps Singh Rai, CEO of droppTV, A DotCom Magazine Exclusive Interview
By: Gurps Rai
Tags: Music, Entrepreneurship, Entertainment, Technology, Hip Hop

By Andy Jacob for DotCom Magazine

Gurps Singh Rai is the CEO of droppTV, Gurps Singh Rai is a thought leader, influencer, visionary, and successful entrepreneur. Gurps Singh Rai provides the leadership and energy that has inspired the creation of droppTV. Gurps joins other leading Bestselling Authors, International Speakers & entrepreneurs, CEOs, and Founders taking part in our Leader Roundtable Interview Series. The DotCom Magazine editorial team is delighted to have Gurps Singh Rai join us for our Leader Roundtable Interview.

Let us start by telling us about your business.

droppTV is the world’s first shoppable streaming video platform. The droppTV marketplace is powered by the company’s proprietary artificial intelligence, machine learning, and computer vision algorithm, which recognizes products within video content and tags them in real-time, allowing for frictionless, one-click in-content purchasing. Viewers watch droppTV and can make purchases on any device — smartphone, TV, tablet, or desktop. droppTV is where consumers feed their natural impulses of See it. Want it. Get it…

Please tell us how you make sure your customers will become raving fans of your company?

Our community is provided access to premiers, or as they call them, drops before anywhere else. From music to fashion, droppTV is a destination that allows the consumer to be first at all levels of consumption — be it entertainment, shopping, or both. droppTV is where culture meets commerce. Imagine watching your favorites artist’s music video before anyone else does and then being able to purchase his or her outfit before it’s available anywhere else. Even with already released or sold out products, our consumers still get a chance to purchase them again exclusively from dropp at retail prices — not resale prices. We provide a premier experience at optimum value.

Please tell us the one thing that separates your business from the competition.

With countless USP’s, droppTV’s most unique proposition is that we are the only company in the world that gives the consumer a shopping experience within the stream of content. Dropp does this ad-free, re-directionless, and without hijacking the consumer away from the video as they complete their purchase. You see it, want it, and get it all with one click. All within the content. No other platform delivers that user experience.

And to finish this section, please tell us what the one major key to your company’s success is?

Success has never truly hinged on a single key factor. Success has always been achieved through a combination of factors. For dropp, success is defined by the success of our partners and community. Our success is collective, we are building more than a platform, and we are building a community of content creators, brands, and consumers who all benefit from the most evolved and seamless D2C experience. Creators deserve to benefit directly from their creations, brands can reach their audiences organically and the consumer gets what they want, how and when they want it.

For our readers just starting to build a company, what advice can you give entrepreneurs just starting out with a new venture?

Don’t chase shiny objects, keep focused. When you launch a new endeavor, in particular a tech company, you get enticed by a lot of opportunities. But often, most of those are off message or detours from your roadmap. Stick to your core business and become a king in that category before running down other paths. Chasing shiny objects burns cash and depletes resources, which is the fastest way to the startup graveyard. And most importantly, you need to ask yourself, “What can we do better?” Learn from your mistakes, own them, and move on.

For entrepreneurs seeking to build a business as successful as yours, what big piece of advice can you give them when times get a little challenging?

Never give up. If you look at every successful entrepreneur they have all had that inflection point when they should have quit and got a job. Think about when Reed Hastings was laughed out of his meeting with Blockbuster. Jeff Bezos had to raise a lot of money in a very short time to keep his little business alive. Where others would have given up they kept going, you have to stay in the game to have a chance of winning…

In today’s fast-changing business environment, how do you stay abreast of things?

I dedicate 3 hours a day to reading. I read as many articles as possible during that time, specifically ones that fit my market space. Books — I read as a hobby, but reading articles and reports keep me up to date on the outlook of where our industry and stakeholder industries are headed. We also have an amazing team that posts pertinent articles in our company's Whats App group. Everyone is encouraged to post at least one article a day in the chat; this leads to a great steady flow of information.

What is your “Why”? In one sentence, why do you get up in the morning?

The truth is I seldom get up in the morning because I’m often still up from the day before, but I greet each day as a fresh start, one that gets us a step closer to achieving our goals.

In one sentence, what is the most important thing one has to do to be a great leader?

To be a great leader you must LEAD by example. I’m the CEO that’s willing to clean the toilets if it helps the collective progress.

In one sentence, describe how important your customers are to your business?

Our customers are the Sun and we revolve around them.

In one sentence, describe a positive way that technology can make the world a better place?

Technology is the great equalizer; it offers the opportunity to anyone that dares to use it to innovate without discrimination.

In one sentence, tell us how something positive to motivate our readers?

I grew up homeless, never finished high school but today I lead a company that’s at the cutting edge of its industry with a team full of Ph.D.’s — anything is possible if you believe in yourself.

In one sentence, tell us how you start your day to get ready?

Before looking at my phone or talking to anyone, I start each day by meditating.

In one sentence, describe how you handle rejection and setbacks?

Look at the positive in a rejection or setback that always leads to a bigger solution, and remember you are never as bad or as good as people say.

In one sentence, describe what your hiring philosophy is?

The prospective employee must have the ambition of being a partner in the company or we are both wasting each other’s time.

In one sentence, describe how you keep your sanity in a competitive business environment?

We try not to take ourselves too seriously. Yes, we concentrate on our business but we still have fun. The positive nature of our business and the team running the business attracts opportunity as opposed to chasing opportunities.