🚀 365 Days of Stories: Day 32 - I Changed My Business Model, But the Problem Wasn’t Solved! Still a Long Way to Go!

Now that my app was exclusive to car owners, I needed to solve the biggest challenge:

👉 How do I get a ride matched?

🎯 A New Approach: Hyperlocal Marketing

I realized the real problem was user volume and density at a given location.

Instead of marketing everywhere, I focused on one area at a time—within a 500m radius or a specific apartment complex.

📍 I started with two massive apartments in Whitefield:

🏢 Prestige Shantiniketan – 2000 apartments

🏢 Brigade Metropolis – 2000 apartments

I spent ₹10,000 on paid ads within these communities, confident I’d get a decent user base.

But the results? 😳

📉 Only 4-5 users signed up.

💸 Customer acquisition cost (CAC) = ₹2,000 per user! (Insanely unsustainable!)

And even after onboarding 5 users…

❌ Still no ride matches.

🛑 Rethinking My Marketing Strategy

I knew I needed more than just ads—I needed community influence.

So, I dropped external apartments and focused on my own apartment (600 residents).

I tried everything—talking to people, networking, spreading awareness.

But nothing was working.

I realized I wasn’t having enough influence on the residents’ association, which controlled key decisions.

🏡 The Boldest Move: Shifting My Home for My Startup!

I made a drastic decision—I moved to my own home in Electronic City, where I could have better control over community decisions.

🚗 This move came at a cost. My wife was working in Whitefield, and now, she had to:

⏳ Commute 3-4 hours daily OR

💼 Find a new job

💡 But she supported my dream, and we made the move.

🔹 The Game-Changer: Creating a Ride Pickup Zone

My first big influence in my new community was my own apartment (Ajmera Infinity in Electronic City):

✅ Setting up pickup zones at two key locations within the apartment.

✅ Visible to every car owner, 24x7.

✅ A constant reminder that ride-sharing was an option.

I thought this would be the turning point… but not yet.

There was still more work to do to make this business truly take off.

🚀 And that’s what I’ll share tomorrow!

💬 What’s the boldest move you’ve made for your startup or dream project? Let’s discuss! 👇