‘Build fake-but-functional site...’: Shark Tank's Anupam Mittal shares 3 tips for startup success in 0-1 phase

Anupam Mittal, an angel investor and a judge on Shark Tank India, recently remarked that one needs hustle to build a successful business. Suggesting that the roadblock to success is fear of rejection, he emphasised that one doesn't need consultants, market research or a fat bank balance to validate an idea.

To motivate and inspire budding entrepreneurs “working on 0-1 journeys”, the 53-year-old Shaadi.com founder shared three tips for the startup playbook.

1. Spin up a WhatsApp group: He advised aspiring entrepreneurs to share mock-up product shots with friends, family and random people and ask: “What do you think?” The product shots can be generated for free using artificial intelligence.

2. Expand the circle: Share the same mock-up in Reddit threads, Facebook groups and other niche communities. Consider it a green flag "if strangers start engaging”.

3. Build a fake-but-functional site: He noted that one doesn't need a product or inventory; instead, one can have only images that look real to let people place ‘orders’.

“When people vote with their wallets, you nailed it. Can’t build a site? Put a poster on your community bulletin board with your 📞(phone number),” Anupam Mittal wrote.

He opines that building a business empire in the service sector is even simpler: “Create a deck, a landing page, a demo that looks alive. Sell first, deliver later."

Explaining how he managed to disrupt the market with his first company, the ace entrepreneur remarked, “That’s exactly how my first company SatyaNet funded our businesses, Shaadi.com, makaan.com, Mauj Mobile - we sold websites to others before we knew how to build them. Then we learned.” Notably, Anupam Mittal reportedly has an estimated net worth of ₹185 crore as of 2024.

Drawing from his successful business experiences, he concluded the post, “Stop hiding behind ‘no time’ and ‘more research’.”

What is a 0-to-1 product?

A 0-to-1 product refers to an invention in which a brand or a new product is built from scratch, according to Prod Pad. It's the phase where one identifies the real problem and validates a new solution, typically with limited data, uncertain demand and no ongoing roadmap. Meanwhile, the 1-to-n approach is all about scaling or improving something that already exists.