Rank My Business is reckoning amongst the fastest-growing digital marketing agencies in Australia. Kunal Shah, the director, and Zuber Sheikh, the Managing Director are the key people to build the empire.

The founders started small back in 2015, offering only SEO services, today they have grown to a full-service digital marketing company in Melbourne with a passionate team of over 150 people. Despite the pandemic situation, their agency has grown tremendously in the last two years where they have grown our employee strength from 60 to 150 plus employees. And they recently organised a corporate event for all employees across India as a token of appreciation for the hard work they’ve put in during the tough times.

THE KEY PEOPLE

Kunal Shah, the director of Rank My Business landed in Melbourne for higher education where he worked in a corporate setup to understand the Australian market better. It wasn’t long before he decided to start his own company, to offer digital marketing solutions to local businesses in Australia, which later on expanded in other countries.

Zuber Sheikh, the Managing Director at Rank My Business India though belongs from a non-digital background with rich experience in the corporate sector. Working with Sony Pictures Networks triggered his interest in the digital domain. This opened up the opportunity to join hands with Kunal Shah and both opened up the Indian wing of Rank My Business.

Recently we have got to interact with Kunal Shah and got to know about his entrepreneurial journey:

WHAT HAVE BEEN THE BIGGEST CHALLENGES YOU’VE HAD TO OVERCOME ?

The biggest challenge is to work as per our clients’ expectations amidst the very dynamic digital environment and the ever-changing Google algorithm. The last two years of the pandemic have added challenges due to the changing market scenarios outside. But challenges are an opportunity to us, so we have concentrated on improving ourselves in the process while also meeting client expectations.

WHICH ONE THING HAVE YOU DONE DIFFERENTLY ?  

One thing which we have done differently is having a dedicated division that looks after R&D, not many organizations do that. We have to be alert if Google changes any algorithm as it is one of the platforms integral to our work and of course, it is one of the biggest platforms. Our continuous R&D work helps us understand what these changes are, and allows us to experiment with different things that can keep our clients a step ahead. We also ensure that contact learning happens across the organization through our R&D department, and I believe this is something that we do differently, as compared to other agencies out there. There are agencies whose style of execution is different – where their put the product/web live and then start the observations where as at Rank My Business, we believe in research and experimenting everything before implementing any solutions for our clients.

WHAT DOES REVOLUTION MEAN TO YOU ?

Disrupting Industry with greater results and outcomes for clients.

HOW HAS THE INDUSTRY CHANGED OVER THE YEARS ?

The industry has become quite sophisticated as compared to what it was, especially with regards to the evolution of the tools and technology we use. We now have 3rd party tools that allow us to understand the consumer like never before. For example, there are companies that provide you video recordings of user journeys on websites, as well as in-depth analysis of what customer requirements are, all of which help us to optimize webpages to make them most effective and efficient. These also allow us to deliver more and fulfil client expectations in a better way.

Also, another important, and heartening change is the clients’ knowledge about digital marketing and SEO in particular. This wasn’t the case a few years back.

TELL US ABOUT THE CLIENT BASE

We have overall 500 plus clients based out of Australia, Dubai, and Oman Market. We are planning to explore other countries in and around Dubai like the US, Singapore, Malaysia, etc.

We have a range of clients from retail to cooperate, clients, e-commerce clientele, and a lot of clients from the healthcare industry.

WHEN IT COMES TO THE COMPANY, WHAT ARE YOU MOST PROUD OF?

I believe any company is incomplete with their loyal employee and strength so even we at Rank My Business are truly proud of our staff. They are the key strength of our journey of growth. A team with the right knowledge surely helps an organisation grow at 2X pace. Our integrity and honesty towards our clientele inspire us to keep transparency throughout the progress of the work. Our customer retention is over 70% and employee retention is 90%. We have hardly lost any employees; instead, we have grown through the period of the pandemic.

WHAT DO YOU SEE AS THE MOST DIFFICULT TASK IN BEING IN YOUR INDUSTRY ?

As mentioned, our industry is very dynamic with the Google algorithm changing frequently, and new trends in content marketing. To maintain quality and deliver great results amidst all this is certainly challenging, but also enjoyable.

WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN YOU ARE NOT AT WORK ?

I have a very young family based in Australia, so I try to spend as much time as possible with my family. Taking out my 3.5-year-old kid for various activities and keeping him engaged with positive things during the pandemic was truly a learning experience as a father.

We as a family always make sure to talk over the dinner table about any outing or how the day was spent. This exercise helps us to express ourselves in a better way and connect.

WHAT ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT DECISIONS YOU MAKE AS A LEADER OF YOUR ORGANIZATION ?

As the leader of the organization, I have to make tough decisions on a day-to-day, especially when it comes to managing client targets and other pressures. But I believe that the right recruitment decisions as well as timely action to overcome any problem areas within the company comprise some of the most important decisions I need to look into as a leader.

HOW DO YOU ENCOURAGE CREATIVE THINKING WITHIN YOUR ORGANIZATION ?

As a company, we support creativity and encourage employees to come up with ideas to help the company grow, or to help departments function more efficiently. We consider the best suggestions from our team members and allow them to implement and lead that strategy. And if the company derives any profit from the same, 50% of the profits are shared with the employee as a token of inspiration.

WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR FUTURE ENDEAVORS ?

We would surely want to take the company to the next level. In the past two years, we have seen good growth and we are targeting to take it public in the next three years. In the coming year we are planning for funding, to reach a stage to distribute employee shares.

WHAT IS THE BEST ADVICE YOU CAN GIVE TO OUR READERS ?

The best advice that I can give, especially to entrepreneurs or business owners from a digital perspective is that Google can change your business if everything is done right. Do digital right, and your business will always thrive.