We recently connected with Mita Patel and have shared our conversation below.
Mita, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What’s been the best thing you’ve ever seen (or done yourself) to show a client that you appreciate them?
I offer my clients any kind of help they need with the products I create. However sometimes the help they need has nothing to do with the product itself but with something quite different such as using their computer or an application. When I help them with issues like this, my clients really appreciate it. It also makes me happy that I can provide service beyond my products.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I have an MBA in finance along with an accounting background. I have over 10 years experience in large and small commercial banks as a credit manager, small business lender and a credit & real estate analyst. I started out in ecommerce retailing products for our family business. In 2020-21, we were unable to ship out products from overseas and I found myself with time on my hands. I noticed people selling templates for various applications. I myself use spreadsheets on a daily basis for all my business & personal financial needs. I knew I could offer spreadsheets & templates that would be very relevant and geared towards small business needs. I spent a good few months creating a couple of spreadsheets for business and property management. I am a bit of a perfectionist and I wanted them to be extremely functional, aesthetic and very easy to use. My husband also helped a lot. In 2022, I launched my website Moneyusage.com with just these two spreadsheets. People started liking them and soon I was getting a lot of custom order requests. Many of the spreadsheets on my website are now a direct result of these custom orders. My customers like the format, ease of use and the value that my spreadsheets provide. I now have spreadsheets for Rental Income & Expense tracking, Business Bookkeeping, Office management, Sales tracking and Personal Budgeting & Saving.
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
Our family business was based on getting products drop-shipped from India. During 2020-21 there were complete lockdowns with no international flights. Our business came to a halt. It was at that point that I knew I needed to change track. I researched to see what would be a good fit for my skills. I had a financial & accounting background, computer application skills, programming skills and an eye for color and design. I also knew what business and property owners would find useful. It seemed to me that the software and spreadsheets already available on the market were too clunky or overly cumbersome to use. I felt that I could turn the spreadsheets I had been using all these years into applications that business owners would want to use. I wanted to create quality products and put in several months of time before I launched 2 finished products. There were crickets at first but slowly they began to sell. Many customers went on to ask me for custom applications for their other businesses as well. I now have over 25 applications and am looking to add many more.
Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?
I like to offer value to my customers by trying to understand exactly what they need. My products reflect that. Not only in terms of features and functionality but also design. I give as much time as needed to come to a solution that my customer will find useful, love and will want to use year after year.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://moneyusage.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/moneyusagetools/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/moneyusage
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGJqbx7QTCTf4AUqKC1Q0Pg