When Nithin Kamath doubled up as Zerodha’s social media manager
Zerodha’s Nithin Kamath talks about creating his personal brand online, the power of storytelling and building Zerodha from scratch.
Storytelling is an important aspect of an entrepreneur especially in a consumer facing startup, says Nithin Kamath, co-founder and CEO of Zerodha
While speaking to Storyboard18, he reveals that he, along with his brother Nikhil Kamath and Zerodha's CTO Kailash Nadh, have actively engaged in blogging. Nikhil Kamath also hosts a podcast.
While Kamath has been active online, he only recognized the power of social media for building a personal brand in 2019.
"I've been very active on a lot of forums. I used to manage Zerodha's social media handles personally for a long time. But then, I used to spend a lot of time with traditional media until I realized in 2019 that it's also important to build your own personal brand. That's when I got on Twitter, LinkedIn, etc.," Kamath shares.
According to him, it is essential for people to know the type of brand the founder represents, but it also comes with its own risks.
"Because you can accidentally say something that can backfire. The more things you say, the more risk you bring to the table as well. So, it's about finding the right balance. The problem with social media and content creation is that sometimes you can get carried away because being on social media gives you dopamine hits, and people like retweets, etc. So, sometimes you can get carried away and say things that you don't really have to say," he explains.
Kamath mentions that he has a team that has complete control over everything he says.
"They have the authority to kill anything I write if they think it's not worth saying it that way. I think that balance has to be maintained," he adds.
Kamath also discusses the secret sauce behind building the Zerodha brand with minimal advertising. He believes that having a good product followed by good storytelling is the key to brand building.
"Good storytelling is essential. You need to have a good product and do what is right for the customer. But more importantly, you have to become a storyteller and consistently do it over a long period of time. Not everyone stays committed for a long period, and while we receive credit today for Zerodha, it has taken 15-16 years to reach this point. When I say 15-16 years, I also include my 10 years before, when I used to be very active on online social media and trading platforms. It takes time, and you have to keep doing it, hoping that someday you get lucky," he adds.
