Welcome back to the NimNim blog! This will be a very exciting post because we were able to interview NimNim’s COO and co-founder, Nimish Sahani, to get the lowdown on the NimNim story, advice for people starting out in their entrepreneurial journey, as well as future goals for the company. Keep reading to find out more!
Q: Tell us about your business: How you got started, what inspired you, what you do, etc.
A: Entrepreneurship has been part of my life for over a decade now, as I started my first business at the age of 17. I have always wanted to inspire others, and becoming a business owner myself was always the goal! While attending Suffolk University and running a retail mobile business in 2014, when the concept of mobile apps was starting to rise (Uber, Lyft, and other delivery apps started to flourish during this time!), I wanted to move to a more robust and convenience-driven service. That’s when my co-founder Akshay and I realized we should pursue this idea/vision. Then, the NimNim journey began in October 2014!
Q: Tell us a bit about yourself: where are you from and what prior experience led you to establish your own business
A: I was born in New Delhi, India. My family and I migrated to the USA and I spent my early school days in a suburban town west of Boston. From a young age, I was always very curious and innovative, always wanting to help others. I started working at the age of 15, so understanding the value of money at an early age always motivated me to keep working and growing. Prior to starting my own company, I have worked and learned about various business models with two other companies.
Q: What motivated you to start Nim Nim?
A: We wanted to integrate the mobile experience into my brother and I’s intrinsic desire to help customers directly. This has translated extremely well during COVID-19, as we can help people to do their laundry and dry-cleaning for them without risking any virus exposure; we offer contactless pickup and delivery for all of your items.
Q: How did you come up with the idea of creating a laundry and dry-cleaning concierge service?
A: We were familiar with the laundromat business model because of our own family business. Living in the modern world, we kept on learning and innovating on top of that. Finally, we developed our app and were able to integrate our personal history into the digital world’s needs. After all, the world is so fast-paced these days and many students and professionals simply don’t have time to do laundry!
Q: What makes you unique?
A: Being brought up in the business world, the ability to connect with others and assisting people have always given me happiness and have set me apart from the crowd. By providing our services to our community and helping people save time in their daily lives, I feel fulfilled in my goal of making the world a more swiftly-run place.
Q: Who is behind the brand? (who you are, what you do, why you chose this business)
A: The brand identity represents the joy and fulfillment behind helping others. NimNim is a brand that customers get to fully connect with. The NimNim staff make sure to take care of each customer from step 1 (laundry/dry-cleaning pickup) to item delivery. Since people have placed their trust in NimNim for so many years, our customer loyalty is a huge asset.
Q: What advice would you give someone just starting the entrepreneurial journey?
A: Make sure you are buckled up for the ride! The path is very difficult and challenging, yet rewarding and exciting. There will be many days where questions and hesitation may arise, but you must keep going. If you don’t chase your dreams, someone might just pick up where you left off and accomplish big things. In other words, if you believe in your idea, keep going towards the finish line! You can do this!
Q: What is your favorite part about living and working in Boston?
A: Boston is home! It’s very close to my daily life. I am very grateful for this opportunity to build a company in such an amazing city full of diversity, knowledge, growth, and innovation. There is always more to learn from here! Upgrading the NimNim system and app in Boston specifically has made us challenge ourselves and has given the company an opportunity to grow out of its comfort zone. Boston has served as our home base and has given us such a strong foundation to make our expansion into Miami more feasible. For that, we couldn’t be more grateful.
Q: Where do you envision Nim Nim in 5 years? Can you share some long-term goals that you have for the company?
A: In the next 5 years, I envision NimNim to be a brand that more people will use! The new norms are changing. People will change the way they run errands and I believe NimNim has an amazing opportunity to grow and expand. Hopefully, in addition to Boston and Miami, we can service 10 more cities!
Q: What challenges has/does Nim Nim currently face and what do you do to overcome them?
A: Like all businesses, these times during COVID-19 are different and challenging. We all have to stay hopeful and faithful to our mission statements and customers. However, we have always adapted and pivoted in response to challenges and new situations. As an entrepreneur, I have learned that no one will have a solution for you; you need to create it yourself. Thus, we now offer delivery all 7 days a week and have expanded our hours!
Q: Lastly, how have the operations at NimNim been affected by the current world crisis? Tell us about the situation briefly.
A: The operations have been affected from all angles. We are so grateful for all of our customers. They were very understanding during the dark times of 2020. However, we have a huge advantage with contactless delivery. If people don’t want to risk exposure when going to a laundromat, they can do their laundry through NimNim without having to leave their house or even interacting with anyone! As a result of expanding our hours and days of operation, we have gotten through it stronger. We look forward to more of our customers returning to the city and resuming business with us! Cheers to a healthy, happy, and safe 2021!
Thank you for your honesty, openness, and amazing insight into the business world, Nimish! We love taking every opportunity to make NimNim the most personal and individual experience it can be. We hope that getting to know NimNim’s co-founder reaffirms that we really care about our business, brand, and most of all, our customers. We hope you enjoy your weekend! ‘Til next time!
