Local IT Platform Helps Small Businesses Start Up
Local Linq of Pasco County
Rajesh Rayi and partner, Venkat Chanda, saw a growing need for small businesses in the Tampa Bay area to improve their visibility and streamline operations. With little funding available, many of these businesses struggled to promote themselves, secure bookings, and connect with customers.
“We initially started this one because when we found out that the local businesses, especially the small ones, they don’t have initial capital for the IT setup marketing and to reach the customer, so we wanted to help them,” Rajesh Rayi said. This inspired Rayi and Chanda to launch Local Linq, an IT platform and app designed specifically to help local small businesses overcome these challenges.
Recognizing the complexities of starting this business, Rayi sought the guidance of the Florida SBDC at USF. After a quick Google search, the business owner booked his consultation and was paired with business consultant, Pablo Arroyo, who provided essential business start-up services and introduced key networking opportunities to help the company grow. “Pablo was really helpful with setting up our business initially. So, when we started, he helped with the Sunbiz setup and how to get the EIN number and all of those things and also, he helped a lot with the consultation,” Rayi mentioned.
Since working with the Florida SBDC at USF, Local Linq has experienced significant growth, both in terms of client acquisition and platform capabilities. “My business has started, and it has grown very much by working with Florida SBDC at USF. Initially when we started, we needed some contacts on the local businesses within the Florida, so Pablo helped me with that information, and we also loaded up to like 140,000 [businesses] by gathering information from the public records and the records that Pablo has provided to us,” Rayi shared.
As explained by Rajesh Rayi, the company’s biggest success so far has been, “taking this to the market,” positioning them as a vital resource for local businesses as their app is now available for download on Google Play and the App Store by Apple. He also mentioned that growing the business technologically has been a great success.
“After consulting with the Florida SBDC at USF, we also got an idea about artificial intelligence into the local businesses. We have recently doubled up in application, a telephonic application, a text application, and a webchat application, that connects with the artificial intelligence, and it can generate the conversations. A lot of small businesses currently have a difficulty getting the appointment systems up and they cannot afford for a desk operator for booking appointments, so we have developed an artificial intelligence system which is pay-per-use scenario,” Rajesh Rayi said.
Looking ahead, Rayi and his partner plan to continue leveraging the Florida SBDC at USF’s expertise as they scale the platform. “As we continue to grow, we want to have more collaboration with the Florida SBDC at USF because Florida SBDC has been helping us in terms of connecting with the local teams and local forums and also the legal stuff as well,” he said.
For other small businesses, Rayi emphasizes the importance of partnering with the Florida SBDC at USF. “I strongly recommend going through the Florida SBDC at USF because this is a free consultation services and [they] have a lot of experts like Pablo here, which is going to help you with the initial setup and then answer a lot of questions,” Rayi said.
“Initially, when I started as an entrepreneur, I had a ton of questions like, whether I am going to be successful, can I take this forward, or whether I can reach out to the local resources on my own. I have been recently attending a lot of meetings at Florida SBDC at USF because they are really helpful in terms of giving me the information and then they also have a lot of connections within the local networks and it is helping me to connect with the local businesses and then connect with the local chambers of commerce,” he added.
