Meet Vinod Gupta – How Infofree is Helping Small Businesses During COVID-19

First of all, how are you and your team doing in these COVID-19 times?

We are doing fine. Some of us are staying at home and focusing on work during these times.

Tell us about you, your career, how you founded this company?

I began my career as a marketing research manager. It was then that I realized the importance of quality sales leads and database management. In 1972, with only $100 in my pocket, I founded American Business Lists, a categorized leads resource of businesses across America. We went public in 1993, and I ran the company until 2010, when we sold the company. When I left, the company was making $760 million in revenue.

Shortly after, I decided to start this company, Infofree.com, to help small businesses find more qualified sales leads, make them more productive and increase their sales at a meager cost.

How does your company innovate?

By listening to the customers. A customer will tell you what their needs and potential needs are. We listen to the customers.

How did the Coronavirus pandemic affect your business, and how are you coping?

It affected us because we couldn’t find customers at their place of work. However, now things are getting back to normal, and we’re getting back up to speed.

Did you have to make difficult choices, and what are the lessons learned?

We had to adapt to working from home. Anytime something of this nature comes up, it pulls your life upside down. Everyone was terrified, and I’d never seen anything like it. Fortunately, they developed a vaccine in record time, and people can go back to their normal lives.

Humanity has faced a huge problem in the past, but it has been able to overcome it.

What specific tools, software, and management skills are you using to navigate this crisis?

We are doing more ZOOM calls to stay in contact and continue growing our business.

Who are your competitors? And how do you plan to stay in the game?

Companies such as Dun & Bradstreet and ZoomInfo. However, they’re all very high-priced solutions meant for large companies with billion-dollar budgets. At the same time, we meet the needs of smaller businesses and salespeople with just a few dollars in their budget. There will always be a need for high-quality sales leads at a low cost, and that is how we plan to stay in the game.

Your final thoughts?

Small businesses are going to drive this country forward, and we are here to help them. We recently announced an exclusive offer of 100 free business leads for wealth management professionals and stockbrokers during July and August.