Meet Nived Ravikumar | Admissions Essay Tutor

We had the good fortune of connecting with Nived Ravikumar and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Nived, what do you attribute your success to?
“Hello, I’m a random guy from the internet. Please give me your money.” While the actual content of these interactions is more nuanced than this, that’s the gist of it. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a wonderful thing that technology exists that can put me on the radar of people in L.A. or anywhere in the world who I would have never crossed paths with otherwise. But it puts an extra burden on me, proprietor of an internet-based business, to prove myself as a trustworthy, effective professional essay tutor.

In the early days, this was a difficult burden, but in hindsight, it gave me a mindset that has ensured the continued success of Statement Guru. If all you have is your own website vouching for you, you don’t have much. So, I advertised heavily on Facebook and Google, spending a lot for very low conversion rates.

When opportunities did arise, I tried to make the most of them. Which brings me to the most important factor in the success of the brand: Myself! This sounds intuitive, but it’s actually not. Most trusted brands out there are not personality-driven, and in keeping with this, the earliest incarnations of my website made references to ‘an accomplished team here to serve you’ (which of course didn’t actually exist). But I could also sense that the world of entrepreneurship was changing, as podcasting and social media were increasingly putting the people behind the products in the spotlight. So, I put myself out there.

On the client-facing side of things, this meant offering to read and discuss people’s essays for free. It meant applying substantial discounts to my brainstorming, editing and polishing services in the hopes of garnering positive Yelp reviews.

On the marketing side, this meant writing blog posts, recording podcast episodes, appearing on other podcasts, and of course, being featured on Voyage LA! This strategy over time has also come to mean an intense commitment to delivering exceptional results for my clients, way beyond what other companies in this space can deliver. It also means continuing to hop on relatively long calls with potential clients to discuss their drafts without pressuring them to commit to anything. Hey, I know I’m just a guy from the internet, but just though a casual conversation, I’m sure you’ll see that I’m the guy from the internet FOR YOU.

Now, I have a lot of Yelp reviews. They’re all 5 stars, and they all reference me by name. I pay zero for advertising, yet potential clients find me, from Yelp, from Quora, from old podcasts. And there’s very little convincing that needs to be done these days in my initial interactions with them. But the largest chunk of my clientele now comes from previous clients and referrals from previous clients, the surest indication that putting myself out there was the best business decision I ever made.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I’ve always had a creative soul, and it was my greatest fear to compromise that in the name of a safe, pragmatic career. I developed as both a storyteller and a musician, expressing myself through both scripts and songs respectively. I’ve had ups and downs in both domains—highlights include winning Script Pipeline’s First Look Competition in the Comedy screenplay category and getting my song played on 103.1 FM back when it was cool. I never would have envisioned my future being in admissions essays, but after a few thankless day jobs and some fits and starts in entertainment, admissions essays found me. Right away, I was damn good at helping people write theirs. And the reason I was so good at it was that I had been honing my craft as a storyteller for years. I didn’t view admissions essays as academic assignments, but mini movie scripts. What could be better than being my own boss, brainstorming with clients and helping them tell their unique and memorable stories? Moreover, my business allows me to have a flexible schedule, so I have been able to keep up with my other creative pursuits, including screenwriting and music production. My girlfriend and I also design and host Airbnb properties, which is actually pretty creative as well. I can’t predict what the future will hold, but I have no doubt that I will always prioritize nourishing my creative spirit.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
The food court in Mitsuwa. The Farmer’s Market on 3rd and Fairfax. Lebanese food at Sunnin. Taking in the views from the top of The Grove parking center. Thai food at Jitlada. The Camera Obscura in Santa Monica. Korean Barbecue (All You Can Eat when you want to stuff yourself, non-All You Can Eat for the best quality meat). Tacos at Guisado’s. A concert at either The Greek or the Hollywood Bowl. An Ethiopian feast at Awash. As you can see, the week would mostly be spent eating!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My girlfriend Ariel has been there for me basically since the beginning of Statement Guru. She designed the logo. She is patient with me despite the crazy and random hours I often work. She took my photos for this Shoutout feature. It’s not easy dating the Statement Guru, so I definitely appreciate her support throughout it all. By the way, she doesn’t just take great photos of humans, she also turned my Russian Blue cat into an Instagram star (@rubletherussian)!

Website: statementguru.com
Instagram: instagram.com/StatementGuru
Twitter: twitter.com/StatementGuru
Facebook: facebook.com/nived
Yelp: yelp.com/biz/statement-guru-santa-monica

Image Credits
Ariel Oye