We entrepreneurs have been hearing one stat for a long time — only 10 to 20 percent of startup pivots succeed.
When Datachamps first began, the vision was clear and ambitious — to empower small businesses with powerful Business Intelligence tools. But while the idea made perfect sense on paper, reality quickly showed us that the path to success would be more complex. That’s when the idea of a pivot came up — a change that would redefine our approach and set the stage for future growth.
In this blog with Windrose Capital, without going too deep into tech, I’ll try to share the mindset behind our pivot and what came next, in the simplest way possible. I hope you’ll find something useful from my experience.
| The Original Idea and Early Challenges
When we started Datachamps, the goal was straightforward — create a platform that gave small businesses access to powerful Business Intelligence tools. We wanted to make dashboards and analytics simple and accessible so even smaller companies could make smarter data backed decisions.
But soon, we ran into two big problems.
First, small businesses often didn’t have the kind of clean, consistent data these tools need. Without good data, even the best dashboards can’t give useful insights.
Second, as we tried to solve more and more problems, the platform started to lose focus. We were trying to do too many things at once, which diluted the impact.
It became clear that no matter how advanced our technology was, if we didn’t fix the data problem first, we wouldn’t get the results our clients needed.
| The Pivot Moment
As time passed, we started noticing a pattern. Many small businesses, our primary target, loved the idea of business intelligence—but most of them weren’t ready for it. Either they didn’t have enough data, or they didn’t have the internal bandwidth to act on the insights.
We weren’t failing—but we weren’t growing the way we wanted either. That’s when we paused and asked ourselves a hard question: Are we solving a real problem for the right people?
The honest answer was—no.
Our early assumptions were centered around small businesses. But it became clear they weren’t ready for advanced BI—either they didn’t have clean data or didn’t have the bandwidth to act on insights.
That’s also when a key realisation shaped our thinking:
What a client wants ≠ What a client will adopt
Meanwhile, the real traction was coming from mid-sized companies and CXO-level decision-makers. They had structured data, internal teams, and a strong need for sharper, real-time insights.
So the shift began. Not overnight, but gradually—refining our focus, aligning with CXO workflows, and tailoring what we built to what was actually being used.
So we shifted gears—not just who we built for, but how we built it.
| Letting Go of the Sunk-Cost Fallacy
One of the toughest parts about a pivot isn’t the decision itself — it’s letting go of all the time and effort already spent on the earlier idea. But what gave us confidence was listening to what clients were struggling with in real time.
Many had tried top BI tools, hired analysts, and still couldn’t get clean, usable insights. That’s when we realised the real gap wasn’t the dashboard — it was everything that came before it.
We didn’t need to reinvent BI. We needed to fix the data journey — especially for CXOs who wanted ready insights, not raw data.
Before making the final call, I did a quick check on a few practical things:
- Is there consistent demand for this?
- Are people already paying for parts of the solution?
- Can we monetize from day one?
- Is the team ready to deliver this shift?
- Is the market moving in this direction?
Answering these questions gave me rational clarity. And once you have that, the sunk-cost fallacy doesn’t hold much weight.
Because it’s not about whether we were wrong before—it’s about being right, now.
| What Changed – And What Stayed the Same
A pivot doesn’t mean starting from scratch. It means realigning what you’ve already built toward a more meaningful outcome.
In our case, the core tech—the dashboard engine, the reporting logic, the backend systems—remained largely the same. What changed was the packaging, positioning, and how we talked about the product.
We stopped selling features and started focusing on use cases. Instead of saying, “Here’s what our platform can do,” we began saying, “Here’s how your sales head or finance head can use this to make better decisions.”
We also narrowed our target. We went from trying to cater to a wide set of small businesses to focusing on mid-sized companies with clear reporting needs. That clarity helped our messaging, sales efforts, and even product decisions.
So, while the product matured, the real shift was in mindset and market focus. And that made all the difference.
| Getting the Team Aligned
A pivot doesn’t just happen on a strategy doc. It needs people to believe in it—and more importantly, to carry it forward.
At Datachamps, once we were clear that a shift was needed, we didn’t rush into it overnight. We took the time to talk through it with the team. The idea wasn’t to force change, but to help everyone see why it made sense.
A Team Would be More Okay With a Leader’s Wrong Decision Than With an Indecisive Leader.
We didn’t present it as a failure of the original idea. We framed it for what it truly was—a step forward to achieve what we had set out to do in the first place: make business intelligence more accessible and actionable.
This clarity helped. People weren’t confused or panicked. In fact, many of them started suggesting ways to improve the new direction even before we asked.
That’s where the smoothness came in. The pivot didn’t feel like a sudden turn. It felt more like steering in a better direction — with everyone holding the same map.
| The Challenges We Did Not Expected
Once we made the pivot, we didn’t expect things to magically fall into place, but some challenges still caught us off guard. The real test began after the decision — when we rolled up our sleeves and started building the solution.
That’s when we faced some unexpected hurdles that pushed us to rethink, rebuild, and keep adapting. Here are a few of those challenges we had to navigate:
One Size Doesn’t Fit All
As we moved into execution, we quickly learned that every company had its own unique way of building reports. No two management or performance dashboards looked the same, and there was no standard template we could reuse.
Too Many Data Sources
Client data was scattered across tools, formats, and departments. Stitching them together in a way that made sense wasn’t just time-consuming — it demanded deep business understanding.
Complex Calculations
It wasn’t just about visualizing the data. There were tons of interim calculations that needed to be built in. And those calculations were often custom to the client’s logic — meaning we had to constantly adapt.
Layering in Intelligence
On top of reports, we began adding layers like anomaly detection, exception handling, and automated validations. These weren’t just “nice-to-haves” — they were expected. Getting them right took iteration.
The Real Lesson
The more complex the problem, the more value we knew we could add. Every challenge, frustrating as it was, helped us build stronger solutions and prepared us for scale.
| Impact: What Happened After the Pivot
To solve these challenges we built automation around the mess, created logic that could handle exceptions, and designed workflows that were tailored but scalable.
Once we got our hands dirty with real implementations, the difference was clear — were solving core operational bottlenecks with data-driven systems that actually worked.
As soon as those pieces came together, the results started showing up — not just for us, but more importantly, for our clients.
Here’s what changed after we shifted our approach:
200+ Mandays Saved
By automating management reporting, we eliminated weeks of manual effort for clients who were used to doing this the hard way.
Zero Manual Intervention
With clean data pipelines and smart logic in place, we could finally deliver dashboards that didn’t require daily check-ins or Excel patchwork.
100% Accuracy
Because the data flow was now structured and validated at each stage, the output was trustworthy — no last-minute corrections or misaligned numbers.
70% Faster Turnaround Time
Clients who were earlier taking days to generate reports could now get them in hours. That meant faster decisions, better planning, and less stress.
| From Here, Forward
Every founder journey has moments that don’t go as planned. For us, the pivot wasn’t a reset — it was a step forward with clearer eyes. If you’re in that phase — questioning, recalibrating, figuring out your next move — know that it’s okay to change direction. What matters more is why you’re doing it and who you’re doing it for.
We didn’t have all the answers when we started. We still don’t.
But we kept listening, stayed honest with ourselves, and built with intent.
The decision we were conscious about taking gave us the clarity to build better — work with large enterprises, MNCs, overseas clients, and listed companies. We serve decision-makers across the board — CFOs, CIOs, and other CXOs — while continuing to build valuable offerings for small and mid-sized businesses as well. Internally, the focus has allowed us to build dedicated verticals and drive better alignment within the team.
Looking back, it’s easy to see the dots connecting. But in the moment, all we had was the belief that change was necessary — and that we could handle it. If you're a founder standing at that crossroads, just know: changing direction doesn’t mean you’ve failed. It might just be the beginning of your real journey.