By Navigating Digital Tide, ‘SignIn’ Echoes Of Change

We live in a new era of business, where the rules have changed dramatically in this hyper-connected world. Even small companies, once confined to limited geographical regions, have found unique ways to thrive. However, the sudden shift to digitalisation has not been easy for many.

Moreover, some individuals with strong business ideas and skills found themselves lacking in technology. To address these challenges, a group of accomplished NRI tech entrepreneurs who were based out of Qatar, UAE, and Malaysia came together in 2016 to create a platform called Sign In.

“While there are thousands of IT companies in Kerala, many struggle with balancing growth and sustainability strategies. Some excel in business operations but lack strength in their products, while others have great products but fall short in business acumen. At our company, we recognise the importance of mastering both,” Anas Mundo, Sign In’s Director, Business Development said. Anas leads the aggressive, passionate, dynamic and ambitious business development efforts at Sign In in an era of rapid technological and business growth.

What can be called as an ‘honest’ or growth centric business development approach, Anas argues that Sign In has a strategy, based on analysis, to guide entrepreneurs in making informed decisions, steering them away from blindly following trends that could lead to failure.

Inside Sign In

Many businesses found themselves at a dead end when the Indian economy faced challenges due to demonetisation, as they were unsure about digitalization. “During this time, we assisted numerous entrepreneurs through nearly 100 training programs,” Anas stated.

“However, there are times in which we had even advised the clients no to go ahead with their startup ideas, after proper evaluation”, he added.

The Sign In team presented that nearly 50% of the projects they handle were previously unsuccessful ventures by others.

In a remarkable achievement, during a two-day residential event, the team successfully launched 40 new projects, a first in India.

Apart from this, Sign In was also successful in introducing new concepts such as e-commerce marketing, affiliate marketing and so on for their client-base.

Sign In’s expansionary vision is rooted in its innovative cores and the cloud-based solution called EthicFin the team has built showcases the magnitude of the vision.  This easy-to-use application allows businesses to make invoices, customize them, raise and monitor their invoices on the go, and comply with regulatory requirements. And currently, they have 1000s of users for the product which offers wide range of features.

“EthicFin has a significant global market potential as it incorporates the laws and conditions mandated by various countries into its design. As a SaaS product, it adapts easily to a business’s system. EthicFin is bound to become the first choice for small and medium companies in India,” Nadeer VK, CTO and Chief Executive Officer of EthicFin said. Nadeer, is a ‘techno-preneur’ oversees technology strategy, development, and innovation to align with the company’s business goals.

Ethicfin had expanded its subscription in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as the government has imposed a mandatory e-voicing on businesses of all sizes making paper invoices null and void.

Currently Ethicfin operates within 10 countries and in a span of 2 years, as per Sign In officials, the cloud-based solution will expand to 40 countries.

“Most mid-level businesses fail due to a lack of systems or the absence of consideration for implementing one. We tackle this challenge with a cost-effective solution. Countries like Saudi Arabia are advancing rapidly, having already adopted cloud-based invoicing and accounting. Other Middle Eastern countries are following suit, and EthicFin aims to tap into this high-potential market,” Muhammed Sageer, Executive Director, who oversees employee career growth, personality development, innovations, and corporate relations at Sign In, elaborated the growth potential of their product.

The entire journey of Sign In has paralleled that of Hilite Business Park. The facilities, infrastructure, and resources provided by the park have been instrumental in helping them achieve their current position.

Inside Sign In

Alongside the company’s growth, the team has ensured that reselling partners, partnering companies, and employees have also experienced significant growth. Currently, the team comprises 40 employees.

The working environment was described as being based solely on performance rather than experience. “Among the top performers, only a few have prior experience, while most are freshers,” said a Sign In official.

Sign In has made the workplace more employee friendly than many other companies, with the team members have been given the freedom flexibility to switch roles—from project coordination to sales—gaining comprehensive expertise across the field. Compensation is entirely incentive-based, reflecting a focus on performance rather than fixed salaries. Many employees express that, while they are confident in their ability to excel elsewhere, the sense of comfort and belonging they experience here remains unmatched.

Team Sign In (L-R): Anas Mundo, Director, Business Development; Nadeer VK, CTO; Muhammed Sageer, Executive Director

Timeline talked to the Finance Manager of the company, Midhunraj, asking him about the employees and the benefits the company offers. “The firm provide us with a relaxed yet professional work environment, and we operate here like a family,” he said. Moreover, he also added that he was able to learn new programs and software under this platform.

Another employee Kadeeja Hanna NP, who had joined the company few months back and asserts that Sign In has given her new insights and professional advancements which she could not gather from her previous work place, said she along another co-worker had got the chance to launch their own gift-wrapping business under guideship of the senior management. “Even if we engage in the packing and processing of the orders during the working hours, we are not discouraged or questioned about that, but we are encouraged,” she said while adding that this mentoring is an everyday experience for her and her colleagues.

Risvana Hyder, a talented writer and employee of Sign In, had the fortunate opportunity to launch her book, “The Castle of Creatures,” at an event organised by the Sign In team. This shows how the company has helped employees thrive while pursuing their passions, highlighting the strong support within the team. Such support is likely one of the reasons for their success in reaching these high levels.

Team Sign In (L-R): Suhair Aikkara, Chief Product Engineer; Junaid Rahman, Chief Financial Officer & Strategic Advisor; Fathima Finu, COO

The water challenge in the Sign In office was something that stood out to this reporter the most. During the summer, the team organised a water-drinking challenge to ensure the well-being of team members. According to the circular, failing to meet the target would result in the withholding of food allowances.

Highlighting some of their major projects, Anas shared that the company played a key role in transforming Gulf Madhyamam’s “Come On Kerala” event from a family-focused event to a business-oriented one. The Come On Kerala is now one of the largest Indian International trade shows which is promoting and bringing up products and services from India to a global level. They have also assisted in the marketing of products such as BabyVita, which offers nutritious, high-quality baby food products crafted to support healthy growth and development, as well as Hermas, a herbal medicine manufacturing company, and Dhanam magazine. Sign In’s major projects include the platform they built for the bidding applications of Qatar Supreme Judicial Council.

However, the journey has not always been smooth for the team, with many instances of ups and downs along the way. Sharing one of the challenges they faced, the team spoke about a government project which aimed to provide identity cards to employees from other states, and unfortunately, due to existing regulations in India, the project had to be discontinued midway.

The Sign In provides branding, marketing, and technology services designed to help businesses grow, guided by experts with years of experience. The team is led by Anas Mundo (Director- Business Development), Muhammed Sageer (Executive Director), Nadeer VK (Chief Technology officer), Fathima Finu (Chief Operating Officer), Junaid Rahman (Chief Financial Officer & Strategic Advisor) and Suhair Aikkara (Chief Product Engineer).

Sign In’s EthicFin India team during the mobile app launch in January 2024

Fathima ensures timely delivery, prompt support, and operational efficiency, even while managing a high volume of services at Sign In, while, Junaid drives the strategic and financial vision behind Sign In and EthicFin. As the CPE, Suhair is the brain behind EthicFin’s features, functionality, and user-friendly design.

The recent digitalization has led to the emergence of many marketing companies and the latest developments in AI present yet another challenge that the industry will need to confront. As Fahid VM, an industry expert, commented, the challenges any tech or marketing company is facing from the AI advancements are serious, and the coping mechanism will be important for a company like Sign In. “In this era, tech and marketing companies must prepare new strategies to address the evolving landscape of AI,” he said.

Read also: The Untold Story Of Speakeazy: How One Man’s Vision Transformed English Learning

(This story is part of a Timelinedaily.com series – HiLITE Business Park 50)