191 | From 0 to Millions of TikTok Views: How Aakash Shah is Shaking Up the Health Industry

Aakash Shah struggled with allergies for years before finally finding permanent relief. Now he’s helping others access the same life-changing treatment–all from the comfort of their own homes. 

Aakash is the founder and CEO of Wyndly. He holds BAs in Computer Science and Cognitive Science from the University of Virginia. After graduating, he helped found and grow several startups, two of which he saw through successful acquisitions. In 2020, Aakash joined forces with his cousin, Dr. Manan Shah, to found Wyndly: a 5-star online telehealth experience that provides convenient access to allergy immunotherapy.

From Computer Science to Telehealth

The idea for Wyndly began with Aakash’s own allergy issues. After being thrown around the healthcare system for years, none of the allergists he’d seen could fix the problem. The best solution they could offer him was to visit their clinic weekly for treatment.  

Aakash’s cousin suggested a popular alternative in Europe, where doctors mailed their patients sublingual (under the tongue) immunotherapy treatment. It worked: Aakash experienced permanent allergy relief. He sold his wife and sister-in-law on the same regime, and when they had similar results, he knew there was business potential. 

Wyndly now provides permanent, fully remote allergy relief. Their customers receive personalized treatment in the mail and unlimited access to their team of doctors via text message, chat, and email. 

A Unique Business Model

When Wyndly launched in 2020, Aakash noticed two key marketing trends: first, people were more open to buying healthcare products online. Second, more people were self-educating themselves through video content. They capitalized on the first trend by providing a fully remote experience. As for the second trend, Wyndly’s TikTok videos average around a million monthly views.

A few years later, they’ve branched into other marketing strategies like SEO, paid ads, and email marketing. They also accept referrals from other doctors. 

Wyndly’s business model is unique because most healthcare businesses are dictated by what insurance companies are willing to cover. Although Wyndly accepts insurance, most customers are happy to pay $100/month for permanent allergy relief. They also offer a compelling guarantee: try it out for six months, and if you don’t experience relief, they’ll issue a full refund.

Enjoy this episode with founder Aakash Shah…

Soundbytes

6:30-6:49
“This is just so much better that the world has to be experiencing it. And that was my shift into entrepreneurship, right? Once I realized that there was a big enough problem that I felt passionate enough about…there just has to be someone chasing after this.” 

12:58-13:20
“It's really important to know where your first 1-2,000 customers are going to come from. And a lot of times, people out there will say, ‘Well, try Facebook ads] or try door-to-door sales or this or that. And maybe those will be right. But you really have to sit down and talk to folks and try to identify where are your buyers coming from.”

Quotes

“I built the medical experience I wish I had.”

“That’s probably the #1 way people become entrepreneurs, they see someone else do it and decide to take the leap behind them.” 

“It’s really important to know where your first 1,000-2,000 customers are going to come from.”

“It’s important to understand who your specific customers are, and we did that by just sitting down and talking to them.”

Links mentioned in this episode:

Aakash’s website: https://www.aakash.io/ 

Wyndly website: https://www.wyndly.com/ 

Connect with Aakash on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mraakashshah/