Back in 2014, while working with FMCG distribution, Otabek Suvonov from Tashkent realized the sector lacked automated accounting. Soon after, together with a friend, he managed to create a product that helps stores know exact sales volumes, remaining stock, and reorder requirements.

Today, his solution Sales Doctor operates across various Central Asian countries and is preparing for entry into Saudi Arabia. In an interview for the joint project by Digital Business and Astana Hub, "100 Central Eurasian Startup Stories," Otabek shared the mistakes made on the path to success, what had to change for growth, and where Sales Doctor is heading next.

• Otabek Suvonov — Tashkent, Founder of Sales Doctor
  
  

“Failure Taught Us a Lot”

– Otabek, tell us about your background: where did you study, work, and how did you come to Sales Doctor?

– I studied Business Administration at the Westminster International University in Tashkent. In my final fourth year, in 2011, I left the university. I had money to pay for tuition, but I spent it on my first project. A couple of times I told myself it was a mistake, overall I don't regret it.

The project was real estate-related—assembling a general database of new construction projects in Tashkent. While studying, I worked as a broker in a real estate agency. Clients constantly asked where good houses were being built. We found them, but figuring out square footage, infrastructure, and pricing was tough. I realized a site for browsing apartments was needed.

However, that project failed. Back then, new builds in Tashkent were relatively scarce; the construction boom started about 5 years later. In a way, the project was ahead of its time, as such sites work successfully now. Another mistake was spending available funds on expensive advertising. Still, it taught me a lot.

– How did things develop further?

– Afterwards, together with a friend, I launched a coupon site for goods and services, which was just gaining popularity. The product setup, marketing, and design were good, but unit economics didn’t work out, leading to losses. We covered expenses with investments for a long time.

Eventually, the product closed, though we built a good reputation. I also met future Sales Doctor co-founder Adham Bozorov there, the lead programmer who built the product.

After closing, I went into corporate employment at Mars as a supervisor, gaining good experience. Then I joined a local juice/nectar manufacturer as a regional manager. We constantly had the same shipping problem. When the director asked for regional sales (e.g., Samarkand vs. Fergana), I often couldn't answer because accounting was primitive—data sent via instant messengers, email, phone calls, or SMS.

– No unified system?

– Right. Weekly manual collection left us blind. I came to Adham Bozorov and said: "Build me a small web app so distributors daily log sales, stock, and outlet counts."

During discussions, the idea emerged to build an independent product to sell ourselves. That’s how Sales Doctor was born.

“Reached First Profitability in 6 Years”

– What milestones did Sales Doctor go through?

– We started writing the first code in December 2014. For about 1.5 years, we built it as a side project, mostly tested inside my employer's company. In less than a year, an external acquaintance—a snack distributor—first used the solution. Things took off.

We hired a programmer, sales reps, and made early mistakes. For instance, I spent limited personal resources paying a close friend’s debt, plunging us into a cash crunch. Classic optimist fallacy: expecting high sales and tiny expenses. Reality was the opposite for a long time.

It was tough, but we brought in prominent Uzbek entrepreneur Alisher Isaev as a co-founder—he invested a bit and helped with clients. We developed and sold the product for years without earning much—just self-sustainability, though we wanted more. In 2016, I left corporate work to focus on Sales Doctor full-time.

– When did you feel the first real success?

– First decent profit came in early 2020 at ~$20k/month revenue. For comparison, our current MRR is $320k. We grew gradually, connecting clients, improving the product. Enterprise clients didn’t appear overnight; we started with SMBs.

– What exact business solutions do you offer?

– Business process automation in distribution and retail. The Sales Doctor ecosystem consists of three products:

1. Sales Doctor: FMCG distribution automation combining orders, inventory, payments, and analytics. Real-time control of sales/stock, staff performance (sales, plan execution, KPI). Replaces scattered spreadsheets and manual workflows.

2. Ibox: Warehouse accounting and retail automation for non-traditional segments (construction materials, home appliances, auto parts) like bazaar/market traders. Unified order/stock/finance interface and sales/KPI analytics.

3. Idokon: POS for small-to-medium grocery shops, digitizing retail point-of-sale.
   
   

“Placing a Big Bet on Kazakhstan”

– What is your current client base and business model?

– Over 3,000 clients. Monetization via subscription at $15/month (quarterly/annual options available).

Clients paid from day one; we never onboarded anyone for free. Many young builders fear charging money and struggle with product-market fit. Even if imperfect, you must charge for usage.

– What problems do clients solve using Sales Doctor?

– In distribution, losses from improper ordering and warehouse tracking are huge. Sales Doctor drastically improves document flow and order volume. E.g., a sales rep visiting 20 stores unmonitored might hit 12 and get 6 orders (50% conversion). With our tracking ensuring proper visits, doing required store counts lifts order output (e.g., 10 orders instead of 6).

Combined with KPI, inventory, and stock control, client sales grow by at least 20%. Crucially, early on we persuaded people to shift from paper to digital; now distributors don't ask if they need software, they ask whom to buy it from.

– Which markets do you operate in?

– After returning in September 2024 to make Sales Doctor global, we covered several Central Asian markets.

We are placing a big bet on Kazakhstan. While Uzbekistan drives 80% of revenue, Kazakhstan is 15%, and Kyrgyzstan 5%. We plan to double Kazakhstan revenue within 6 months. Mathematically, Kazakhstan can yield 1.5x our Uzbekistan scale.

“Looking to Raise $4M in Funding”

– What are the annual revenue figures?

– First 7 months of the current year yielded ~$2.1M. ARR run-rate sits at around $4M.

– What are your global expansion steps?

– Beyond Central Asia, in 2025 we studied Middle Eastern markets like Saudi Arabia and UAE. We plan entry into Saudi Arabia soon, targeting 15–20 initial clients by year-end.

Last year we joined accelerators: Alfarabi (Saudi Arabia, backed by Plug and Play, Tumar Ventures, Aramco) for 2-month market entry research; and in Sept 2025, AlchemistX & Silicon Valley Residency (backed by Astana Hub, IT Park Uzbekistan, and respective venture funds). Though selected for the US residency (2 months), we passed on full US scaling due to relocation preferences.

– Are you backed by local hubs?

– Yes, participants of IT Park Uzbekistan and Astana Hub, providing strong tax preferences.

– What are your investment plans?

– For 10 years we bootstrapped with minor angel backing early on. Being profitable, scaling globally means we likely need external capital. In early June we opened a $4M funding round, talking to venture funds to fuel new market/product expansion while core Central Asian operations fund themselves.