I am a full time mother and a passionate entrepreneur. A computer engineer from India, I completed a Masters in Management from the Imperial College London.
I worked in my family business, a renown business group in India, to gain experience under the leadership of my role model- my father. I always wanted to be a entrepreneur myself, and launch a brand from scratch without any monetary support from my family. My dream came true when my childhood friend (Kriti Baveja) and I launched momzjoy.com in late 2015.
I am now the co-founder and CEO of momzjoy.com, India’s leading maternity and nursing fashion wear brand that aims to empower expecting and new mothers to make them feel beautiful, happy and confident.
We deliver worldwide & have made over 40k+ mothers happy including celebrities like Sania Mirza. We reach more than half a million expecting mothers per month and have been awarded “The Best Maternity Wear Brand in India” 2019, 2018, 2017 & 2016 by leading parenting portal Kidsstoppress & “National Entrepreneurship Award 2018” by the Govt. of India (MSDE).
We have also been awarded Businessworld’s “India’s Hottest Young Entrepreneurs 2017”, A TedX speaker slot (Link below), and I have also been awarded ‘Top 50 most influential e-commerce professionals’ by Asia Retail Congress in 2018.
Self-funded and sustainable, within 4 years of its launch, we have achieved commendable growth rate of 200% YOY. With over 1200 unique products, 90% of our products are handcrafted in our in-house manufacturing unit. We are the only brand in India to have such a wide variety of ethnic and western wear collection for expecting and new mothers.
My role is to create a profitable growth engine at Momzjoy.
Did you ever sit down and plan your career?
Yes, I often reflect and plan my career. I feel not planning your life is the biggest mistake one can make. I truly believe in the power of manifestation and scheduling. My manifestation board has images of my goals and I list my personal and professional goals every year with monthly and weekly targets to accomplish the same.
Have you faced any challenges along the way?
I faced many challenges before launching the brand, mainly:
- With no design background, designing clothes that would accommodate growing curves was very challenging and seemed impossible at first. I thought I could never translate the designs in my head into reality. Fast forward 4 years, we have been awarded the ‘Best Maternity Wear Brand’ four years in a row. We are known for our variety and unique designs.
- My partner and I had no savings and we have literally built this brand from scratch. I did not have even EUR 100 to open a bank account. However, we broke even within 10 months of our launch and are profitable since then.
- Setting up our own manufacturing unit (with no manufacturing experience) in a male dominated industry was not easy. We started with a team of two people and now have a team of 30 people manufacturing more than 2000 units per month.
Most of us are constrained by the thought of not having enough money to pursue our dreams. I somehow always believed that its not money, but ‘the passion to make a difference’ that makes everything possible. I hope to make Momzjoy a global brand known for its quality and service.
What has been your biggest achievement to date?
I feel my biggest achievement to date has been launching my brand MOMZJOY.COM without any external financial support and experience in garment or e-commerce industry. Sustaining and growing the brand is a continuous challenge but the excitement and responsibility that I felt while launching the brand, was unmatched and reminds me to give my best every single day.
What one thing do you believe has been a major factor in you achieving success?
Setting targets and following a schedule with passion has contributed to my success.
How do you feel about mentoring? Have you mentored anyone or are you someone’s mentee?
I have not officially mentored anyone but I generally motivate and encourage women to start a business and follow their dreams. I helped two of my cousins to launch their brands and we often discuss challenges and brainstorm together now.
If you could change one thing to accelerate the pace of change for Gender Parity, what would it be?
Encourage sharing responsibilities and equal parenting so that women are not the primary care takers and can focus on their career too.
If you could give one piece of advice to your younger self what would it be?
Believe in the power of manifestation and positive thinking from school itself. It should be a part of the curriculum.
What is your next challenge and what are you hoping to achieve in the future?
My next challenge is to double the turnover and make strong a international presence of our brand Momzjoy.
I hope to be a serial entrepreneur creating value for the world and use the income to support certain causes that are close to my heart including free medical treatment for the needy and making sure that no one sleeps without food any day.
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