Vandana Luthra, founder of VLCC (Vandana Luthra Curls and Curves) believes that her dreams always get fulfilled because they are realistic. Her company is charting out a plan to open 250 VLCC centres in India and abroad by 2010. It will happen.

Luthra had had a dream almost 27 years back. “I had this desire to provide tailor-made solutions to help people be slim,” she says. “But I had no idea how.”

Even when she was doing her schooling at La Martiniere, Luthra was ambitious. She was determined to run a company of her own. While she was studying at the Lady Sri Ram College, she would divide time between classes and learning fashion designing. She also took up a secretarial course.

After she graduated in 1979, Luthra had a two-month teaching stint at the Delhi Polytechnic. Then she headed to Germany to complete her training in nutrition and cosmetology. She worked under the renowned cosmetologist Hans Huchel.

“For the first time, I was exposed to a scientific approach to nutrition, fitness and dermatological procedures,” says Luthra. She topped this course and followed it up with training at a Parisian institute. According to Luthra, the rigorous training gave her a strong base. “It gave me the scope to experiment with a lot of combinations and introduce a range of products in the fitness market,” she says.

In 1980, Luthra came back to India. She got married and settled to domestic bliss while upgrading her skills in her area of interest. In 1989, she opened her first outlet in Safdarjung Enclave in New Delhi. Says Luthra: “I had two options. I could have opened a mom-and-pop parlour or a five-star salon. As an entrepreneur, I decided that not only would I give my customers a superior standard of service but I would also create a brand that would offer them beauty and weight loss under one roof.”

Luthra says that she never had to invest much in creating awareness of the concept as the demand was already there. She had launched her brand at the right time.

Every day has been a learning experience for Luthra. According to her, there is no holistic solution for weight loss and beauty. Nor is it a one-size-fits-all procedure. Luthra has invested a significant amount in training and education. “Today, we see more and more me-too centres mushrooming in the country,” she says. “We raise the bar further so that we are only competing with ourselves.”

In the 17 years since she flagged off her first outlet, Luthra has set up 100 VLCC centres in 48 cities. She also has seven education and training institutes. She manufactures over 100 herbal cosmetics retailed in over 20,000 outlets across the country.

Luthra believes that though it is easy to build something, to maintain it and move ahead one needs the right people to share the vision. She prides herself on having a team of 4,000 experts, who have created standards in weight loss solutions and beauty therapies.

Luthra is directly involved with the R&D efforts of the company. She believes the bigger problem is not how to find solutions. The more pertinent answer lies in removing misconceptions.

VLCC is now spreading its wings abroad. The company has opened two centres in Dubai, at Al Wasl Road in Jumeirah and Spinneys building on Trade Centre Road. Plans include setting up an exclusive manufacturing facility for herbal cosmetics, for which the group has leased 10,000 sq mt at the Jebel Ali Free Zone. Also in the pipeline is a campus at the Dubai Knowledge Village.

Luthra, mother of two daughters, lists her family as her top priority. She used to play tennis and loves cooking. She admits that she is not much of a party animal, as she prefers spending time with her family.

Luthra is not depending on her daughters to carry on with her legacy. “It is a people’s company,” she says. “My people will carry on long after I am gone.” It won’t want for customers. There will always be men and women who want to look slim and feel great.

Based on a conversation with Aparna Harish in Calcutta