Much before startup was a thing, people like Sagar Daryani and Vivek Sahni started their entrepreneurial journey by building brands from scratch that are prominent names in their respective industries today. Their brands? Wow! Momo and Kama Ayurveda. Going by YFLO Kolkata’s theme of this year, ‘Be You’, the organisation hosted a chat session last month on inspiring entrepreneurial journeys, called ‘Be Entrepreneurial, Be You’. The panel, set up at Daga Nikunj, featured these two entrepreneurs in conversation with YFLO chairperson Shilpa Sethi. The entrepreneurs shared their journeys of building their brands from scratch with the YFLO members and also gave an interesting peek into the humans behind the brands. The session was moderated by Blinkit’s east head, Arpita Agarwal. Excerpts.
THE BEGINNING:
Sagar Daryani: Coming from a garment business family, I learnt early in life how to sell a T-shirt when someone is coming to buy trousers. We had this momo aunty in school. I would buy one kilo and have one, and my friend used to eat the rest. That made me feel if Domino’s can play with pizzas, McDonald’s can play with burgers, why can’t we play with momos? That’s what got me started, just out of college in 2008.
Vivek Sahni: Our idea was to create everything sustainable back in 2000. One of our partners was a banker, one was a designer, and I was a painter. So, completely zero business outlooks! We knew we wanted to do something like this but in a commercial fashion. The Body Shop had just come in. Our USP was the natural variation. We went to South India and met our fourth partner. She introduced us to one of the oldest ayurvedic pharmacies in India. There were a bunch of American researchers doing research on arthritis and finding the cure in Ayurveda. They were doing these projects coming from America. I thought, why could I not do it from Delhi?
SCALING WITHOUT CELEBRITY ENDORSEMENT:
Sagar: For us, our consumer is the biggest celebrity. We have a good product. The consumer becomes the central focal point of what we do, whether it is about launching a new product or getting people to the store. I think brands are built in the minds of the consumer. Our industry is known for health, hygiene and happiness. It all starts with the product. It is how you packet it, position it and wow the consumer. My first customer is my employee. One good employee can get 10 good consumers. When I started this, I didn’t even have the money for one. I used to cut it into three pieces and take it to every person walking into the mall. We knew that anyone tasting our momo once would ask for more. Our first was a 1,500sqft Spencer’s store in Tollygunge, where we had a 16/16 kiosk. I used to wake up at 5 in the morning, buy vegetables, rob Tupperware containers from my mom’s kitchen, take two auto rickshaws and get to my first store and at night we would walk back with empty crates. One rupee saved by us was Rs 5 saved for the business. We couldn’t burn and earn. We had to earn and earn.
Vivek: When it was decided our oil would be sold at Rs 500, we had to see where people’s loyalties lie. Once you find that something is good on your skin, you don’t change. Same with hair. It was expensive. Four of us called up our friends. One of our friends owned a beauty parlour at Oberoi and we said we are putting it here because that’s our target client; somebody knew someone at Taj Khazana and like that Good Earth and high-end chemists also kept our products. For eight to nine years we ran the company like this while doing side business. Then in 2012, my brother-in-law made me realise that I don’t know anything about business and I went for a business programme in Delhi. They asked what do you want to do, and I said I want to make the finest ayurvedic brand in the world. Quality has always been a thing for us. We opened our first store after six months. We had no money for advertising or branding, so we chose a front spot in the Khan market in Delhi. Our idea was people zooming by in their cars would see it. Our business is built on repeat customers.
Shilpa Sethi, YFLO chairperson.
DIVERSIFYING:
Sagar: I think, it all begins by bringing that ‘wowness’ in the product. So, when we began, we started with veg and chicken, and then we introduced different flavours. The next challenge was to convert this snack into a meal. That’s when we launched the momo burger. As we moved to Bangalore we introduced sizzler momos. Desserts were missing from the menu and we launched chocolate momo. Some work and some don’t. But when the basic steam momo works for our client, we understood that we are building trust, not building a brand. Then when our staff recommend different things, the client tries. As an entrepreneur, it is for us to set trends and create trends.
Vivek: With Ayurveda, for us, it was about being your best self at a certain stage of your life. And how do you do that? By taking care of yourself. That is all we said — take care of yourself. We are all going to grow old. The products we sell are not quick gratification. It takes time to see the results. We have these doctors in the stores to identify the problems. It is about embracing ageing. Be authentic to yourself, be kind to yourself, and don’t tear yourself up. Once you are good to yourself, you can be good to everyone.
THE HUMANS BEHIND THE BRANDS:
Sagar: It is important to accept yourself the way you are. The real me is very vulnerable. But the real me is also a fighter inside. Living your life is important. Without this work, I would have been a different shadow of myself. And one thing I have learnt is, it is okay to be not okay. It is okay to fake it till you make it but don’t fake it for yourself. I have goals, and even if I don’t reach all, I know I have tried. You cannot have work-life balance, you can have work-life integration. I believe in destiny, but first, create your destiny and let your destiny take care of that destiny.
Vivek: A lot has changed, but some are constant. I have been doing meditative practices for the last 20 years. It is life-changing if you are into it. I do it to keep me balanced. You cannot live a life just based on financial gratification. I started with my father’s business but couldn’t connect to it. So, I sold it. Try and shed your fears. Don’t live life managed by fear. Before going to bed, I recount the day. If you do that, you will know that it was not as bad as you think.
Pictures: Pabitra Das
