Today's SHERO - Suman Dash started her online jewellery business - Vastradi Jewels a few years ago and believes this is her dream come true. The journey has been challenging and enriching and she has grown and learnt so much since. What makes her business unique is the way it focuses not only on profit but how it also improves the lives of karigars and artisans involved in it.
Read on to know how Suman was inspired to start her business and how she hopes to achieve a grand revenue in the years to come.
How did you get inspired to start your own business?
Ever since a young girl, I was exposed to different forms of art and I was always encouraged to follow my own instincts. I traveled a lot with my Family and I had a knack of picking up fine pieces of Jewelry wherever I went. I worked with a lot of Non-Profit organisations and got involved with Social communities in nearby locations. During that period, I came across lot of Karigars who made exquisite pieces of art but their living conditions were not very good. I used to wonder then, if I could do more for them.
I completed my Engineering degree in Electronics and Telecommunication in 2005 and worked with Companies like Wipro and Reliance. Got married in 2007 and took a break from work in 2010 when Motherhood followed. Around that time, my Husband, Vinay Jaiswal, an IIT Roorkee Alumni, insisted that I start something of my own and follow my childhood dream of helping people in need. This is when and how Vastradi was born. I started off by selling Ethnic Sambalpuri Sarees directly from the Karigars through various Exhibtions and via Facebook. People loved the collection and slowly we also introduced Indian Ethnic & handcrafted jewellery made by Karigars and they were an instant hit. In the first week itself we started exporting to various countries around the globe. People loved the collection and admired the ease with which they could purchase High quality Jewelry at great prices.
My most joyful experience is when I sell a piece, and other people place orders for similar pieces and share their happy feedback. This Venture is a dream come true for me!
How is your company different from other jewellery companies in India?
Apart from being the only brand which concentrates on Indian Ethnic Jewelry and strives to bring the designs of our Karigars to the forefront, Vastradi strives to make real changes in the lives of these craftsmen who create such beautiful pieces of art. We do this by paying them upfront rather than working on credit terms and train them to improve their creativity by developing new designs.
Also, we take pride in providing the best quality products at rock bottom prices, this combined with excellent Customer Service is something which makes our customers come back over and over again.
Going ahead, we are also plan on doing customized Jewelry designs on a much larger scale.
What are your long term company goals?
Vastradi Jewels aims to be one of the leading E-Commerce portals in the World with the hugest collection of Art and Fashion Jewelry not only from the Craftsmen of India but all over the World. To continue giving our Customers the best quality products and designs at the best prices. As of now we are doing 50-100 orders per day and in the near future plan to achieve 1000 orders per day. Our aim is to generate around 5-6 Crores in Revenue. And then a 100% growth on quarter to quarter basis.
We are working with over 30 Karigar clusters now (Each cluster having 10-15 karigars) and wish to reach out to atleast 200 Karigar clusters and have a substantial effect on their lives.
What according to you are the top 3 challenges in this line of work?
Managing finances and cash flow, gathering customer taste, product quality, connecting with reliable vendors, getting the business model right, hiring the right team and keeping them motivated, were some of those challenges. But these were the little struggles that have actually pushed me to do better. Everyday I look forward to learn something new, help my team learning further, empower them and delegate the responsibilities further.
How do you balance managing your own company and your personal life?
Managing Professional and Personal life together is very difficult but what I believe in is Smart work. Prioritizing, Avoid Multi-tasking and doing each single task with the kind of concentration it demands and deserves, Delegation of work, Time management and of course not getting worked up in tough situations but finding out solutions are some of the Mantras I follow seriously. Having said that, I am where I am today because of my Family.
No organisation can grow without a good workforce. A Strong leader without good team members will never flourish. My team is a very efficient one. Each one has work cut out for them and they follow it diligently. We are more like a bunch of friends in the office who work towards the betterment of Vastradi with a larger goal of doing something good for society.
What marketing techniques do you follow for Vastradi Jewels?
Digital Media - Paid and Organic (Facebook, Google Adwords, SEO, Blogs, Email Marketing, SMS), supported by Offline Traditional Media (Newspapers, magazines, PR, flyers, Exhibitions).