Meet the SHEROES - Manali Shenoy

Manali Shenoy runs an online store 'Indian Concepts' excusively for women corporate Kurtis. She tells how she became an entrepreneur and what was the journey like- 

Tell us more about yourself. 

I am originally from Goa and have done MBA in Marketing. I’ve worked for some advertising firms and NGOs before venturing on my own to form ‘Indian Concepts’.

What is the idea behind India Concepts Online?

“Indian Concepts” is a Brand that promises to offer exquisite range of Womens Kurtis made from authentic Indian fabrics crafted for a perfect fit and indulging 

India is known a rich heritage of Cotton. Cotton weaving is the heart and soul of Indian textiles. “Indian Concepts” promises to offer an exquisite range of products that are crafted from these traditional Indian fabrics that have been known globally for ages.

Western formals like trousers and tops with blazers have been universally famous and regularly used in corporate world, but they have not been very comfortable for Indian women. The fabric used by these western formals is produced by modern textile processes using harmful chemicals; this renders them non skin-friendly causing irritation, rashes, sweating and discomfort. The fits of these garments restrict free body movement and cause a further discomfort when used during longer working hours. Lack of choice has led Indian corporate women to use regular ethnic wear adorned with gaudy embroidery and flashy prints, though it does not go in sync with the corporate dress code.

“Indian Concepts” addresses these drawbacks by offering exclusive Ethnic Corporate Wear made from renowned traditional fabrics sourced from artisans across India. The fabric properties make it ideal for corporate wear providing the necessary comfort for longer working hours in any season.  “Indian Concepts” has crafted these fabrics for contemporary look to address the long-time unattended need of Indian women – an Ethnic Corporate Wear.

We have our online store where women can buy these Corporate Kurtas at ease. The feedback and love we’ve experienced so far has been awesome!

As an entrepreneur, what are the challenges that you face?

I wasn’t from this field at all so I had to start from scratch. Moreover research and understanding the market took almost a year. The supplier base is a male dominated market so negotiations and settlements with them as a woman entrepreneur has always been a challenge. Also when you start up the volumes are smaller and thus we don’t get benefit of scale resulting in very squeezed profit margins.

Message to all SHEROES out there

Do what you like doing! Make mistakes and learn from them.

If you think you can do it, just jump into it.