Meet the SHEROES - Shubbhra Chaddha

Chumbak is a well known retail site that offers a plethora of India inspired collectibles. You can find some pretty interesting mobile phone covers, key chains and fridge magnets here and the best part is that every piece is totally Indian yet contemporary.

Chumbak already has a huge fan following all over the country and the story of Chumbak and its founder – Shubbhra Chaddha make for an interesting read!

So let’s get to it and learn how this brand came to be,

How did the idea of Chumbak come about?

I always had a keen interest for exploring new places. I am the daughter of an Air Force officer and I guess my nomadic childhood due to my father’s postings also initiated this interest of travelling. I got to see and live in some pretty interesting places within India as a child. I always wanted to enter an arena related to travel. But when I graduated from college, there weren’t many options besides that of being an air hostess at the time.

I took up a job in KPMG but realized pretty early on that I was just not satisfied. After a stint with an NGO I joined Nirvana Films, the production team. This job led me to travel to a lot of new places and I got to experience a lot of new things. I was such a keen traveller that at some point my father had to tell me that he couldn’t support this constant movement of mine!

I needed to find a job related to travel or where I could travel about. I joined an American based IT firm and took up the Business Expansion role – setting up their operations in India. With this job, I had to travel a lot and wherever I went I always ensured I brought back some souvenir, specific to the place. I eventually ended up having such a large collection of souvenirs, it was admirable in itself.

One day, I was just sitting and admiring them when I realized that there weren’t any real souvenirs for India. In the sense, there weren’t many key chains, fridge magnets or related collectibles with India being the focus. That’s when I decided that I should start something for India.

The idea was born back then although I didn’t immediately begin Chumbak.in from then on. Chumbak.in came about when I took a break from work after my daughter was born. By then it was 2009 and social media and the internet was a huge thing. This seemed the best time to start my desire to create collectibles / souvenirs for India.

What inspires your designs?

Well, every design is India inspired. We have a good team of designers who have been working at Chumbak for long. We focus on creating designs that are colourful and those that can literally put a smile on everyone’s face. Our aim is to sell products that create that element of nostalgia. We get inspiration from all around; even the local chaiwala becomes an inspiration for a design here!

We basically want our buyers to connect to our designs.

Chumbak has quite a large fan following. What Marketing Plans helped you garner so much command over the market?

To be honest with you, we spent zero rupees on advertising! Social media helped in a big way. Through social media, we were able to engage with our customers, hear what they felt about the products and accordingly create more designs based on their reaction! I believe it is important to build your own repute by making something so good that it sells itself.

We do have a dedicated team for PR and Marketing today, but back then, it was all about creating good products and letting the brand grow on its own credit. We took funding to start kiosks in malls and we have expansion plans in place.

What are the biggest challenges a woman entrepreneur faces?

I feel there is no difference between working men and women. When you have a child, the challenge begins. It is important to have a good support system in place so that you don’t feel guilty about leaving your child at home while you are busy with work. Women tend to feel guilty in this regard.

I count on my mother a lot to help me out and she provides that support base. My husband works me, in fact it was him who printed my first lot of designs to kick start Chumbak. So when we are both busy, the support system ensures we can focus on work.

Some last words of advice to fellow SHEROES?

It is important to get your hands ‘dirty’! If you want something, you have to push ahead and go get it. In the beginning, I played multiple roles. I was the secretary-cleaner-creator, everything rolled into one. It is hard initially but as long as there is a goal, it is worth it!