“All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them,” said Walt Disney, the pioneer of the American animation industry whose first venture was a failure. Young entrepreneurs from the city seem to have taken a cue from people like him. They have the courage and the will to take risks and walk the extra mile to make their passion their paycheck. Aishwarya Rakesh speaks to some of them to find out their source of inspiration.
Gulrez Khan (23)
‘Gleebox’
Khan quit his usual 9-5 job and started a website “Gleebox” that has a wide range of quality beauty and body care products for both men and women. “The prices we offer are lower than the MRP. We’re trying to minimise the time between order and delivery of the product,” he says.
Sushreta Gidwani (22)
‘Tea and Moi’ and ‘Bath time Bae’s’
‘Bath Time Bae’s’ supplies foot soaks, bath salts and bath bombs in exotic flavours for warm baths. This is complemented by the range of teas offered by ‘Tea and Moi’, which includes flavours like jasmine, rose, oolong, lemon, marigold. “All ingredients used are natural,” Sushreta says.
Sanjana Singh (21)
‘Handmade by Sanjana’
Sanjana makes handcrafted artisan soaps in different shapes and sizes. The organic soaps weigh between 150-180g. “I use luxurious butters, oils and goat milk as moisturising agents, activated charcoal and walnut shell powder for cleansing the skin and Kaolin and French green clay,” she explains.
Santhosh Muruganatham (34)
‘Kolapsi’
Muruganatham quit his job in the US and started a chain of takeaway-only outlets based in Chennai that has authentic Indian cuisine like idlis, chicken chukka biryani and mutton dry fry. “We’re now expanding our business to Bangalore, Malaysia, Singapore and Australia.”
Rakshitha Govindaraju (21)
‘Enmorche’
Rakshitha’s startup offers customized bath sets that include bath salts, bath bombs, body butter and fragrant candles in distinct flavours. “Luxury baths are expensive. So I make bath sets for decent prices. It’s like having a spa at home,” she says.
Chanakya Vadla (26)
‘Wearon’
Wearon, managed by Chanakya and two of his friends, sells casual clothing and accessories under the brand name ‘UrbanDog’ on platforms such as Myntra, Jabong and Amazon and retail outlets. “Our aim is to bring trendy clothing and accessories from across the world to customers.”
Dr Sahana GV (37)
‘Ibbani’
Dr Sahana examined baby care products she used on her son and found that many were harmful. She then decided to make body care products safe for all. “It includes face creams, face packs, beauty serums, body butters, soaps, shaving cream and lip colour that are safe for kids, men and women.”
Mruthunjaya S (24)
‘Shutterent’
The idea of opening a rental store for photography enthusiasts struck Mruthunjaya when he saw them borrowing DSLRs and other equipment. “Not everyone can afford these. So I came up with the idea of renting out cameras and other photography equipment like lenses and lighting.”