As part of our constant endeavour to identify and share some of the unique and compelling stories from the ecosystem, we invited yet another passionate women entrepreneur Shivangi Jaiswal for an interview with BrilliantRead Media. Shivangi is a passionate entrepreneur and business leader. She is the Founder and Director of CrayonHome Interior Design. Let’s learn more about her background, her journey so far and her advice for our growing community!
Excerpts from our exclusive interview with Shivangi:
We are aware of your contribution to the ecosystem, talk us through your background and your journey as a women entrepreneur, please;
The transformation from an IT professional to the founder of an interior design firm CrayonHome has been quite a journey.
In 2012, I had to quit my IT career at Infosys to look after our newborn. Those days we didn’t have an option of working from home. I and my spouse were clear that we would provide a similar upbringing experience to our child as we were provided. So I started exploring options where I would have flexibility in the working hours and location. Around the same time, we were getting our house interior done. That gave me an exposure to the Interior Design field and it was love at first sight. I was convinced that this is the career path I would enjoy. This field resonated with my passion for creativity and also provided me with the required flexibility which I had been looking for.”
I started working as a freelance interior designer with a few builders and architects. This helped me to understand the domain and the tips and tricks of the trade. Soon I realized that I had to re-skill and cross-skill myself to move forward in this field. I went for a diploma course in Interior Architecture & Designing. Having an IT background helped me to quickly upskill myself on the designing and visualization software tools as well. I set up a small office on the 3rd floor of a daycare building and started working as an independent consultant to major modular factories along with executing projects on my own. This was an enriching experience.
In 2018, I incorporated my own interior design firm CrayonHome Interior Design (a unit of Speciality Décor and Furnishing OPC Pvt Ltd) and that was the beginning of the journey. Today I have a display centre opposite Prestige Song of the South, South Bengaluru, I am a dealer partner of HomeLane and tied up with multiple modular manufacturing units to cater to all the segment of customers.
You are always positive and motivated, what keeps you going?
Successful transition from software to hardware industry has to be done with a positive mindset as I had to unlearn and learn a lot. Moreover, many times I would be busy with back to back client visits, design discussions over virtual platforms, negotiating with vendors or site visits for quality check or discussion with the execution team. I feel quite fortunate to have the support and help from my family -positive thinking husband & my sweet little and very understanding kid. During these engaging times, they team up for pleasant surprises like all-together cooking a new dish or surprise decoration on my birthday. I always had their support through rough patches of this journey too.
What attracts you towards entrepreneurship instead of a corporate career?
I have seen both sides of the court. While a corporate career provides a structured and linear growth along with fixed cash flows, it has its own limitations in terms of exposure and opportunities.
I see entrepreneurship as an open field which provides numerous ways to define your career opportunities. You are no longer a specialist. You have to be a generalist while having an understanding of business aspects. In my case I have to interact with clients who are homeowners looking for their dream home design or it could be an entrepreneur trying to set up their office or a designer who is working on a design, a plumber, an electrician, team of carpenters, vendors and many more.”
This continuously helps me to gain a 360-degree view of this ecosystem which is very unique about this journey and the part where I am networking with so many different people from our community and impacting their lives at different levels is really fulfilling experience.
You are the Founder and Director of ‘CrayonHome’ that has such a unique name. Our audience wants to know what kind of problem you are solving with the help of your startup?
In the current market scenario, major interior firms cater to the modular furniture segment or in some cases it could be imported wardrobes, exclusive kitchens and similar niche products.
At CrayonHome we offer turnkey solutions – a one-stop solution for modular furniture, carpentry at the site, a hybrid solution, wall and ceiling solutions and many more.
Further, as a house owner I would like to have my dream abode designed which reflects my likings, my comfort, my colour palette teamed up with a style quotient with end to end execution within a reasonable budget by a single firm. Therefore, each interior design solution is unique and diligently crafted aligned to the choices of our customer – on what they want. The solutions provided could be for end-use, for rental purpose or for a franchise design execution. We strive to provide these solutions with values having a blend of aesthetic, cost-effective and highest quality as key factors. At CrayonHome our motto is “Make Home A Statement”.
During this COVID-19 crisis, what are the measures you have undertaken to continue your business without disruption?
The current scenario is a perfect example of the VUCA world.
I practice three Cs – Collaboration, Customization and Cost-effectiveness to counter and contain the pandemic impact.
Continuous collaboration with customers helps us to keep the trust factor intact during these turbulent times.
Customization of each project as per customer preferences helps to provide the values which they are looking for. In this case, copy-paste doesn’t work.
We empathize with our customer as everyone is hit by the current pandemic and cost-effective solution is certainly one of the major factors in the conversion of casual enquiries to motivating testimonials.
Please share with us – what has worked well for you so far?
Very similar to my previous stint in the IT industry, in the interior design world too, we need to have an appetite for embracing new technologies and resources, networking within the community to share the ideas and offerings, innovation with trying out new design ideas with a budget-friendly approach and most importantly quality work. Further, doing the right thing at the first time is more important – core mantra is “measure twice cut once”
In your opinion – what is more necessary: Idea or a good team for a successful startup?
An idea is as good as it is executed, its tangible value is limited to the piece of paper containing the idea. A good team executing a generic idea could be turned into outstanding cash flow. We have so many examples around us.
In the interior design industry too, outstanding 3D visuals could be hypnotising. Same time it has to be executed well by a skilled team who understands the intricacies and technicalities of this domain.
Definitely, a good team is one of the key ingredients for any business recipe.
We would love to know your advice for all those starting out as an aspiring entrepreneur?
A simple word – let us be LEAN. Keep Learning, Exploring, Aspiring and Networking. This philosophy has helped me to deliver interior solutions with highest values and quality which has been a real differentiator in the current pandemic world.
BrilliantRead is committed to bringing stories from the startup ecosystem, stories that reshape our perspective, add value to our community and be a constant source of motivation not just for our community but also for the whole ecosystem of entrepreneurs and aspiring individuals.
Note: If you have a similar story to share with our audience and would like to be featured on our online magazine, then please write to us at [email protected], we will review your story and extend an invitation to feature if it is worth publishing.
