At BrilliantRead Media, we always strive to bring some of the meaningful and powerful stories from India and around the world to empower and motivate our growing community of entrepreneurs, investors, management students and aspiring entrepreneurs. This week we invited yet another seasoned entrepreneurs – Stuti & Subodh Sharma for an interview with us. They are the Co-Founders of Pink Woolf. Let’s learn more about their inspiring journey and advice for our growing community!
Excerpts from our exclusive interview with Stuti & Subodh Sharma:
We are aware of your contribution to the ecosystem, talk us through your background and your journey as an entrepreneur, please;
I worked for 22 years in various leadership capacities at ITES firms in India/ US. Travelled extensively throughout the world and spent time in Operations, Business Development, Six Sigma, and Solution Design. The experience was great as I worked with several amazing individuals who have been great mentors.
It is possible to work with an entrepreneurial mindset in a company however you are always somewhat protected as it is someone else’s money that is involved.”
In 2011, while sitting with friends the conversation turned to Alum or ‘Phitkari’ and the use of simple shaving tools instead of the quick & easy shaving products. That conversation planted a seed which ultimately took shape in 2017/ 2018.
Before starting Pink Woolf, we made a couple of mistakes that ultimately proved that ‘do what you really like’ works and hence the idea of Pink Woolf turned stronger & stronger.
The Launch:
Upon launch in September 2018, we received raving reviews and word-of-mouth publicity that enabled us to propel forward. We created a personal touch with all our customers that led to a tremendous amount of repeat purchase.
We also swiftly acted on customer feedback and launched new products, e.g. we educate customers to hang the shaving brush upside down to maintain the bristle life and based on customer requests, we launched various shaving brush stands as well.
Similarly, we launched our best-selling Oudh & Sandalwood Shaving soap refill (without the jar). Plus, we provided exceptional customer service.
We are fussy e.g. our aftershaves are differentiated by skin type, e.g. non-alcoholic Balm for normal skin, Gel for oily skin, and Lotion for dry skin. Our shaving brushes vary in knot size that enables people to make the best shaving lather, we offer close and open comb safety razors in various handles that allows people a lot of choice in customizing their personal care products, and now shaving brush and razor stands to accommodate 1 to 6 products.”
We started our fragrance line with earthy tones – Oudh & Sandalwood and then gradually shifted to more fresh tones like Oceanic Blue and Seabuckthorn.
Our approach is to introduce exotic fragrances that are matched with unique & highly differentiated products that actually work and help the customer to make shaving enjoyable.
We provide education on shaving products (brand-agnostic) via blogs and videos that help customers make the most and adopt an enhanced lifestyle.
We have been bootstrapped from day one as many of our customers have become our ambassadors and spread the word in their local communities.
The shaving & skincare market is very deep and hence we support people who write to us asking questions on various products (even competitor products).
What attracts you towards entrepreneurship instead of a corporate career?
Well, I worked for several years incorporates and was fortunate to work in various departments. But there was always a nagging thought to start a business.
And eventually, in 2018, we decided to start Pink Woolf. The main factors were:
1 – Freedom to chase your dream
2 – Overcome complacency that crept in the last few years of the job
3 – Create something – this has been by far the single reason for entrepreneurship.
We have examined several ideas in the last 10 years with limited execution. I think we found the sweet spot with Pink Woolf.”
‘Pink Woolf’ is such a unique name; talk us through more about it, please. Our audience would also love to know what kind of problem you are solving with the help of your startup?
I am glad you think so. Traditionally, blue is associated with boys and pink with girls. However, today’s society is seeing a degradation in terms of culture and values. And we were motivated to capture the essence of being a man in our brand.
So, Pink represents the culture and values part of a man and Woolf represents the wolf – intelligent & strong. Our tagline is – Bring Back the Gentleman.
A lot of our customers has asked us on the name as it is unique, industry and product agnostic and loved the concept.
During this COVID-19 crisis, what are the measures you have undertaken to continue your business without disruption?
The first thing was not firing anyone. This is a unique problem for the whole world, and we decided to face it together & safely.
We have always been very lean and with the pandemic, we found additional ways to improve productivity and continue to bring delight to customers. Our supply chain was affected but we also overcame that issue soon enough.
How do you manage yourself and keep on going despite the challenges? What drives you?
This is a tough one and there’s no well-defined formula. If you keep 3 things in play, you will be fine.
They are –
(1) Sleep
(2) Exercise (or play any sport that gets the heart pumping)
(3) Diet. If you are healthy, you can afford to be happy or depressed and face any challenge that comes your way.
To keep going on when you are down there are many solutions – go for a walk, play tennis, read a book, talk to a friend. But ultimately the challenge will still be there so the only way to keep moving ahead is to face & overcome the challenge.
Our only driving force is – how do we ensure customer delight in every interaction…and we continually ensure that we keep innovating.
Please share with us what has worked well for you so far?
A constant dialogue with the customers via different forums has worked very well. And this is connected to our vision of providing consistent customer delight.
What are the business mantras you have embraced as you sought to establish your success story?
Listen to your customers, implement their feedback (in line with your vision and financials), and be transparent with them.
In your opinion what is more necessary: Idea or a good team for a successful startup?
The idea drives the start-up and a good team supplements it with the right passion.
What are the three most important lessons you have learned building your startup?
Focus – don’t get distracted by what others do or tell you
Remain curious – the reason our customers support us is because we keep innovating
Perseverance – believe in yourself, your ideas, team, and keep progressing.
Given the rapid pace at which the world is changing, what are the leadership traits that are necessary for success?
The ability to get others to see your Vision, embrace it as their own, and deliver as if they made it.
You are always positive and motivated, what keeps you going?
A lot of factors play into the mindset and as mentioned earlier – sleep, exercise, and diet will keep you healthy. Good health will enable the right decisions and a positive mindset. Once these are done, you just need to have the discipline to follow your actions and complete the tasks.
And don’t listen to naysayers – they will never add any value to you or your business.
We would love to know your advice for all those starting out as an aspiring entrepreneur?
Go and get work experience for a few years in an area that you like. Remember, there is no right or wrong time to start a business so your fear of missing out isn’t true.
You will mentally know when you are ready to start a business. Have patience, persistence, and eliminate every negative news, person, event from your life. Stay the course. And wish you tons of success.
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.
