The million-dollar question every women entrepreneur is asked and all women want to know, ‘how do you manage the house and office?’ This entrepreneur who has a two-year-old has an answer. Mansi Gupta, founder and CEO of Tjori says she ensured to put in place mental peace that gave her a space to work.
“I went to work a month after my birth. Being a hands-on person, I knew I would have my mental peace only when I have my baby around me. So, I built a nursery in the office. I ensured the office was kid-friendly. We would leave the house and the office together. My baby being with me gave me that push to go the extra mile,” said Mansi.
Mrs. Mansi Gupta is a woman with a powerful aura to her name, with determination and talent. She created Tjori with the idea to promote traditional Indian handicrafts with the touch of modernism to get global recognition. Tjori’s USP is handmade, sustainable and organic products say, Mansi.
Formulation of Tjori
Tjori began in the year 2013 with the vision to help bring the handicrafts of India, the rich quality of the product, the grandeur of the art and the enormous knowledge provided by nature to the USA and Canada. Tjori brings a collaboration of products created on the traditional values of Indian art and craft, inspired by history, keeping in mind the details and designs of the modern age. The wide collection of products across multiple categories had made it a brand that adheres to serve everyone.
The daughter of an elite clothing tycoon in Jammu has completed her MBA from the Business School of Cardiff University. She has a specialization in the field of finance from the reputed University of Wharton, where she took the entrepreneurship course. During the course, she understood starting a business made a commercial and viable sense.
“In 2012, we were working on a cluster project during our entrepreneurship classes. This was where the idea to take Indian handicraft to the US came to me. I wanted an authentic platform where people can give direct access. Then, we already had a lot of platforms for high fashioned Indian designers. I closely watched how ‘exclusively.in’ working to understand how to build a platform,” said Mansi
Conversation Is the Key
Tjori was first launched in North America and then later in India in Nov 2013. Launching India was not an easy feat, says Mansi. It took time for the team to analyze the Indian landscape and build a platform that suits the Indian needs and workings. After a successful launch, Mansi remembers they had to shut down marketing and advertising campaign for nearly 15 days to fulfill the piled-up order, as they were a small team then.
“My biggest challenge would be the fact that when I started Tjori, I had very little knowledge of the fashion industry. I knew very little information about the industry. So I had a lot of research do on my own to figure out the industry and contacting the right people. I would not call this a challenge but learning and opened more scope for business,” said Mansi.
She further added that proper conversation is the key to a successful venture. As Tjori works with weavers at the grass-root level, conversing with them to make them understand and get them on board is tricky. But with the right style, it can be understood that they look for a trusted and good business opportunity that improves their living.
Strategizing Both in Personal and Professional Life
Strategizing everything every day is important when a business is started. Putting down fundamental practices on day one and working on the rest of the strategy as the day passes are not limited to work or when building a business but also in personal life. A woman is expected to look after the house and also the office. In this case, they have lesser time to devote to the business. Mansi says those are just a function of choices.
“I was lucky to have support from my family and focus on what I was doing professionally. Everyone has challenges and all challenges differ from one another. It is important to know how we want to project ourselves. When you are an entrepreneur, you make everything, especially in a new venture. So, I made the office child friendly so I do not miss out on anything. I do not let any obligations come in my way. I made my world with every element I want in place,” said Mansi.
Till a business takes off, the number can be very disappointing. But the challenge here is to strategize and stay focused. In anything, there will be a challenge and it shows us a path to focus. It depends on us to learn from them and do better.
Suggestion To Future Leaders and Expansion Plans
“My advice to the upcoming entrepreneurs, if you genuinely want to do something, Take a stand. Be an enabler, nothing will stop you or come in your way. Ensure to have your mental peace in place only then can you do what you think in both personal and professional lives. Most importantly do what makes you happy, be content. If you believe in something, give it your best shot,” said Mansi.
Tjori has been continuing to grow in India. With the current market focus in the country, it plans to scale up every month-on-month sales and production. After a stable foot in the country, Tjori plans to capture one foreign market after another.
