Q1. How did your Entrepreneur journey start? Or Who/What inspired you to start this business/ entrepreneurship? I was a corporate profession...
Q1. How did your Entrepreneur journey start? Or Who/What inspired you to start this business/ entrepreneurship?
I was a corporate professional for over 15 years. In early 2018, I decided to pursue my passion for art, when my work got selected by an esteemed panel at the India's Biggest Art Festival in South Mumbai. That gave me the confidence to start something of my own.
Q2. Kindly share some information about your Business, products and services here.
Q3. Please share about the unique feature/USP of your Product/Service.
The USP of my art is the surface used which is old wood. This wood is old seasoned Burma Teak wood, which is a grade A quality wood, and since it is seasoned there are few chances of the wood developing further cracks. In a way, my work is a contributor towards a cyclical economy of restoring old wood. It is a sustainable surface with amazing texture and grains. The paintings on wood are way different from those on canvases in their look and feel, and have a much robust finish since they are on wood.
Q4. What kind of challenges did you face while starting/doing this business?
When I started painting on old wooden doors and windows, I faced some interesting challenges which helped me grow in my journey of art:
- It was an unusual surface compared with canvas and paper, so people were not aware of it.
- The second challenge was to do with the mindset that solid wood will be expensive and heavy and bulky. Trust me solid wood is worth every penny of your investment since the art on them will never fade or get infested like they do on canvas or paper. They are totally zero maintenance like any wooden furniture in the house. As far as their weight is concerned they are definitely heavier than canvases but its not like the walls cannot take their weight. On the contrary they add so much substance to the interiors and look different that one can totally enhance the interiors with these unique art pieces.
- I started art in my house, but soon realised that if I had to make it into a serious profession then I need to have a space of my own outside of the house. Also there was a problem related to their storage.
- Also, since it was art, I started taking part in art exhibitions, but I realised that it wasn't working out since people came with the mindset of buying canvases. So I started taking part in exhibitions which were hosted for interior designers and architects.
Q6. Share with our readers about your experiment period after the discovery period?
I started doing a lot of social media activity for marketing my work. Though I think I am still lacking here but it is an area which I am now working on. When I started posting my work on social media and started creating a buzz, people found the concept very interesting. The whole idea of a painted window in the house made people inquisitive and I started getting orders from them.
Also, I rented a studio for myself to work from and also managed storage therein. I also collaborated with stores across various cities who either bought paintings from me to further sell to their clients, or to keep on commission basis. This drastically reduced the need for a separate storage space.
Q7. What type of collaborations would you like to explore in future?
I would like to collaborate with Interior Designers and Architects to paint in the interior spaces like on walls, furniture, doors and windows.
Q8. What is your vision for the next five years?
To make my business into a Rs. 5 crore company.
Q10. What would you advise new entrepreneurs who want to start & sustain in the business?
Do not get carried away by what other people have to say if your product is different or unique. People are limited by what they see. If you have confidence in your product, then it sure will be a success.
Q12. Facebook profile URL link
Q13. Twitter profile URL link
NA
Q14. Instagram profile URL link
Q15. Personal blog URL link
NA
Q16. Company website & Company blog URL link
Q17. YouTube channel URL link
NA
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Interviewed by : Khushboo Chotaliya - Founder of Sanskari Decor from Mumbai, India.
Referred by: Yogesh MA - CEO of InfluencerThon - Digital Influencers Academy.
Khushboo is a student of Yogesh MA's InfluencerThon - Digital Influencer Academy.
Follow Khushboo here : instagram.com/khushboobchotaliya
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