Meet Our Super Mompreneurs!

It’s Women’s Entrepreneurship Day today and at BabyChakra, we are celebrating women entrepreneurs whom we have the pleasure of knowing!

Get to know some of these entrepreneurial stars, up, close and personal and read the stories behind their super successful ventures!  

Dhriti Goenka, Founder Director & CEO of Gempetit

Gempetit has a tasteful line of fashionable jewellery for little ladies.

Dhriti, a Marketing & Finance MBA by qualification with more than 6 years of experience in Financial Advertising & Merchant Banking, comes from a family of jewellers.      

What was the idea behind Gempetit?

There had been no innovation in fine jewellery for kids in the last 2 decades. I was very sure that this was a space with a lot of potential if explored with zeal, technical perfection and professionalism. A child’s life is full of wonder and the most wondrous characters, and this I wanted reflected in the jewelry they wore everyday.

And so, Gempetit was born.

How did Gempetit evolve?

I started in November 2015.  We started as an e-commerce store, an online portal. We only used social media as a marketing tool and word of mouth was our engine for growth in these first 2 years. As we expanded and added newer collections – the need for a retail space, sort of like an experience store came about. We launched our flagship showroom on Peddar Road, in Mumbai in October 2017.

When we launched our e-commerce website, the challenges were that it had to give a high street retail experience online, and we had to work hard on achieving that. And most importantly, we had to work on people accepting such fun-looking, character-based chic designs as ‘real’ jewelry. But once they used it, we got consistent repeat buys.

What is your source of inspiration?

Sometimes I read or see what a person has done or said, and it strikes a chord with me, I admire that quality or wisdom in that person. My grandfather was the most dynamic and warm personality I have ever known. My memories of my childhood are full of the love and wisdom that he showered on all his grandchildren.

Mostly, I get inspired by ideas. And when the idea becomes bigger and bigger in my mind, and takes centerstage, then I get down to doing something about it.

What keeps you motivated?

I am motivated by my mother, dad and husband. They are so full of life and their days are filled with so much work-joy (yes, that’s a word. If it’s not, it should be) that by just being around them, I can’t help wanting to do more and have the courage to live more, be more.

For the rest of it, you need to be self-motivated. You need to be ready with a good reason as to why you should get up and do whatever work you have chosen to do, every morning. No one else can do this for you.

Check out the Gempetit line here

Malika Sadani, Founder of The Moms Co

The Moms Co. is the ideal stop for natural and toxin free pregnancy and baby care products.  

Malika Sadani, an Engineer and MBA by qualification, grew up as an Army kid travelling across the country, experiencing and absorbing different cultures.  

What was the idea behind The Moms Co.?

My daughters are the inspiration and the reason why I started The Moms Co. My journey as an entrepreneur started 3 years ago when I moved back to India from London and had a tough time looking for safe, natural, toxin-free products for my daughters. I was completely dependent on friends and family traveling from abroad for high quality products that I would be comfortable using for my daughters.  

How did The Moms Co. evolve?

I spent 3 years researching ingredients, consulting experts across India, Australia and Switzerland and speaking to many moms like me, who were looking for better products and options for their families. We launched The Moms Co. earlier this year with a mission to help moms make safer, natural and effective choices,  with India’s 1st range of All Natural, Australia-Certified Toxin-Free products for Pregnancy.

The biggest challenge I faced was to convince and align everyone to the idea on why we needed something safer and better than what is currently available.

What is your source of inspiration?

I find a lot of mom-entrepreneurs inspirational. Everyday, I meet moms who are doing a great job balancing their own aspirations for making a difference or creating something they are proud of, while managing their homes and still spending quality time with their kids. They are a great source of learning and inspiration!

What keeps you motivated?

Getting feedback from moms is the best motivation. Our mission to help moms make safe, natural, toxin-free choices only gets stronger when we get feedback from moms. The phone calls from moms and the messages they send us, saying they are glad we exist and our products have made a huge difference to their life, drive me and the entire team.

Check out The Moms Co. line here

Shalini Santhosh, Founder of Early Foods

Early Foods is the perfect option for moms looking for fresh and healthy nutrition.

Shalini Santhosh, a graduate from NIT Trichy, worked 7 years as a Business Consultant in Big Data, Sales & Marketing Consulting, before Early Foods was born.

What was the idea behind Early Foods?

After I became a mother, I was struggling, like many others, to find healthy food options for my baby. This dire need made me realize my true purpose: “to re-introduce traditional Indian foods for people at the most crucial stage of their lives – motherhood & growing children”

How did Early Foods evolve?

I started Early Foods in September 2015 through an online store with only one clear vision “to feed organic, fresh & chemical free foods to new mums and little ones”. To maintain the freshness, just like “home-made” foods, we had to make very small batches of food each day and still keep it optimally priced. You see, freshness, is equally important for providing maximum nutrition & “prana” or “life-force energy” to the body.

What is your source of inspiration?

My work draws in a lot of inspiration from people like Sudha Murthy, Louise Hay, Jeff Bezos. They all started off small just like you and me, but their focus, persistence & discipline over the years has changed the world to become a better place.

What keeps you motivated?

My mind has its purpose, but supporting the mind is my morning walking & jogging ritual, at 5.30 am. This is the time when my body strengthens, ideas pour in and my heart heals. The world needs real healthy foods. And I will continue to do all I can to help make the coming generation of children healthier and happier.

Check out the Early Foods line here

Abha Shah, Founder of PodSquad

PodSquad is a range of activity boxes, that mean hours of endless fun for the little ones, based on The Multiple Intelligence Theory proposed by Howard Gardner.

Abha Shah was born and raised in Mumbai and attended Babson College in Boston where she studied Entrepreneurship and Finance. Entrepreneurship runs in her family with her parents being the founders of Quadrum Solutions (a leading educational content and design company). She joined Quadrum as promoter after 2 years of working on Wall Street in New York. At Quadrum, she has spent 8 years working extensively with global publishers like Pearson, Scholastic, Disney, and more – with a focus on the US, UK, and African markets.

In addition to steering PodSquad, Abha is a passionate animal lover and is navigating the world of parenthood with her 6-month-old baby, Maya.

Check out the PodSquad line here

Pallavi Utagi, Founder of Superbottoms

Superbottoms is a brand of baby-friendly diapering solutions, offering parents earth-loving options to choose from.

Pallavi, an Electrical Engineer and a marketing professional by qualification, is passionate about earth-friendly ideas, marketing, and potty management; though not necessarily in that order! She has worked on some leading women’s health brands before she decided to start her own venture in baby hygiene. In her free time, she loves reading with a cuppa chai and offering consultation to small businesses on all things marketing.

What was the idea behind Superbottoms?

When my son was born I realised that baby care needed to be much more sustainable and pro-baby. It had to balance convenience while being baby-friendly.

How did Superbottoms evolve? 

When we started our venture, cloth diapering was a very new concept in India. We first decided to figure out what kind of a cloth diaper would best work for the Indian market.

We tried a lot of options / types (all on our baby :)) and also spoke to a few textile consultants.

This made us realise that we would need to ensure that the diapers provided all the convenience of disposable diapers, especially dry-feel, for babies to be comfortable in cloth.

We also soon realised that the diapers had to be significantly trim to suit Indian babies. Thus figuring out the right diaper type, fabrics, size was the first challenge.

There was then the challenge that parents needed assurance about the safety of the product. So we went ahead and got our products tested and certified as per US regulatory requirements.

And lastly, and a challenge that we continue to face each day, is to generate awareness about such a diapering option being available for parents. And in this, parent-to-parent recommendation is what helps us the most!

What is your source of inspiration?

It was my son’s pediatrician who inspired me the most. He made me realise that such a product was not just a great business idea but also a critical need of the hour. He continues to support and guide me even today.

What keeps you motivated?

My team keeps me motivated. We are an all-moms team who are truly passionate about cloth diapering. Whenever I feel challenged, I just have to speak to them and I know that I must be doing something right to have the support of such an awesome team 🙂

Check out the Superbottoms line here

Shauravi Malik & Meghana Narayan, Co-Founders, Sluurp Farm

Sluurp Farm is the ideal option for those looking to provide healthy, tasty and natural food for children.

Shauravi – In her previous avatar, Shauravi brings over a decade of experience as a finance professional and has worked with J.P. Morgan and the Virgin Group, among others. She holds a Master’s degree in Economics from Cambridge University. Her passion is to get her son Roshen (and hopefully other little tots like him) to gobble up all the exciting food ideas that are brimming in her own kitchen.

Meghana: Meghana holds an MBA from Harvard Business School. Before Sluurp Farm, she was an Associate Principal at McKinsey & Company in Delhi where she led the public health practice. Her incessant effort to feed Miss Nandita (her 3 year old) healthy food by making it taste great, led her to start this venture.

What was the idea behind Sluurp Farm?

Eating healthy doesn’t have to be yucky! We’ve grown up in homes where HEALTHY = YUMMY beyond belief! We’re inspired every day by so many things – but foremost by our own moms who are fabulous cooks. We also got inspired from a place of wanting to make a positive change for parents like ourselves who don’t want food that is supposedly healthy and comes in a box full of sugar and medical language. Or is so healthy that it doesn’t taste good, and is in a brown packet. These two things do not happen elsewhere in the world! It’s time to change it!

Shauravi’s most memorable years were the fourteen that she spent at her school Sardar Patel Vidyalaya which followed a no junk food philosophy way back in the good old 1980s!

And Meghana, who swam competitively for India for many years, including at the Asian Games sincerely hopes that better nutrition for India’s children will result in more golden Olympic medals!

How did Sluurp Farm evolve?

We literally started on a passion that sprung from the heart, and the idea took shape in our plates, literally. We had a complete setup to launch with fruit and vegetable purees as our first product – product, branding, licensing etc, but intensive market research showed that the Indian market was not ready for a product like that at scale. So we pulled the plug, and it was a change of gear. We decided we would start with the breakfast and snacks markets for children. It was the first lesson: what works abroad truly does not work in India. You have to pull yourself out of your own daily reality, and really insert yourself in the lives of your end consumer and it’s been both fun and challenging to do this.

What is your source of inspiration?

Michael Pollan is our inspiration. He is the most seminal journalist of our time when it comes to food. He has given the world many simple slogan, such as “Don’t eat anything your great-grandmother wouldn’t recognize as food” – and if long books are not your thing, then the short and simple FOOD RULES is a must read.

What keeps you motivated?

There used to be SO MANY, but we will share an honest answer. It genuinely is our children. We work really long days and sometimes nights. There are lots of fun highs, and several lows in the entrepreneurship journey. But Roshen and Nandita help us keep it real. There is always something to smile about. And in a simple way, Slurrp Farm is our little attempt at trying to make the world a better place for our own kids, and many others.

Check out the Sluurp Farm line here

Now, that is definitely a whole load of motivation for all of us, isin’t it ladies? Whatever you entrepreneurial dream, give it shot ladies and give us the opportunity to feature you!

Also read: Meet Kirti Mehta: A Success Story in ‘B’aking

Explore the entire collection of articles: Momstar Special

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