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This Entrepreneurial Story is about Samay Mehta & Pavan Ladkani who Founded ‘PS Lifestyle’ located in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India.
When Started: Dec’ 2011
Samay Mehta – LinkedIn
Pavan Ladkani – LinkedIn
What Motivated you to start your Business?
We are basically (or academically) Architects. We started practicing in the field of Architecture, Interior designing and Planning and even got (read get) good enough projects in it. But, the issue being in such consultancy field, especially here in India is that you become more of ‘property brokers’, ‘client lickers’ and start doing things which really don’t please you often. So, the creativity ‘keeda’ (as what we call it) started kicking in again.
Hence was born PS (no abbreviation but derivation from Pavan+Samay, we 2 partners). Desire to do something that excites us, is of better quality than whats already out there in the market and most importantly niche lifestyle products that connect with the customer, is basically what got us started. Be it in the materials selected, techniques used or the final product finish quality, AWESOME is the word required, minimum. We believe the bottom-line (the enthusiasm) remains; products keep on updating, changing and evolving.
Tell us about your Business
Lifestyle products was our aim when we started in around Dec’2011 (the brain storming was happening since we don’t know when ;). Men’s designer tees was what we started with. C-neck tees with real life inspirations in the form of grunge monochromes, Indian gods’ graphics, minimal lines, pastel effects and hand-sketch creations, on super soft, 100% cotton, slim fit tees for men of all ages. Also available are posters for collection of some selected graphics and very famous quotes, in different effects that adorn the walls, as the tees do the bodies.
We wish to keep our creative ‘keeda’ active, by doing some very aggressive RnD in different product categories such as lifestyle apparel, furniture, accessories, stationary, etc. We also extended our already well established vendor list into Corporate branding. We started getting more orders from the corporate world, just though word-of-mouth & the appreciation of the quality of products we deliver.
Company PS Lifestyle
Brands –
- LifestylebyPS– Lifestyle apparel & accessories
- PS Branding– Corporate Branding
- NTC – Architecture & Planning consultancy – Website
What is a Day in a life of you like?
To speak the truth, we know it well how it started, but don’t know how it ends. Just can’t get enough time for all of what we want to do. Sometimes we just wonder, seeing some other corporate people around our office, how they have so much time to talk, just over a morning tea, and how we don’t know when ours got cold, sitting just a few inches away on the desk. In short, so many possibilities (specially here in India), with so much knowledge explosion, global internet connectivity and specially our mindset not to restrict ourselves to what we already know, rather what we can do and should do. So basically our day is all filled with exploring new and creative stuff around us, enhancing our skills in what we already have learnt and keep innovating.
One particular skill you got right and gave you best results…
Interaction with people has been our prime skill, much before we landed on the money-earning platform of our lives. We believe that whatever the world brings in terms of technology, globalization, evolution etc., People (and nature in broader sense) will always be the center of all activities. (Read it lightly, no big-shot dialogue here 😉
What have been your biggest challenges in running your Business so far?
Starting this business for us was like Kenya landing on Jupiter. Having very little knowledge of how things work, but a great deal of enthusiasm was the igniting power that lead us in this field. Researching about the lifestyle fashion world, how such businesses work, how to get such products made, especially if you need the best of quality, in least of time and investment and above all how to sell it online, top of that in India. E-commerce in India, especially of good quality is still in its infancy. Getting the customers who are already very well accustomed with shopping in person, seeing and feeling the products in hand (which is an awesome thing to do), come and shop online, is some task to do, specially here in India.
How did you overcome these challenges?
Till lately the custom used to be, there is an occasion (i.e. Diwali, birthdays etc.) you go to a local retail shop, recently malls, get some stuff you like (from the limited available quantity, seldom good in quality), and your shopping for the season’s done. But, E-commerce is changing the game, upside down. You sit on your sofa; all you need is a laptop (more palmtops lately) and an internet connection, and wholla, you get the world in your hand. Surf and keep record of what you like, shop when you want and get it delivered to you within a few days, more than that pay cash in hand. The shopping experience was never so smooth and easy. Above all, the increasing traffic in cities and herds of people jam-packed in malls makes the e-commerce a more viable option (and green-for-the-planet too). To enable all this, we got the best online tools available (i.e. E-commerce platforms, payment gateways, courier partners, mobile interactive apps, etc.) to deliver the best of online shopping experience to our customers.
What have you found the most effective way to get new clients?
To get a new customer, especially in this new e-commerce market (read make cheap-sell fast-fat discounts-huge margins market), you need a complete package of the best of products, innovative designs and creative techniques, keeping the cost low, interactive mode of selling the product to the customer. It is almost like a snap judgment, the customer analyses (almost sub-consciously) in a few seconds (minutes are either luxury or lazy) after visiting a website and decides that he’d like the product or not. In such a neck-squeezing scenario, we keep our methods simple, effective and innovative, employing all the above mentioned techniques, yet being careful not to impose them on the customer.
What advice do you give to other business owners?
We strongly believe that being innovative about the same old techniques and products and creative about new ones is as important as giving the customer some space to shop, not to bombard him with information and especially ‘making him to buy’ the product. If your product’s good, marketing fine-tuned, website or advertisement appealing, the customer will buy it, mostly. But imposing your products would at most times won’t get you the deal. A gone customer would come back (as the good things remain in mind) but a lost customer seldom does. The most important part of your business is people, who give (their often valuable) time and attention to what you have to say, people who care about your business, people who give you their hard earned money, people who tell their friends about your business, so always, always care about them, listen to what they have to say (even if its criticism, it helps you grow better), and you are on your way to build a great business.
How did you keep motivated through difficult times?
The faith in our products, our understanding of the market here in India, as compared to other countries (related to our businesses) and above all, the human tendency to get a fine balance between quality, price, style and need of a certain product. We believe to sharpen our swords when we are not at war, and when the time’s right we are ready to fight. 🙂
Whats your Your Marketing, Funding and Team Building Strategy
We believe that good products market for themselves, best of it is word-of-mouth. But being in the online retail business, we use selective tools of social media and online advertising with some fine-tested techniques to reach our targeted audience. In our corporate branding business, direct 1-to-1 marketing is our best hand at getting the customer, giving every effort to keep them and after that word-of-mouth takes care of it.
Funding is done as much and as when it’s required (from our other businesses and even our own pocket). But we believe in ‘keeping all different coloured eggs in one basket’, and focus more on earning then spending (the former takes care of the later).
Team building is one of the most integral part of our ideology. If you don’t have the best of manpower, you just can’t get the best of products made and hence no best of business. We often go beyond than necessary to find the best people to do the job (if not employees, than consultants or even out source if required, etc.) and keep them close, and happy. They once in hand are a great ladder for you to climb higher and higher.
Your Achievements
We have our hands on so many businesses i.e. Architecture and Planning, Corporate Branding, Lifestyle apparel and accessories online, etc. (still being in our twenties) and we believe we have just yet started, makes us feel sometimes on the top of a mountain, but our eyes are on the sky. Seeing people like Richard Branson and the centuries of Virgin companies, we still have a long way to go. Many more achievements are yet to be done.
Whats your favorite quote?
There are many but the best of them would be by Confucius – ‘It does not matter how slow you go so long as you do not stop’.
Who inspires you?
We take inspiration from everything and everyone, beautiful, creative, innovative, brave, courageous and inspiring around us.
Do you have a Business Philosophy?
We believe that there are few things in the world worth working hard and achieving them, and we aim to create some of them. Be it your dream home, the corner office, the uber-cool graphic tee or any creative and innovative product that enhances your lifestyle. We observe and absorb ideas from the world around us, learn from the nature and aspire to provide humans with products that enrich them, at the least.
More Info
https://www.startupfreak.com/ps/
Startup Freak wishes Best of Luck to Samay and Pavan!
