forty-one years Pankuri Gandutra He admits that he is a workaholic. She enjoys being productive, hard working and passionate. However, after fifteen years of being a technician, the monotony crept in, and Pankhuri no longer felt challenged at work.
After that, Bankhouri took a bold stance and quit a stable job at the age of 37, deciding to plunge into entrepreneurship by founding a home décor brand. Graffiti in 2018.
The entrepreneur is now taking advantage of the online home décor market in India, which is expected to grow by $3.75 billion from 2021 to 2026, at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 10.24 percent, according to MarketResearch.com.
start
Getting started wasn’t so simple though. To build something of her own, as first steps, Bankhouri and her brother set out to look for new and upcoming businesses. They noted that drop shipping is trending in the US.
With little initial investment focused solely on marketing, drop shipping has allowed businesses to thrive without maintaining a lot of inventory and inventory. For Pankhuri, the idea seemed promising given what she had in mind – tapping into the talents of artists and painters whose artwork was great but barely made it to market.
With his book on the wall, Bankhouri wanted to find a way to provide market access and client reach for such artists.
hidden talents
By the way, the first artist I worked with was a housewife and a distant relative who returned to painting after years of caring for her children’s needs and household chores. “It was fun for both of us to see how they would sell,” Bankhouri says.
Motivated by the success she tasted in the first two months, Bankhoury was inspired to adopt professional skills to do better. I’ve learned all the marketing stuff from Facebook and Google Ads, and strive to get the brand visibility and positioning right.
“It’s been really fun to meet so many people because I feel like I’m having an artistic challenge; I can’t draw but know how to sell. So, I can at least use my skill to help those who have artistic talent,” she tells her story.
Having worked with about a dozen artists so far, Bankhoury says most of them are housewives, including two mothers who have fickle children. Bankhoury makes use of social media platforms and her network of friends and family to spread the word and connect with people who draw for the hobby.
“Most of the housewives who paint have many paintings around them and they don’t know how to sell them,” she says. Most of them are working to monetize their business for the first time with help Graffiti.
Specializing in wall decor products, the platform selects artists who have a range of products for sale and selects different types of artwork based on engagement and customer data on its website. In addition to tableware and furniture, the most common wall decor items include large wall clocks, abstract wall hangings, and various types of paint.
While abstract art is the most popular choice based on data, the platform tries to maintain a variety of options so there is something for everyone.
Artists are completely independent in setting prices and are not charged any display fee or commission on sale, and graffiti earns from the margin – on top of the artist’s price.
In addition to tableware and furniture, the most common wall decor items include large wall clocks, abstract wall hangings, and various types of paint.
Sizing as a home decor brand
Designed to date, Pankhuri is now on a mission to build a comprehensive home décor brand and stand out with unique paintings and products by catering to the needs of different communities such as rural artisans and housewives. Currently, she’s reaching out to people who promote rustic art because “it will help my brand stand out,” she says.
The platform started with an initial investment of Rs 3,000, became profitable in its first year of operation, and recorded a total revenue of Rs 2 crore in the past three years including the peak period of the pandemic.
While COVID-19 has slowed work, Bankhouri has maintained that her team of five were paid on time and work remained self-sufficient, she claimed. In July 2021, when the second wave began to recede and logistical problems began to settle, demand rebounded.
Pankhuri now wants to build a complete home décor solution in B2B and B2C markets by exploring online retail markets. Next year, it aims to generate 10 times revenue.
Being a “woman” businesswoman
Pankhouri is no stranger to gender stereotypes, especially being a single woman in her forties with strong career growth.
She laughs as she recounts how the salesmen would say to her, “Sir Pat Karing (we’ll talk to the master).”
While Pankhouri is keen to present herself as a strong person at first, she says, “One cannot immediately change someone’s thought process, but you can choose to follow your own path and not be bothered by these things.”
For aspiring female entrepreneurs, she advises that if one wants to do something, fixed factors such as age, gender, and status do not matter. “But be very clear about where you’re going,” she said.