Ashirbani Roy dons many hats – she is a ‘queen’ of multitasking. She did this interview sitting in an airplane! She is an amazing mom and a successful entrepreneur who runs her jewelry brand “Aashir’s” and apparel brand “Aahirini.” If that doesn’t sound interesting enough, she is a successful chef, photographer, and a fantastic singer! We were in conversation with Ashirbani regarding her journey as a Mumpreneur. Here is what she has to tell our readers.

Tell us about your journey — how you started?

After an extended sabbatical from my 9-6 IT job, I wanted to work from home and was looking for flexible working hours after having my son. I tried various alternatives like technical writing and part-time jobs, but I somehow didn’t enjoy them. That’s when I decided to start something on my own. Artificial jewelry was something that interested me from my childhood. Hence, I decided to start my venture, “Aashir’s,” to bring aesthetic jewelry created by artists to customers. The main idea was to bring stylish, high-quality jewelry at an affordable cost to customers all over India using online channels and thereby providing work to the artists.

When was Aashir conceptualized?

Aashir’s started very humble way with an investment of just INR 10,000 from my own home in 2010. My mother-in-law was the one who encouraged me to start Aashir’s.

From a full-time corporate job to starting your own business – how easy or difficult has it been? 

Honestly, I had quit my job to spend time with my child. Aashir’s gave me the freedom to work at my own pace and time. It let me work around the routine of my son, who needed much of my attention then.

What were your challenges? 

During the initial days, I was the one-person army and managed to shape up the business single-handedly. From managing supplies, inventory, photographing products, conducting sales to sending invoices, packing, dispatching, and ensuring products reach customers on time. It got more challenging since the demand was high, and my volume of work kept increasing. Catering to the growing demand was a challenge. Also, having new creative designs became another challenge.

How do you manage juggling between home and work? 

Over the years, I have learned to tailor my work around my home and family. A lot of the work I still can do out of my home makes it easier to balance the home front. This kind of balance is what I always wanted, and hence I enjoy doing it!

When and how did Aahirini begin? 

Aahirini is the apparels part under the umbrella of Aashir’s. I didn’t have any plan to start an apparel brand. It all started with requests coming from our jewelry patrons. They had good faith that I will get excellent quality and pocket-friendly stylish products as I work directly with the country’s artisans. At their request, I began working with weavers from various states to source traditional weaves, handbags, home furnishings, etc. My customers still send requests for various products, and I try to keep up with their expectations.

Ashirbani Roy – successful entrepreneur with her jewelry brand “Aashir’s”

From customers to vendors – how do you keep all of them satisfied?

Vendors are happy as I offer them regular work. I feel accomplished when I see the much-deprived weavers and artisans of our country doing well and increasing their business along with mine.

Similarly, my customers keep telling me about how similar products are priced much higher elsewhere. We have always focussed on customer satisfaction first by ensuring quality products and service. We are happy to take their feedback and improve. When a customer is heard, they feel good n happy.

Happy reviews from our customers are testimony to our work!

What is mantra pf Ashirbani Roy for customer satisfaction?

We all are customers somewhere or the other. And as a customer, we feel happy with a few things like reasonable/affordable pricing, the quality of the product, products catering to their style statement, and hassle-free delivery. We try our best to ensure these factors are taken care of.

You also sing, do fantastic photography, hosted a cookery show, and participated in a women entrepreneurs NGO group. How do you manage to don so many hats? 

We all need hobbies apart from our work to keep us going. They help us stay fresh and rejuvenated.

As a woman and a mum, I would love to help other women/moms embark on their path of entrepreneurship with ease. As a secretary of the Women Entrepreneurs Consortium of India (WECI), I help women who want to start their ventures. A little bit of handholding can lead to a great entrepreneur in the coming years!

What keeps you motivated?

I am passionate about my work and feel further motivated seeing my customers’ love for Aashir’s. I work seven days a week and never feel tired. I guess if we enjoy what we do, motivation comes.

Recently you were interviewed by students of Symbiosis and Christ University for your business model. We would love to know more about it. 

These days, with technology at hand and the boom of e-commerce, many women are coming to the forefront. All of them wish to start a venture from their homes. Now I have a team and an office close to my place. Being able to sustain and grow from home intrigues them.

The fact that an online business can grow this big with just word of mouth and organic way surprised them. Hence Symbiosis and Christ University students studied my business model and included it in their thesis. I recently gave a speech on a successful home run business at FKCCI (Federation of Karnataka Chamber of Commerce n Industries).

Successful entrepreneur with her apparel brand “Aahirini”

We wish Ashirbani all the best for serving as a role model to many wannabe mumpreneurs!

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