"If you hear a voice within you say 'you can't paint,' then by all means paint and that voice will be silenced." - Vincent Van Gogh
Dharini Sachin Shah Zaveri from Mumbai proved the saying right by creating a brand that has not only given her an identity but also introduced her to her creative self. Despite being an MBA in Marketing from NMIMS, she built her own space in the creative field and instead of testing the waters of the corporate world, she chose her childhood hobby.
A mother of a loving teenager, housewife and entrepreneur, she is proving her mettle in all walks of life. Often, her MBA batchmates would mock her saying "you have wasted a seat... you choose to be a full-time mother and homemaker," and she would retort saying, "Really, it's a 24/7 job. No pay packages and the only perks come in the form of being loved and needed. But wait for it, I am building my brand, my son." And they would all laugh
The conversation that enlightened her.
She was once in a conversation with her childhood literature teacher who was also her friend, philosopher and guide and the teacher inquired about her life and marriage. It was as if this was the cue she was waiting for to pour her heart out. She said, "It's a joint family. So different from the nuclear family that I come from. Every minute is like crisis management. My heart is always pounding when I open my door wondering what awaits me on the other side. My husband does not listen to me. My father in law does not think my opinion counts. My mother in law is too busy playing household politics. It's like no one knows my worth. Or for that matter even cares about it."
After listening to all her whining, the teacher said the golden words, "All girls should be financially independent. Only then will your words bear their weight." Dharini was left pondering.
An argument that made all the difference.
The final push came during one of the very heated arguments with her husband. Though it was just a casual argument between a couple, his words impacted her deeply and made her feel helpless. She hated that feeling. He said, "You think money grows on trees. You do not value money. Your father gave it to you too easily. You were treated like a princess and never had to ever look at a price tag. Go out there and see how tough it is to earn a single rupee. I challenge you, if you can earn even a rupee."
That was it. Dharini had to do something about it. What he said held a little truth. But she vehemently disagreed with her husband's observation that she did not value money. She kept asking herself "I cannot earn a single rupee? Surely that is not true?. I had to do something. I had to prove to myself more than anybody else. I am worth it. I do not shy away from hard work. I can earn money."
Her teacher's words resonated in her ears, "all girls need to be financially independent." The laughter of her batchmates and everything else made her realise "this is it. I have to figure it out. Do something." And there her search began.
A new beginning!
"The Secret of Change Is to Focus all of your energy not on fighting the old, but on building the new." - Socrates
It was teachers day, and her son asked her, "mum, let's give something different to the teachers. Everyone gives them pens and flowers." That's when her creativity came to the fore, and she made a bunch of little petite towel roses. It was certainly
something different and useful, and everybody appreciated her creation.
A hobby that made her stand out.
Towel styling was something she had picked up as a hobby from her travels across the world with her dad. He was a passionate traveller. She being the only child got into a habit of strolling into the hotel's restaurants looking for entertainment when her parents rested. The napkin fold and towel folding of the housekeeping caught her attention.
She was keen on learning the art, so the kind-hearted hotel staff taught her the skill. It stayed with her. Whenever they had guests for dinner, she would lovingly arrange the table and very proudly do the napkin folds. Mum, Dad and the guests always appreciated that. It became a hobby that brought her appreciation and pleasure. Gradually over the years, she started doing folds for friends and family.
Search Ends Here.
Her business idea struck her only a day after that teachers day. She thought to herself, "I am searching for a business of my own. Why not try it with my hobby. Towel styling is not yet seen in the market except in hotels. What if I create something giftable with it?".
She aimed to use everything usable, and without discarding anything, she started styling towels that would become the hero of the arrangement. With this, she created a niche for herself.
It did not require significant capital. Of course, there was always a question mark on how people would accept it. But she decided to do it on orders. She was all ready to try her luck. She thought, "If this clicks, I could be doing something worthwhile; gradually become financially independent."
"God helps those who help themselves" - Algernon Sidney.
The timing could not have been more suitable. The festival of Ganesh Chaturthi, the auspicious god of new beginnings, was just around the corner. What better time to begin and start her new venture than with creating god himself! Now, all she needed was a brand name, tag line, brand image and a zero cost-effective marketing strategy to get to her target audience. And here her marketing lessons took over.
So, who is her target audience? It was evident in her head that her target audience will be those who would appreciate creativity. Who wants something different, exclusive and of designer quality. Most importantly, who believes in no wastage. She created a product line where every part of the gift is usable. She targeted those audiences who would not look at her creation as just towels or compare them with the non-styled towels market prices. She wanted the brand image that emphasised on quality over quantity.
She defined the need for her gifts as hampers. They were for all occasions, right from expecting mothers to childbirth to simple lunches and dinners to housewarmings to birthdays to weddings and anniversaries and even condolences. The list was long. She customised her hampers for every occasion. Each basket developed keeping in mind the receivers likes and choices and aiming to surprise them and make them feel special pleasantly. These were the little bundles of joy for her.
D's Gallery
The Birth of D's - Twist with the Towels.
After a lot of thought, She came up with her brand name D's, that's the short form for Dharini's and added a tag line: Twist with the Towels.
Word of mouth and close groups on WhatsApp was her marketing strategy to take the concept further. Also, she decided to stay focussed on quality and design primarily and create something unique and satisfying with and around the towels. It was essential to ensure that the folds held good without the towels getting destroyed. A lot of effort went in at every fold, but the results were very satisfactory. And thus began D's baby steps.
The Success Story.
Her first proud creation was the Ganesh, the peacock and the Elephant. Then there was no stopping after. Her clients briefed her of the occasion and their desire, and she took up the challenge to create around it with towels. She created various accomplishments such as chocolates, candles, spa items, diapers etc. It all started with a few friends and family encouraging her to do more and offering her business.
Gradually, her hampers started reaching out further. People started loving them and calling in to enquire and place orders. The most satisfactory reviews she got were that her clients loved her creations so much that they did not want to unfold the beautiful folds and instead, kept them for as long as possible. Slowly and steadily and with a lot of hard work, patience and a lot of love from friends and family, D's thrived and kept growing continuously. Dharini plans to sell online and worldwide, but till that time she says, "I am happy just where I am".
For enquiries contact her on s_dharini@hotmail.com
We, at Fads and Fables, congratulate Dharini for being a source of inspiration in the lives of many creative souls and wish her all the success for her future endeavours.
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