Tjori – Indian To The Core

There are no two ways about the fact that online shopping is a huge success. Garments, electronics, home decor, shoes - there is nothing that people are not buying online. While most of stuff available on various websites is more or else the same, what makes them different is the way they market themselves, the offers they provide and how timely they deliver. Our today’s covered startup - Tjori differs not only in style of operation but also in the stuff they offer. Coming from online shopaholic you have to trust me when I say that Tjori is like a breath of fresh air. It speaks and pours Indian-ness to the core. It’s like love at first click!

I must say that they have chosen their name very aptly because shopping at Tjori is seriously like a treasure hunt. They have sarees, suits and kurti’s in all popular Indian weaves like khadi, cotton, chanderi, raw silk, bagalpuri silk. Not just material, they have specialities from all across India. From kashmiri and Dogri suits to Chennai sarees. Leather bags to kolapuri chappals. Kullu boots to beautiful hand painted wedges. To complement each outfit they have beautiful traditional/tribal jewellery. Not just retail, they have beautiful paintings and home decors. And that’s not all, food is also a part of the trade. They offer healthy organic food, bakery items and traditional Indian utensils as well.

We had a chat with Mansi Gupta, the brain behind this awesomeness. Here’s what she had to say to our very many questions..

1. Tell us about inception of Tjori?

The concept of Tjori stroke my mind when I was studying in Wharton Business School especially when I understood the demand hand-crafted products had outside India. During my stay at Wharton, we were taken to Morocco on a trip and that is where I understood that the hand-crafted products were actually expensive by the time they reached the end consumers.

It was may due to the traditional value chain. But, I wanted to eliminate all those extra money and make sure that handcrafted products should reach people easily and also at lesser prices. Also, since childhood, I was passionate about hand-made items. So, Tjori was started as a platform to make that Indian hand-crafted products reached USA without any hurdles and later on as we grew, our focus grew too from just India to across the globe.

2. With so many online shopping portals, what is that thing which separates Tjori from others?

Well, Tjori is a unique shopping experience which cannot be found anywhere else. We have the best premium handmade products than others do. Also, we have a unique sales model where we actually sell items for just 15 days. We bring in a product and display it on our website for 15 days what we also call as event. The event runs for 15 days and people can buy during this period. But, once the 15 days get over, we take down the product. It's a kind of flash sales, we may think. This actually creates an urge of buying something new and unique and people have different items every time.

3. We have observed that you mostly have traditional and ethnic weaves, any special reason behind that?

Well! Most of the items that we showcase could be from any ethnicity but the qualifier for a product to be showcased is the fact that it has to be unique, high on design and not easily accessible. It has to be unique enough in terms of its design, origin or the story that goes behind the making, inspiration for the collection et al.

4. What features do you employ to achieve customer delight?

Customers are the centre point of our value system. We do anything possible to ensure that they are happy and satisfied. We believe in customer delight from the moment they come on the website.

5. Finally where do you see Tjori five years from now?

Well, we want to be the Number 1 in the industry providing our customers and members more offer and growing the ladder of success and winning more and more hearts every single day.

I are really proud of Mansi and her team for bringing up forgotten Indian weaves and traditional apparels mainstream. In a time when everyone is running after similar and safer options, they have embraced an untreaded path. Wishing them all the very best. Please check their www.tjori.com to feel that mitti ki khushboo.

Love:

Sepo

Corporate Survival Guide for Dummies

This write-up was written for seeups.com and can be found here.

The first job for freshers is tricky and at the same time a very important milestone. It marks your ingress into the big bad world of manners and etiquette’s. The way you conduct yourself, the choices you make at the initial stages will affect your future tenure in the corporate world. Not everyone is lucky to get guidance on the perfect corporate behavior but fret not Seeups is here to help you out. Read on to transform yourself into corporate savvy.

1. Be Professional
You have to be prepared for this. This is no college so don’t come here expecting to make friends and have a blast. Just out of college with no professional exposure the first few weeks were very strange for me. Addressing people double your age with their first names, working 9 hours continuously at a stretch, attending trainings and having a polite smile plastered across your face. It was not an easy transformation for the erstwhile class-bunking me. But I survived although not before gaining quite a reputation for falling asleep in trainings.
Mostly all corporate offices have an induction for freshers where they tell you all the mandatory attributes. But I suggest before all that, just Google some professional etiquette s so that you are atleast mentally prepared and know what to expect.

2. Learn, Learn & learn more
Once you are assigned to work on a project. Just treat your office like an unlimited buffet, where all you have to do it just eat and eat. Here the food is knowledge and you have grasp as much as you can. Whatever technologies and processes are being used should be understood and implemented by you. In corporate world knowledge is power. Even the small talk you have with random people is seldom about weather & movies. It’s about the latest strategies of Vishal Sikka and whether JP Morgan is really going bankrupt. So starting to read the newspaper is also a good decision.

3. Be a Smart Worker
Hard worker and Smart worker. Little difference in theory but huge difference in impact. Importance of what you do is less than that of how you present it. Learn to present your work in an effective way. Taking cue from the Pareto principle we can infer that 80% planning and

20 % implementation is the success mantra. Plan your work, do a thorough breakup and assignation of tasks, automate as much as you can and most importantly review your work in-depth before presenting it. Do proof reading, check for attachments, don’t miss the subject lines and remember spell check does not always work correctly. Avoid these petty mistakes at cost, managers are programed to base their judgement on the much overrated first impression.

4. Know when to say NO
It’s a general practice in corporates to dump all work on freshers. So it is very important to know when to say NO. While learning is critical at initial stages of your career, you should judge smartly when you feel people are taking you for a ride. Saying No is important because if you don’t even when you are old enough in the company, people will always remember you as the guy who does all the work. And by then it will be too late to say NO.

5. Beware of pesky co-workers
Team members form an integral part of your journey in corporate world. You are going to meet all kinds of people here. The good, the bad and the ones that fall somewhere in between. Don’t come here expecting to become best friends with people. At the same time, be cordial and polite with all. Have fun with your team on outings and picnic, bond over food at lunch, discuss sports and movies at coffee but that’s where it ends. Don’t get on being too personal (especially in the start) once you have a grown familiarity and develop a good understanding you can go ahead and be friends. Stay away from people who gossip – because today they are talking about others with you, tomorrow they will be talking with other about you. Also smartly tackle people who have a knack for taking credit for everything. And the ones who sweet talk to get all their work done from you.

6. Right & Wrong
Once you join a company, the first thing you should do is read all the policy documents available in repositories. Be clear about medical benefits, release/transfer policies, increments, promotion criteria etc. Have a one on one session with your HR to understand the functioning of your organization. Be aware of your rights and don’t let anyone take you for granted. Whenever required fight for your rights. If you feel you are eligible for promotion just discuss it with your manager. Don’t wait for him to initiate any discussion. Here you are not going to get served on a silver platter. It’s the survival of the fittest and the fastest.

7. Effective time management
Sometimes we need to stretch beyond our working hours to meet deadlines. While this is perfectly okay once in a while, make sure not to make a habit out of it. Life is not just about your job. Make sure to prioritize stuff and make equal time of yourself, family and friends. Take leaves, go for a vacation. Do a reunion with your buddies, take that road trip you have been planning forever. We all know, all work and no play makes jack a dull boy.

8. Health is wealth
Corporate life can take a toll on your health. Irregular food habits, too much coffee, sitting posture can lead to myriad of problems ranging from gastritis to spondylitis. Not to mention that quintessential tummy that IT world gives you within 2 years. An early precaution will help. Take breaks in between and do some workstation stretches. Look away from your screen to give your eyes a break. As far as possible eat healthy, carry fruits and dry fruits with you which you can have in case you have no time for lunch. Don’t take your health for granted.

9. Use social media wisely
Social media is addictive. Period. We love to tag and check-in all the awesome places we visit. But social media backfires when you call in sick for work with your party night pictures plastered all across Facebook. Be cautious of information you share on social media. Always remember “Excess of everything is bad.”

10. Personal Grooming
You may have spent your entire college life strutting around in distressed denims. But once you enter the business world, the entire wardrobe would need a major intervention. Invest in some good business formals and casuals. Clean and ironed shirts & trousers. Nicely polished shoes preferably matching your belt. Clean and dark coloured socks, white socks are a big NO in corporate offices. Please use a lightly scented deodorant or perfume. No one expects you to look red carpet ready but a clean, well groomed look goes a long way.

Love:
Sepo

Featured - CALMARE

This post was original written for seeups.com.

Over the last 5 years, the world has been drastically changed by the phenomena of online shopping. Though initially not that popular, it is now a majorly thriving business. The surge in the number of websites dedicated to online shopping just proves that point. From movie tickets to pen drives, mobile phones to lingerie, clothes to jewellery everything is at your doorstep with just a click of few buttons. Hell, even fresh fruits and vegetables can be ordered online! One can easily assume that amongst the urban population online shopping is hugely popular. And the big offers the websites keep announcing just keeps the customers glued.

Browsing through various shopping websites is one of my favorite pastimes and that’s exactly how I stumbled across CALMARE – our featured start-up for today. Calmare offers a wide variety of options for all you fashionista’s out there – Ethnic wear, western wear, winter wear, jewellery and accessories. Some of the merchandize is specially designed and some is purchased directly from factories. It will take you less than 5 minutes to get hooked to the fantastic yet affordable collection they offer. It’s been almost a year since then and in this tenure, I have had the pleasure of doing business with Team Calmare multiple times. The product quality, delivery, follow-up and everything is conducted in a well arranged and professional manner.

We had a chat with Alisha Resutra, the brain behind the whole idea. Beautiful and charming Alisha is from Jammu, J&K. She holds a masters’ degree, works in IT sector and simultaneously nurtures her dream of being a creative entrepreneur. Read on to know more about her dream.

Conceptualization of Idea
“Calmare was a dream for a very long time. It is a result of desire to design and sell. I had been working on the idea for years and then it just took a moment to finalize. It was easy because it was my father’s birthday and that’s when I decided to launch it. It was just all about bringing out the latest in fashion around your body and it hit a chord with women around the world.”

Personal Style & 5 top picks from her wardrobe
“I am someone who would not run for brands and just go with what suits me. My all-time favorites are sheath silhouette, a blend of contemporary and traditional. I also particularly like to work with shades of gold and oranges.”
The 5 things she absolutely loves in her wardrobe are:
1. Red stilettos
2. Blue and silver mesh A-line gown
3. Gold stitched saree with gota work
4. Mauve sweater
5. Gold danglers

Envision for future
“Well, we have grown in the last two years. I still remember there was a time when we would get one order in ten days. Yes, that was a time too. And today we’re doing much better. We don’t even get to know how the day ends with us taking new demands for customers, taking their orders and sending them. The big catalyst for us was that we were bringing really unique designs. Facebook helped us have a free and global opportunity to find a tribe, to find a community of women that’s niche. We also started the hash tagging system. Essentially, hash tagging a product on Instagram or Facebook, and then we’d pull it in and populate it underneath the product.
5 years from now, Calmare would be a dream come true. I see it growing at a good pace. Certainly, we would be happy seeing ourselves do good things for our customers. Calmare would be in about every 10th woman’s wardrobe in times to come.”

Do check out Calmare’s official page on facebook.

Love:
Sepo