What can begin with just ₹25,000? For Gyan Singh Shekhawat, it became the foundation of a business journey that, over 11 years, grew into a ₹2.5 crore audited firm, with the business now moving towards becoming a private limited company.
Originally from Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh, Shekhawat started Bollywood Fashion in Govardhan Vilas, Udaipur, with limited funds, little familiarity with the city and several responsibilities to manage after marriage. In this conversation, he speaks about the idea that led to Bollywood Fashion, the struggles of its early years, understanding customers and building a workplace where employees are treated as family.
Q. Could you introduce yourself to our audience?
Gyan Singh Shekhawat: My name is Gyan Singh Shekhawat. I am the founder of Bollywood Fashion. We have multiple stores in Udaipur. Basically, I belong to Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh.
As a person, I am very disciplined in life and very focused on my work. Beyond my work, I do not look at many other things. I remain very focused on what I do.
Q. How did you start Bollywood Fashion?
Gyan Singh Shekhawat: It started with a kind of struggle. It started with ₹25,000.
I was moving to a new city after my marriage, and the initial capital we had was very limited. My wife and I decided that whatever we were going to do, we would do it with those ₹25,000 only.
So, we started a small store in Govardhan Vilas, Udaipur. It was around 1,770 square feet. With such limited capital, there was not much we could do, so we kept a small mix of clothes and simply started.
That ₹25,000 multiplied. After 11 years, we are now a ₹2.5 crore audited firm, and this month itself we are moving towards becoming a private limited company.
Q. What were the biggest challenges during the initial years?
Gyan Singh Shekhawat: The toughest phase lasted for around two years.
We had limited resources and limited money. I was also in a new city where nobody knew me. I was newly married and had to give time to my family.
Initially, I thought I was simply going to do sales because I had worked in sales before. But I soon realised that running a business involved much more.
I had to handle product sourcing, understand trends and see whether customers were actually liking the products. I also had to understand what the local market required. At that time, I was not even able to understand the local language properly.
After about six months, I started thinking, why am I not going back to a job? Why am I doing this?
There were also comments from people that hurt. Since we had named the business Bollywood Fashion, someone once told me that they had come inside after seeing the name, but there was not even a “B” of Bollywood there.
It hurt, but I also understood that with ₹25,000, I could only provide what I could afford.
Q. What made you continue?
Gyan Singh Shekhawat: I discussed it with my family and especially with my wife. She supported me a lot during that time.
She even suggested that we could mortgage our jewellery and arrange more money. But the next morning, we both decided that we would continue with the ₹25,000 itself.
Whatever happened, we would rotate that money. We would not put household money into the business.
That is when I really understood the calculation of business. Rotation is the main thing.
Q. How did you decide what products to sell?
Gyan Singh Shekhawat: There is a small story behind that.
My engagement had already taken place, and at that time my fiancée and I used to talk on Skype. One day, she showed me some clothes she had purchased for our honeymoon. She had shopped for them in Udaipur.
I asked her the price of one of the products. When she told me the price, a business idea immediately came into my mind.
As far as I knew, if you went shopping for similar products in Delhi, the retail price could be four to five times higher.
The simple thought that struck me was that if the product was available here at this price, there could be an opportunity elsewhere.
That idea stayed with me, and eventually we built Bollywood Fashion.
Q. How did you build trust with your customers?
Gyan Singh Shekhawat: People have made business sound much more difficult than it actually is.
First, you need to know who your target audience is. Then you need to understand what they want.
For Bollywood Fashion, our target audience is from around 18 to a maximum of 35 years. Most of them are college-going or working.
Our customers want fast fashion. They want quality, but they also want to follow trends. They do not want to go towards very low-grade clothing, nor do they necessarily want to go towards the highest-priced segment.
Keeping this understanding in mind, we have the tagline “Bollywood Fashion — Follow Trends.”
Q. What kind of work culture have you created for your team?
Gyan Singh Shekhawat: My wife and I both started our careers in sales, where we experienced targets and pressure.
We decided that we did not want to create the same kind of pressure for our team. We wanted them to have a happy work life and not be pressured with sales targets in the same way that we had been.
We celebrate their birthdays, anniversaries and store anniversaries with them. Whenever we get an opportunity, we spend time with the team.
Sometimes, during the rainy season when customers are not coming to the stores, we close all the stores and go out together on scooters.
We have never looked at our team merely as a team. We have considered them family.
Whenever we open a new outlet, we usually keep the other outlets closed and have our team there. We do not sell anything that day. The day is for everyone to enjoy.
We dance, have fun and celebrate together.
Q. What would you tell someone who wants to start a business today?
Gyan Singh Shekhawat: Starting is very important.
Today, you do not necessarily need a large amount of money to begin. Even with ₹5,000, if you understand the market demand and use your mind with some sharpness, you can start something.
There is also a myth that you need a lot of money for marketing. Instagram is free. Creating a page is free. YouTube is free.
What you need is courage.
Even if you cannot bring your own products, you can become a reseller. People are earning from home through reselling.
People often think only about income, but there are expenses as well.
So I would say, take action. People say that taking action means 50 per cent of the work is done. I would say that today, once you have taken action, 80 per cent of the work is done. Only 20 per cent remains.
You have to create your identity and start the work.