To 2019 and SE7EN years of starting up (again!)
Kaushik Mukherjee
Co-founder & COO at SUGAR Cosmetics | Sharing hits & misses of building a winning brand from scratch
With only a few days left in the year, there's a lot in 2019 that I have to be grateful for but most of all... the fact that we completed 7 years as a startup. That thing we started back then with quite a few fanciful assumptions and dreams alike.
SE7EN years of...
2012-13 | GREED |
The greed of accumulating brands on a resume paved way for a greater need. A need to build. Need for purpose... and with a little bit of luck hopefully, someday build a legacy.
2013-14 | GLUTTONY |
Oh the number of products we bought, begged, borrowed, stole, returned! Every detail - pigmentation, finish, lasting power, price, packaging - was frenetically scribbled on sheets, typed into files and eventually became our indigenous beauty "black book"
2014-15 | SLOTH |
Thing is... we'd started slowing down even before the slowdown hit us. When you equate Series A to success, every email like this (there were many!) hits you hard. Fun fact: Market size matters. Because scale matters. We just didn't know/believe that yet.
2015-16 | LUST |
When the fear of failure meets a deep-rooted lust for creating something valuable - truth is, either can prevail. There is no right - no wrong. Just actions and outcomes. And even after all this... we just didn't want to leave the table yet.
2016-17 | ANGER |
We had some traction online but needed to crack offline to be taken seriously. Just that nobody did. First, it was anger. Then exasperation. Finally, the realisation that it didn't matter how many stores showed us the door, we just had to knock on the next one
2017-18 | ENVY |
A chance introduction. An unlikely Series A. Suddenly, we were busier and hungrier. Of course, we'd be miffed to see larger brands get better retail space and online visibility... "cooler" startups raise funds at short intervals - but mostly we chugged along
2018-19 | PRIDE |
With a family that's 1000+ strong, 900+ retail outlets and a 100+ Cr FY20 turnover on the cards... I'm nothing if not incredibly proud of and grateful for this team that continues to punch so far above their weight.
Marketing Manager at D'lecta Foods Pvt Ltd.
4 年Congratulations and OOH campaign was just?amazing... Goodluck for future.
Area Sales Manager at Sugar Cosmetics
4 年Great Sir
Serial Entrepreneur | Co-Founder - 91mobiles.com, Intoglo.com, saasworthy.com
4 年Reminds me exactly of the chinese bamboo. Long gestation period followed by rapid growth. Way to go kaushik and Vineeta. So proud of you guys. All the best for the next 7 :)
Pediatrician and Founder, Docterz
4 年You forgot the iron couple in between. I think it has a role in the whole story. How can you miss that?
LifeGuru.app | Building in Spiritual/Religion Tech | Hiring the Core-Team, DMs open
4 年Super Kaushik Mukherjee. Want more behind the scenes here. Keep noting down, I am sure one day you can write the Sugar Story in a book or a Netflix Original.