Having been a startup founder, I have done a lot of difficult things. Some things I would have dissed as impossible before taking this leap. But this blog post is by far, the most difficult piece of work I have done after I started my journey with Shopo. This blog post, to say Bye!

The past 3 months have been tough on my health and it doesn’t look like it’s going to ease out any soon. I was recommended a lifestyle change as well as a longer medical leave. The team tried a bunch of ways we could work around this but being a co-founder and away from action was going to be hard. It is with a heavy heart today that I will be stepping down from CEO position to let the team focus on what is truly important while I take care of getting back in good health. We believe this is the best decision for good of shopo and myself. October 31st 2012  will be my last day at Shopo, however I will be available on a need basis till January to help the team.

However I will be on the board of shopo as a strategic board member and will continue to help shopo on its gowth. Theyagrajan, my co-founder takes things over from me and I have no doubts in my mind that he is the perfect person to take Shopo to where it duly belongs.

I am going to miss my team and the adrenaline rush shopo gave me everyday. But I am going to look foward to contributing to shopo as a board member.

Good luck!

Krithika Nelson

Sonal Shah

Tell us about your store..

At Koonik, we have decided to make & stock only ‘Baby Safe’ products. The kind that we grew up when we were babies and stuff our grand mothers would approve of. Our clothes are designed inhouse and made from 100% soft organic cotton. We use non toxic dyes and the entire treatment from growing organic cotton till the final production is controlled, ensuring that nothing harmful goes onto the clothes.Our toys are handmade out of soft ivory wood and are coated with dyes derived from vegetables and fruit extracts. This makes them environmentally friendly and at the same time, very safe for your baby. They are lead free, mercury free, BPA free and basically free of anything that can harm your precious little one. The soft toys are made from 100% cotton without any embellishments that could hurt the child. Essentially, Koonik is about doing things that will make babies happy while leaving a smile on the planet’s place. After all the planet is our inheritance that we’ll leave to our kids. Koonik – Happy Baby, Happy Planet

Dino Onesie

Koonik is unusual name, what does it mean and how did you come up with it?

I have a daily habit of reading one new Wikipedia article everyday when I came across Kunik.  Kunik, Wikipedia told me, is an intuit(eskimo) kiss ‘a form of expressing affection, usually between family members and loved ones, that involves pressing the nose and upper lip against the skin (commonly the cheeks or forehead)’. And it struck me, isn’t it the simple, tender kiss that we give babies on their cheeks and foreheads. We (my husband and I) loved the word and played around with it for a few days and came up with Koonik! Infact we drew a first cut of our logo at an Udipi restaurant eating idlis. The idlis on the plate gave us the idea of the 2 ‘o’s in Koonik kissing each other; one a baby and the other the planet.

How has your journey been so far

A rollercoaster ride is the closest word I can think of. It has been fun and scary at the same time. The thrill of seeing something you thought of take shape is unmatched by most other work experiences. Everything has been a challenge, from finding the correct name to having correct products to managing customer engagement. But it has been the most fun year of my life so far. I’ve learnt a ridiculous lot about setting up a business and running it. The feedback and response has been great so far.

The Famous Five

How did you find Shopo and how has the association been so far?

A friend of mine told me about Shopo as she was retailing on Shopo. So far it’s been good. From sign up, listing, communication to payments has been great.

What is your inspiration

Babies! Don’t they just make you wonder what the hell in going on in that little head? So my inspiration is what the baby may be thinking, a baby’s world view if I may call it that. Sara (my niece) and Fiana (my best friend Neha’s daughter) are the ones who I look at to figure it out. Just everyday things from a baby’s routine that possibly people don’t take notice of or think of.

Soft Kitty

What made you start a business for children

It is a funny story actually,In 2011, we were planning for our visit to California. It was going to be our niece’s 1st birthday and we wanted to get her some awesome presents. We started searching for ‘something good’ and ‘something different’ but we were disappointed with every idea that we had. We looked about online and offline but most clothes for babies were very very boring. Our options would start with ‘Mummy’s little boy’ or ‘Daddy’s cutie’ and end with a little butterfly. We went about looking for plain Rompers which we could paint or print with something cool and awesome. I won’t bore you with the rest of the story here. What started as a simple quest to get some awesome clothes for our niece is now, 1 year later, Koonik.

What is the best thing about working for your self

I think the idea of working for oneself is slightly over rated. You need to be extremely self motivated to deal with all the mundane issues that crop up; the ones you take for granted while working at a corporate. According to me it is tougher running your own venture as I worked for a corporate. Having said that, being a self funded start up, the most amazing thing is your company’s ability to be agile and make changes and move quickly to suit the environment. Also the amount of creative flexibility that your own venture can offer, I don’t think can be matched by a corporate job.

Bee Swaddle Blanket

What advice would you give to people who are starting a business or designers?

Lots of things, but if I were to sum it up and just help others starting up, unclutter their minds, I would say

1. Have an objective. Don’t do things randomly without a goal in mind
2. Have a plan. Work on your idea, numbers, and projections and see if what you are thinking is feasible.
3. Don’t expect people to have faith in you until you are self assured about your idea and your ability to execute
4. Be patient. Don’t give up too soon
5. Don’t be too much in love with your ideas. On the contrary be flexible and actually learn listen to and learn from the people who are paying money for your product
6. Get out and talk to people. Working in isolation will only take its toll on you eventually. You will need to have mentally stimulating conversations that can inspire you.
7. Don’t be afraid to admit you’ve made a mistake, atleastits your own mistake.
8. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Koonik’s models are my niece and my best friend’s daughter. My husband helped me with the logo, blog and photo shoot. Friends helped with design ideas and colours. Everybody loves to help entrepreneurs, so don’t shy away from it.

How did you make the transition from a corporate career to an entrepreneur ?

I have an MBA in Marketing. After having worked for over 6 years in the banking industry, I bit the entrepreneurial bug (yup…I bit it).  I decided to try my hand at entrepreneurship and went and told my boss that I needed to do this. I found supporters in him, HR team, friends and family and decided to take the plunge full time. Frankly I don’t think part time works, if you want to be successful; you need to give it all you’ve got. And in any case, I don’t see it as a break in my career, this whole experience will only further my conventional marketing career.

Check out Koonik at http://shopo.in/shop/koonik?friend=blog

Contemporary, Colourful, Electryfying you just cannot miss her jewellery. Meet the designer behind Aditi Bhatt, Accessories & More.This NIT graduate has turned her passion into her business and each piece is hand made with love. Her jewellery stands out because of the neon colours and enamel work.Go Neon !

Tell us about your store, and your journey so far
I graduated from NIFT(Gandhinagar) specialising in fashion and lifestyle accessories in 2011. After  my course I started working on my label. I wanted to make products that were ‘happy’ vivacious and full of life. Since colours have always been my weakness my products reflect that.When designing jewellery in college, enamels(meenakari) fascinated me and found their way into my designs.I literally sat with my karigars and learnt how to enamel, and later I’d come home and experiment with various techniques and styles. Till today I enamel all the pieces and hope to do in the future as well!The journey so far has been very encouraging for people have shown appreciation and admiration for my work, and it is wonderful when they acknowledge that it is something different and unique  and are willing to purchase them and wear them proudly.

What is your inspiration for your designs?
There are a lot of things that inspire me, when designing my jewellery I take up a theme and make a collection around it. For instance, the Jali collection is inspired by intricate mughal carvings,the colour carnival collection is inspired by  beautiful colours all around us, and the latest lotus collection is inspired by the lovely lotus motifs that we find on trucks and rickshaws.

Lotus Charm Bracelet

How did you find Shopo and how has your association been so far ?
I found Shopo through Facebook and the association so far has been wonderful!People here are warm and friendly and the working is transparent and uncomplicated,you can interact with customers and it is a great platform for designers like me who want to sell their products.

What is the best compliment you have received from your customer?
The best compliment so far is when after a purchase customers message or email me saying, how wonderful the product is and that they’re receiving a lot of compliments for it!

Tribal Twist Earrings

Do you have a favourite product?
I really love the colour carnival necklace as it brings about a lot of bling and colour to plain clothes making them look dressy, Also love the colour carnival balis they are bold and eye catchy yet light on the ears.

Your design brand stands out because of the neon colours. Any advice on how to carry off neons?
The neon fever is spreading and everyone seems to have it!  You can add hints of neon to your every day wear . For example, a neon orange belt clubbed with a plain white shirt can turn your entire look around. The key is to incorporate 1-2 neon elements to your look. If you’re wearing neon coloured clothes keep your accessories subtle and vice versa. To get the perfect look you not only have to pick out the right clothes but also match it up with the right accessories. A bright neon dupatta with salwar kameez can lift the mood of the outfit and make you stand out. In fact, you could even wear a statement necklaces while with a simple and plain dress. Try to team up a dull grey tunic/top with hot pink leggings and it will change your entire look. You could carry a neon clutch or bag. In fact, you can use neon in various ways, either by accessorizing or wearing neon shaded outfit. The most important thing is to know how to strike a balance and how to draw a line between bold and garish

Colour Carnival Cuff

What advice would you give to designers and women entrepreneurs who are starting their own business?
The beginning is always the toughest! I would like to say that when you’re starting up and things are getting difficult and overwhelming don’t  give up and stick it out to see how it turns out. Do your research well, learn about the places where you can sell your products, how are you going to manufacture them, who are your competitors, what are the current price points for products similar to yours, how are your designs/products different than the ones currently available,be specific about the market you want to cater to,plan your finances.Be patient and have a positive outlook.

Daisy Earrings

How did you market your product?
I started out with a Facebook page, putting up pictures and details about my brand.Friends liked the page, slowly and gradually a lot of people came to know about it.I sent my products to boutiques in Mumbai,Bangalore,Hyderabad and Delhi, put them up for sale on Shopo. This is how customers got to know about my brand and word kept on spreading. I also did exhibitions in Mumbai and Dubai during the festive season.Now, my designs are available in Australia as well, hope soon more countries would like to venture into my designs.

Check out Aditi Bhatt Accesssories & More here

http://www.shopo.in/shop/aditibhatt?friend=blog

However, unreachable Fashion may be, it really is all about personal style. This is what we, the Urban Pari team, bring to the table. Our style. We, you and all of us are quintessential Urban Pari. We hold yesterday’s sensibilities but we have tomorrow’s outlook. This is reflected in our saree designs. Although, the saree descends from tradition, we find myriad ways to reinvent it by our choice of color, fabric, print, applique, blouse design, etc.

When Winter arrives (or should we say, when it gets less hot), it’s time to choose other fabrics. Chiffons and georgettes are always in. But now, they drive the blues away with their vibrant hues. Textile manufacturers blend many yarns and bring to market, new fabrics that we should adopt. Take for example, the Silver Lining which is made using blended Tusser silk. The fabric flows well, it is durable and you don’t need to trudge to the dry cleaners. This season’s collections will include more saris with this fabric as the wash-care instructions are easy and it can be dyed in colors quite easily.

Simple designs, as we see on this saree, make it a perfect outfit for a formal dinner party. Jazz it up with jewelry for a wedding reception, as it is time for many weddings to come. It doesn’t always have to be Silk, for a grand social event. We can choose from other fabrics like Chanderi or Maheshwari cotton, Organza and Jute. Add in brocades to bring in the bling like we did on this Jute saree, Green Gold. Being different, choosing the road less taken, is one way to stand out.

Appliques such as Kalamkari are very traditional, as is silk. But, that needn’t stop us from changing how it looks on us. For example, look at the two Kalamkari sarees. The Amaranth Red Kalamkari saree is fitted with a regular long-sleeved, Silk blouse. The Green Kalamkari is complimented differently by the sleeveless, Organza blouse with a stylish bow-back. The two sarees are the same yet completely different in the way that they are styled.

Finally, bring in your personal style (or ask us how you can do it). Go grunge, punk, classic, chic or any other style that you prefer. Be comfortable in your saree and remember, that it is easily the most beautiful garment on the planet and every woman looks great in it.

Check out the Urban Pari Store here

The woman that I feel like discussing here and the most important one in my life is a woman who has just changed my life. She is Ms Krishna Mehra and no less than a goddess to me. She reinforced my belief in myself. She threw me out of my comfort zone. She pushed me to believe and accept that unless I believe in myself and my dreams, no one else will. It is unfair to give any name to my relation with her; however, this relation is nothing less than kismet connection (link of fate). She is a good motivator, inspiration and my personal coach. She only tells me what I can do rather than what I should do. Having her around, I do not find any journey too tiring, any goal too difficult and any dream unachievable. Now, I have begun to realize even those dreams that were unthinkable at one point of time and I have also begun to dream a life that was beyond my imagination. If this woman has let me think the unthinkable and imagine the unimaginable the next one has let me believe in the lyrics of the famous song, “I am not afraid” by Eminem. She has contributed a lot in defining my outlook towards life and my personality – a change from being shy, frightened, and timid to a strong and daring person. Someone who can rebel and question and even challenge everything and anything that appeared very obvious and natural to many people. She made me realize that it is me who makes the society and not the vice-versa. She also let me believe that I have a journey to take and everybody else and everything else is a part of that journey. Values, Cultural and Social norms, Ethics, and Principles can be redefined. [Just because something has been done in a certain way for centuries does not make it right or wrong. Challenge is the key. I salute her and express my gratitude towards her contribution for my life.

Your gift is on the way  too, anu

As for those who haven’t  participated, there are 2 surprise contests coming your way today

A lovely, quirky  over the door hook from Kya Cheez Hai…

Ok..now to her story…

Dear Shopo Patronizers,

I am extremely happy to participate in this contest as this gives another reason to appreciate, adore and cherish someone who is so close to my heart and soul – my Amma.

We realize the importance of having a mother only when we go through testing times. But when they go through the same, whom do we go to??
That becomes a testing time for all of us in the family too.

One such major period started in Dec 2010. Being a very health-conscious person, my mother takes her master health-check ups every year. This particular year
her mammogram had some issues. Our family doctor was pretty suspicious and asked us to take couple of tests. We came to know that she had a lump in her right breast.
We were pretty shocked and took it seriously and pursued it for further biopsies and tests. At that point, my father had some important assignments and had to go out of town and
my brother was not in the country as such. Now, that left only me. I took my mother to Apollo Cancer Speciality and we were directed to the respective places for tests.
That day was really vexing as we saw many patients suffering from various ailments and we, amidst all that were in a confusion as to what is going to be the result of these tests my mother underwent. Thankfully I had/have GPRS on my mobile and started playing “Kandha Shashti Kavacham” for my mom. The mindset in which we were in, I should thank Lord Muruga for seeing us through that day.

Finally the results came and we found that the lump IS INDEED CANCEROUS. Its malignancy was not known then. My mother as usual showed no particular reaction on her face, whereas we were all shattered. I had to call up my dad and inform everything to him. We just couldn’t take it, but my mother did not show any reaction and went about doing her usual chores. We knew she was praying from within. Initially the doc said we have to remove the lump only and then figure out whether the cancer has spread or not. So we got the lump removal done. My mother is a strong person at heart and she is very god-fearing. She was very brave in undergoing the lump removal and we saw it through. The results were not too satisfactory so the doctor said we might see the spread in the other tissues of the breast as well, so better to remove the breast as such. We also came to know that the malignancy was in stage 1, so removing the breast altogether may be useful in arresting the
spread and keeping in check.

For someone who is 59, removing a breast totally is in a way very demotivating. It was surely like that for my mother also. She, without being perturbed about the operation,
went ahead to check out the other alternatives in having a breast in the place where its removed, like a silicone cup. I truly appreciated her forward-thinking in this aspect and felt that
she was truly a hero. I, on the other extreme, called up all my relatives & friends all over the world and asked their 2nd opinion on this. While most of them suggested that breast removal is the best option, I wasn’t satisfied totally. Finally she went ahead for the operation in Feb 2011, and by god’s grace, everything is OK now. She doesn’t have one breast, but is fit and fine and taking her
medicines (which have a few side-effects) and going about her routine work.

Cancer is something really “disturbing” to all of us, be it any form and stage. I’m extremely happy that my mother took it in the right spirit and is in her cheerful best now. For all of us, it was
a nightmare for those few months.

My mother is the PILLAR OF MY HOUSE and we have no clue what or where we will be without her. I can only think of one thing at this moment “Nammalukku kashtam vandha andha kadavula
koopduvom (the kadavul being my mother) aana andha kadavulukke kashtam vandha yaara koopduvaar?” Very difficult question to answer and my eyes get teary when I think of it.

Dear Archana, your mom is indeed a strong person..And your gift is on the way

Hand-painted by Madhubani artisans, this colourful tissue box is a cool product.

Archana Achuthan’s story bags this prize…Eager to know what won her this? Read on….

One pleasant evening in July 1997, my dad was inducted into the Rotary Movement. It was on that evening that I met one of my mom’s collegue Savithri aunty & her daughter Nandini, their family was already into rotary. “Nandini” I have a great fascination for this name right from a very young age & am easily attracted to someone with that name!! Plus her big bright smile attracted me!!! Till date according to me Nandini’s smile is the best!!

Nandini & I became very close during our 1st meeting itself. Then by & by as I started spending more time with her I noticed that she was a very beautiful person on the inside as well… she was an excellent student, superb orator,avid quizzer & amazing dancer, in short a multitalented person. I started learning a lot from her& we together used to organise many programmes and entertain people in our club. We enjoyed each other’s company and she was like a elder sister to me. I still remember doing dandiya with her during diwali in the year 1999.
Then when I completed school and looking out for colleges it was she who suggested her college which offered the course I wanted- MOP Vaishnav College. I liked the college a lot at first sight & spent 3 glorious years there. Nandini was my senior and she passed out of college the year I joined it. After that I did not get to see much of Nandini, because she was busy with her PG & then she joined one of the most established IT company and became extremely busy. Then during my final year, I learnt from my mother that Nandini was not keeping well, and was working from home. I really felt awful and prayed for her all night. After about a year, On the night of 24th dec 2005, while I was spending christmas vacation at my cousin’s residence, I recieve a call saying that Nandini had gone… Gone to a place from where she cannot return…. I was totally shocked!! It was that night that I came to know that Nandini had gone because of lymphatic cancer & was under treatment for the same. That night I did not have a wink of sleep, her thoughts came gushing in.
It has been 4 years now & I miss her a lot!!! Her parents(she was an only child) have stopped socializing though I get to meet her dad & speak to him, I have not met her mom at all in these four years. I spoke to her on the phone once but every time I speak to her I remember Nandini & struggle a lot not to ask her “How is Nandini”?? Same applies to her dad also. But atleast with him I can keep from asking this question somehow but not with aunty. Both her parents see me as their daughter- which gives me a lot of satisfaction and pride that they see Nandini through me.Nandini has also contributed in a big way to what Iam today by showing me our college & teaching me a lot of lessons for life. I still believe that she is living somewhere in this world and I cannot get to meet her. Miss her terribly when I organise /entertain /sing/ compere in the club and I always think of her. Miss you Nandini!!! I know that you are reading this post from somewhere & flashing your big bright smile…. Miss you. Love you !!

Congrats Archana !

So with Navrathri coming to an end, we are ready to announce the winners of our Navrathri contest, as promised. Every hour today, we shall reveal to you one lucky winner who will get a gift from Shopo.

So, are you ready ?? Here goes… Btw here is the gift that this lucky winner is going to get.

Yummy and mouth-watering assorted chocolates from Crestmyna. Here is a closer look…

So Jennifer D’souza from Gujarat is the first lucky winner.  Her goddess ,she claims is her mom. This is what we loved from what she said .. “In the future , If I am able to become like her to my children even 1% , My Job on coming to the Earth is done.”

Don’t you guys think that such a lovely daughter deserves these wonderfully packed chocolates? Well, we definitely think so …

Eager to know if you have won a prize… Stay With Shopo. We will be announcing a winner every one hour. For those who haven’t participated, fear not. We have a surprise contest for you too !

All geared up for the Saraswathi pooja ? Try out this new sundal recipe with a twist. Famous food blogger Sanjeeta shares her cool recipe with us.. Psst She has sent in another recipe for a mouth watering sweet delight!! Stay with us and we will reveal it to you tomorrow.

So here goes..

Quick Chickpea Sundal with Flax Seed Powder – A Spicy Festive Treat

If Navaratri is a time for playing Dandia in Western and Northern part of India, it is a time to showcase your culinary skills down South. A very popular recipe Sundal is made in most of the houses and shared with neighbors and family during Navaratri evenings after it has been offered to God.

Many use coconut and spices to make savory Sundal while others opt for jaggery and make sweet versions of it.

I came up with the idea of adding flax seed powder to this healthy and filling Sundal recipe and make it more nutritious. You can omit the same if you wish to, it will not make any difference.

Ingredients;

• 1 cup Chickpeas
• 2 tbsp. grated fresh coconut
• 1 tbsp. Flax seed powder
• 1 green chilly
• 1 tbsp. vegetable oil
• Salt as desired
• Water for soaking
• Few sprigs curry leaves
• 1/2  tsp, lemon juice

Tempering;

• 1 tsp. mustard seeds
• 1 tsp. de husked black gram
• 1/2 tsp. coriander powder
• A pinch of asafetida powder

Method; Wash and soak chickpeas overnight. Or for 6-7 hours

Rinse the soaked chickpeas again with fresh water twice the next day and discard the water.

Dry roast flax seeds for 2-3 minutes in a pan and grind it into fine powder. Chop the green chilly finely. Grate coconut.

Pressure cook the soaked chickpeas with 2 cups of water for 2-3 whistles and let the cooker cool completely. Open the cooker and drain the water completely from the chickpeas.

You can also boil the soaked chickpeas in a large vessel full of water, but it takes long time and the some of the essential nutrients are also lost from the chickpeas.

Heat a wok and splutter mustard seeds, add de husked black gram (dhuli urad daal) and let it become light brown.

Add grated coconut, chopped green chilly, asafetida, salt, coriander powder, curry leaves and sauté for 2 minutes.

Add boiled  and drained chickpeas in it and mix well to coat with all the spices. Take off the flame and sprinkle flax seeds powder and drizzle the lemon juice. Mix well and serve.

Notes;

1. You can add a tsp. of grated ginger in the recipe for extra zing.
2. Use any legume such as dried peas, lentils, groundnuts and all kinds of Daal to make this Sundal. Just make sure that you cook the legume according to the time needed for it to become soft. Dried peas need overnight soaking and 2-3 whistles, while de husked green gram (dhuli moong dal) needs just about an hour of soaking and can be used as raw in this recipe to make Sundal.
3. Flax seeds add extra nutrition to this healthy recipe.

Sanjeeta kk is a food Blogger who likes vegetarian cooking, eggless baking and healthy desserts. She is also an amateur writer, novice photographer and a fledgling food stylist at http://litebite.in

Recipe source; http://sanjeetakk.blogspot.in/2012/10/recipe-quick-chickpea-sundal-with-flax.html