Entrepreneur: Miti Jhunjhunwala
Business Name: MJ Label
Welcome to Entrepreneurs of India #startupstories Episode 47
Miti Jhujhunwala is an admirer of profound art and design. She drew inspiration from artworks of French Renaissance while pondering over her new business.
When Miti combined the zest for business with her artistic passion, she unlocked a niche. That’s how she founded MJ Label, a business that creates premium linen tablescapes.
MJ Label brings together talented designers and artisans to create a unique and luxurious home space. How Miti conceptualized MJ Labels? What were the challenges she faced? Let’s listen as she unfolds her story.
1) How did you get your idea for this business?
My passion for home décor, styling and hosting guests was my first step towards wanting to start a brand in this space.
In pursuit of finding my feet in this industry, my research led me to recognise a dearth in the Indian market for designer classic table linens. That’s how I decided to match my passion with this visible gap in the market to give birth to MJ label.
2) Why is “now” a good time for this idea to exist?
In an age like today where people are not just house owners but growing to become space curators and growing to understand the value of detailing and aesthetic, the idea of a brand finding it’s niche in vintage artisanal table linens seems like a right one!
3) What was the reaction from your family when you first decided to become an entrepreneur?
My family has always been my backbone through all my experiments and ideas and this time too it was no different.
My husband, in-laws and my kids have been extremely supportive of me returning to a full-time job. More so, my husband’s company is our mentor parent company under which I’m growing my label.
4) What was your biggest mistake in business and what did you learn from it?
My biggest mistake in business has been to look at things sometimes more from the brand’s point of view than the customer’s.
Luckily, I realised this early on at the inception of the brand and decided to make a switch in thinking and applied it to my product and pricing strategy swiftly.
For instance, when we started out we were only looking at creating pure 100% linen tablescapes, however after our first collection roll-out we understood that our customer valued the design and price over the material for their tablescapes and hence, in the second month itself we started churning out product our customer would embrace more easily.
5) What is your biggest obstacle in the next 12 months and how will you overcome it?
My biggest obstacle in the next 12 months is to make MJ a brand name that people resonate with for quality table linens while ensuring that the business becomes self-sustainable.
I plan on doing this by creating unique designs, achieving superior quality, forging strong collaborations, understanding our customer better and through sound inventory management.
6) What habits contribute to your success?
7) If you had the opportunity to start this business again what would you do differently?
It’s been a mere 4 months since we started the label so it would be premature to make a comment here yet.
8) What is your favourite inspirational quote?
‘Carpe Diem’
9) Where do you find inspiration?
10) What is your favourite book?
The Secret by Rhonda Byrne
11) What advice would you give to someone starting out?
If you’re passionate about something, just take the leap, everything else will fall into place. I took the leap and I know how much that can feed your soul.
EOI Summary
Thank you Miti for sharing your beautiful entrepreneurial journey. It has a lot of insights for young entrepreneurs.
Like Miti rightly pointed out, you can bring success to your business only if you dedicate yourself into it. Don’t be discouraged if your business trails behind. Just be optimistic and work harder to achieve your goals. That’s exactly what Miti did.
Moreover, try to be unique in the market. That’s how your brand will get noticed in a highly competitive space like India.
Want to follow MJ Label on Facebook? Click here!
What is your startup idea? Let us know in the comments below.
