Tina Chulet : Finding Her Own Calling In Jivaana.
Wharton School of Business and Kellogg School of Management educated Tina Chulet was not one to be resting on her husband's laurels but chose to follow her dreams. Married to Pranay Chulet, the Co-Founder and CEO of Quikr, Tina charted out her own path, given her extraordinary interest in entrepreneurship, and started Jivaana, the one-stop e-store for all things ethnic, from jewellery, clothing, accessories to juttis.
Born and brought up in Chicago, Tina stepped out of home when she was just 18 years old to attend The Wharton School followed by management consulting at the age of 22. But the charm soon wore off when Tina realised she did not want to play it safe anymore. In 2008, she sold everything she owned and moved to New Delhi for a job with an international advisory firm – Endeavor, which focused on young entrepreneurs. Tina says "It was a time in my life when I could afford to give up my possessions in exchange for adventure and opportunity. After my stint at Endeavor, I joined Suminter India Organics and then CitrusPay – both VC backed startups in India. I returned to the USA to complete my MBA and after that, came back to India to venture out on my own. I found India to have a nascent but bubbling industry in startups. It seemed like a good opportunity to stay here and start something on my own".
Jivaana was started in March 2016 and offers a wide mix of carefully-curated ethnic clothing, bright jewellery, bold accessories, and playful footwear. Tina elaborates "It all started when we realized that we didn’t want to hunt through dozens of pages of western sandals to find a chappal. We like to reveal new designers and products weekly to have the element of surprise and freshness on every visit to our site".
Tina's Husband Pranay Chulet's Role In Her Venture
Tina shares "Pranay gives me courage. He is a mentor and a major support system. He truly believes that anything is possible. For me, the biggest hurdle in starting a company was to gather the courage to take the leap, and knowing Pranay stood behind me made it easier. After watching Pranay nurture Quikr for 7+ years, I have been fortunate enough to learn a lot – often through overhearing phone calls on car rides"!
Tina says "If only just by knowing someone successful, one could find success themselves! While business acumen is obviously a key aspect of success, I think the most difficult aspect is to be able to predict whether the market will accept your product or service. If they accept your product, then it’s a race to see who can execute the same most efficiently and effectively to grow at a pace which brings the business to profitability. Throughout my venture, Pranay has been a sounding board and advisor".
Tina shares "Pranay and I were introduced by mutual friends in 2010. My friend had moved to India from New York with her husband. One day I went for a movie with them and Pranay was there. My friend's husband and Pranay went to IIM-Calcutta together. I don't know if it was an intentional set-up. However, my friend did tell me later that they thought Pranay and I would get along"! Tina and Pranay had a destination wedding in rural France in 2014.
Challenges Of Being A Woman Entrepreneur
Tina thinks that being a woman entrepreneur is advantageous as ultimately they are building a product and a service for the female consumer. She smiles "Who better to understand the Jivaana customer than someone who herself is a Jivaana customer? In an industry which is dominated by men, I think that women can and do bring something very different to the table. Perhaps that may be even be their competitive advantage against men – just simply being a woman"!
Tina plans to grow and scale her venture and aspires Jivaana to become the ultimate destination for woman’s ethnic occasional fashion.
Advice To Budding Entrepreneurs
Tina feels that no matter how great an idea may seem or how positive the market research is, until the same is tested in the market, it is difficult to judge whether something will be accepted. She adds "Once your idea is released in the market, there are so many worthy ideas that come back from the initial tests. But pivoting too soon or trying too many things makes it unclear what your company stands for. But that said, responding to the market on a small scale is never a bad idea! Make sure it works before you pivot or go big.
Finally, raising Series A does not mean that you have overcome all challenges which has catapulted you into guaranteed success. From everything we have seen in the market and watching Quikr grow, building a long-term sustainable business is a marathon and not just a race".
Images Courtesy : Tina Chulet and Jivaana.
