Kalyani

 

Country: Hyderabad, India
Profession: Manufacturer of Organic Ayurvedic Personal Care Products
Business: Ancient Living
Partner School: Indian School of Business 

"Successful business is all about integrity and aiming to make a positive social impact. If we believe in something, we need to strive to achieve it without compromising on our ethical values. If we do that, growth will follow."

Business Overview

Ancient Living produces skin, hair and healthcare products. Our products are made of ancient Indian medicinal and aromatic herbs based upon the rich tradition of Ayurveda. We grow and source our organic herbs and natural ingredients from farms and meticulously process them using Ayurvedic methods. Ancient Living has a threefold mission to produce its products consciously, use only pure ingredients and create sustainable livelihoods for its workers. 

Challenges

Before 10,000 Women, my business was purely passion-driven and had no clear vision for future growth. In particular, achieving operational efficiency within my facility was one of my major challenges. I joined 10,000 Women to grow my business and improve my management skills.

Results

The 10,000 Women program taught me how to distill the elements of my business into a sensible, realistic business plan. The program gave me a growth strategy to expand my facility and hire new employees. It inspired me to improve my product packaging to engage potential customers, launch an e-commerce platform which now accounts for 10% of my business and add new product offerings. Since graduating from 10,000 Women, I have dramatically improved my operational efficiency and my business revenues haves grown by 100% annually.

Future Goals

I want to build stronger communities, reach more customers, and make this a more profitable business model. As part of my growth plan, I am exploring a pan-India expansion of Ancient Living brand stores focusing on a much wider range of sustainable products. I envision Ancient Living as a global brand creating awareness about ancient Indian Ayurvedic herbs and their current uses.