Tushina Goyal, Founder, Tushina

Spreading dew drops of happiness

After becoming a mother, Tushina Goyal, a National Institute of Fashion Technology alumnus, gave up all thoughts of a 9 to 5 regular job. However, her creative instincts were not to let her sit ideal at home for long. Goyal constantly pondered over channelizing her creative talent in a right manner, that’s when she first experimented with a name plate for her daughter’s room. Receiving rave reviews on her first experiment, Goyal set out to inscribe her name in the community of budding entrepreneurs with her full-fledged business venture, Tushina. Tushina is an honest attempt at creating lovable, hand-crafted products for kids, such as customized name plates, wall clocks, photo frames, pen stands, flower vases, paintings, party invitations, birthday return gifts, bookmarks, magnets and other items.

Talking about her maiden venture, Goyal says, “Tushina means a drop of dew and I intend to carry the same freshness of dew drops into my work as well. At Tushina, each piece is specially handcrafted with utmost care and affection, and is thus unique. No two pieces are the same, as they are totally hand-created with tiny units of love glued together.”

With a seed funding of a few thousands from her husband, Goyal set out on her entrepreneurial journey and the quest to bring smiles on many young faces. She says the fact that each piece is meticulously hand-created and customized with the name of the recipient, is what makes Tushina different from other similar ventures. “Since the launch in April 2009, the products have been received tremendously in the market, with most orders coming through referral route, and repeated purchases,” she adds. She makes sure all pieces are made using bright, cheerful colours and imagery.

According to the budding entrepreneur, her business model is geared towards making each kid who receives the products as special. For example, the name plates that she creates bring about a sense of ownership and pride in children, each time they enter their room. The wall clocks, she says, are impossible to find in the market place, as they are made by carefully considering each child’s personal preferences. Thus, each piece crafted at Tushina is carefully customized as per each child’s liking.

The company currently makes its sales through the internet and through exhibitions. The sales depend on the number of pieces that Goyal and her team are able to make. She has exhibited her products in five exhibitions so far, in Delhi, Agra and Gurgaon. The likeability and exclusivity of the products have shown a positive curve of sales for the company. According to the young industrialist, her biggest advantage is the exclusivity and uniqueness of not just the products, but also the venture. “Judging by the 10,000 odd people who have seen my products, I know that in any exhibition, my display always stands out from the rest,” adds Goyal.

Tushina currently has a team of two, one to help with the exhibitions and one to help with the actual paper cutting. Goyal’s two year old daughter is the creative supervisor for team. The budding entrepreneur is currently exploring multiple models to take her business idea forward. A few investors have shown keen interest in the products and the venture. She is evaluating these offers. She is firm on keeping the internet as their key delivery channel though she plans for expansion through offline exhibitions. Goyal says, “Depending on the funding we receive, we would love to retail our products through the ship-in-shop concept, or through exclusive stores.” As for now, Goyal is extremely pleased on how the business has taken shape, and how well her work has been appreciated, without an exception.

Talking to YourStory about her entrepreneurial journey, Goyal said her biggest challenge was to balance the act between a budding entrepreneur and a new mother. She had to complete her work while her daughter was asleep which meant sleepless nights and no rest at times. Her husband was her greatest supporter through those tough times and even now when she faces the challenge of finding skilled artisans. Goyal says her craft involves detailed paper cutting, intelligence to figure the designs, clever interplay of colours and the application of all creative juices to make a great final product.

Goyal considers her innovative website to be the greatest achievement of Tushina. Her only regret is to not be able to update the website regularly. With just a few months on board the rollercoaster ride of entrepreneurship, Goyal is already glued to her seat. She says devotion and passion for her work are what drive her. The fact that her efforts today will put a smile on many faces tomorrow keeps her from trading this venture for anything else in the world.

For Tushina, each sale is a new recognition. The joy her products bring to children, and the admiration of all make for Goyal’s rewards. This piece with YourStory will be her first published interview since the launch.

Goyal is currently training underprivileged kids the art of making handcrafted products for their benefit. The new entrepreneur aims at training as many underprivileged kids as possible. She says, “By my art I am bringing a smile to the kids who can afford it. With the same art I want to bring smiles to the ones who can’t afford it by making them a part of this beautiful creation. 2010 is going to be the year of my reckoning.”

On an inspiring note to fellow budding entrepreneurs she says, “Do what you love to do because only then you can be honest and sincere with your work and that satisfaction is true success.”

YourStory wishes Tushina Goyal and her maiden venture Tushina all the best for the coming year.