Happiness Boxed is a young entrepreneur’s creative venture for passion and profit
At 21, Vidhi Pansari chose the untrodden path of being an entrepreneur over being a party person. Four months ago, she founded Happiness Boxed, an online platform for bespoke gifting and delicious desserts.
Vidhi says that the decision was not difficult as she had always wanted to be an entrepreneur. Enrolling for an MSc course and eventually getting into a full time job, like many of her friends, was not her scene. “I decided to slog it out and explore risks at an early stage in my life,” says Vidhi. And she has no regrets.
Born and brought up in Mumbai, Vidhi grew up in an environment where she was encouraged to think out of the box. With a BSc in Economics and Management from Russell Square International College, as an external student of University of London, she backed up her academics with a few internship stints – at a startup, a private bank, an online magazine, and her family business.
“For me it was not a very tough decision to take as I had seen my dad manage his business. The idea of starting something on my own was always there at the back of my mind. Just that I never thought that it would be so early,” says Vidhi.
This entrepreneur is a chocaholic herself
The concept of an online portal for gifts and delicious desserts germinated, from seeing the many vendors and home bakers in her city. She was inspired enough to research on food and gifting. And before she realised it, she had founded Happiness Boxed in February this year.
Being a chocolate fan made things easier for her as an entrepreneur. She candidly admits she can devour any amount of sweets, be they Western desserts or Indian sweets: “My main course is always desserts. In short, I survive on chocolates.”
No surprise then that Happiness Boxed is a simpler and easier way to send gifts and desserts to your loved ones. Their tagline reads: ‘No more running around the city before birthdays, anniversaries or any occasion as we deliver happiness in a box. Literally!!’
Currently, they deliver all over Mumbai and are hoping to start their COD service soon.
A believer in women power
Apart from making the entire website on her own, Vidhi has marketed and created advertisements on the social media for her venture. She believes in women power and plans to hire female interns to give them a first-hand experience of digital marketing. The various bakers and gifting brands she is associated with, are all women.
Vidhi is an ambitious entrepreneur who has always been an organized person. Her role model is her father, who she has seen get up early and leave for work at 6 am. Says she: “Even after 20 years, he continues to have the same approach despite being a successful businessman today. I have learnt the virtue of not being complacent ever in life from him.”
She says she has come across many people who think women settle for anything post marriage but that is a wrong mindset: “You cannot have a generic view about women just because a handful have tread that way. At the end of the day, it’s my life and I can choose to live independently.”
A variety of interests
Vidhi loves dancing and has completed an advanced intermediate level course from the Shaimak Davar Institute of Performing Arts. She also enjoys swimming. Travelling and exploring a plethora of cuisines are her other interests.
Those who think Vidhi is a serious entrepreneur with no interest in a social life are wrong. She believes in a Sunday well-spent, either with family or friends. Only then, she feels, she can look forward to the week ahead and feel refreshed enough to face Mondays.
It’s a different matter that she does not lose her focus even when she is partying. Says Vidhi: “Often, while socialising, I have met some very interesting people who are now my partners in Happiness Boxed.”