These Mumbai teens developed a cleaning spray for sneakers, earning Rs 1.7 lakh in sales so far
Pari Naheta and Sanya Shah, students of Dhirubhai Ambani International School, Mumbai, have developed Sneakeasy, a spray for sneakers made of natural ingredients.
Continuing our series on young entrepreneurs and their fun, quirky, and thoughtful forays into entrepreneurship, this week, we have for you two 15-year-olds from Mumbai.
Pari Naheta and Sanya Shah, class 10 students of Dhirubhai Ambani International School, started Sneakeasy in 2019.
“Both Pari and I are very passionate about sports and dance and use sneakers a lot. However, we realised that maintaining shoes while living in a polluted city like Mumbai was extremely hard,” Sanya tells HerStory.
At one of their Young Entrepreneurs Academy (YEA!) sessions, the duo zeroed in on the idea of a natural spray for sneakers. With the help of their mentors at YEA!, they did a lot of research to come up with the formula for their shoe spray called Sneakeasy, which they claim cleans shoes much better and faster.
Natural solution for dirty shoes
Pari explains that Sneakeasy is purely made of natural ingredients. “It mainly uses natural stain removing ingredients like lemon and natural oils that gently help to remove the stains while ensuring the shoe remains in the best condition for the longest period,” she says.
At present, it is being made by them at their homes with safety precautions. The duo procures raw materials from local stores.
“Once we reach a certain benchmark, we plan to partner with a lab to get the bottles in bulk. We also hope to buy the raw materials from wholesalers, which will reduce the cost by 30 percent,” says Sanya.
Using Sneakeasy is easy. Pari says all you have to do is to spray on the areas you want to clean, rub with a clean napkin, and continue the process till the entire shoe is clean. The difference between Sneakeasy and other cleaners is that it is chemical-free and safe for the environment. The duo also worked together to create the logo, choose the colours, and packaging to make their end product look classy.
Pari and Sanya started Sneakeasy with the prize money earned at the YEA! Investor Panel event and a little help from their parents.
“YEA! helped us launch the idea as a business venture. Further, it also provided us with amazing opportunities and platforms. For the last two years, we have been participating in the YEA! Trade Show that has helped us promote our product to different audiences,” says Pari.
Going places
The duo was also invited to TiEcon Mumbai 2019 where they were given the opportunity to pitch their business idea to investors who also spoke to them privately after their pitch.
They are also happy to be part of YEA! star alumni club where they get the opportunity to interact with other alumni pan-India and learn about each other’s ventures and celebrate each other’s successes.
Sneakeasy is currently priced at Rs 399 per bottle. The two young entrepreneurs have made 500 bottles of the solution so far and sold 410 bottles last year alone through trade shows and other events.
They claim to have clocked Rs 1.7 lakh in sales so far with minimal expenses.
“This has tremendously boosted our confidence. Working as a team helps us balance our studies, various other commitments and business, and we highly recommend finding and working with the right co-founder,” says Sanya.
Sneakeasy has been receiving recurring orders from existing clients, friends, and relatives.
The two say that people have appreciated their product and have given them a lot of positive feedback. They also recently improved their formula, which has increased their sales. Overall, Sneakeasy is doing great and aims to do much better.
Currently publicising through word-of-mouth, trade shows, and social media channels like Instagram, Sanya and Pari are looking forward to taking Sneakeasy to the next level by introducing a range of fabrics and leather products.
“We would like to aggressively promote Sneakeasy through social media, various events, magazines, online and offline advertisements, etc. We are happy with the reviews and are confident that with the right team and marketing, we have tremendous potential to scale,” they say.
Edited by Saheli Sen Gupta