This Chandigarh-based entrepreneur is empowering local artisans with handmade designer planters

Twenty-six-year-old Atman Sandhu had always fancied starting her own business. Growing up, she saw her mother decorate the house to perfection, which developed a knack for home decor in the entrepreneur. 

Starting a business is a brave decision, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic when several businesses are struggling to survive. 

However, confinement to home, ample time, and the entrepreneurial bug pushed Atman to take the plunge with her brand Shibui India — a green startup that designs and produces handmade and hand-painted artisanal planters. 

“I always wanted to do something in home décor. I started exploring a niche in the planters’ market space last year. For about three to four months, I researched on environment-friendly raw materials that could be used to create weather-proof, lightweight, and unbreakable life-sized planters,” Atman tells HerStory.  

Following extensive research, the budding entrepreneur took the help of her gardener and requested a few local potters to work on a sample using fibre-glass, sand, resin, and water. 

“Once the base was ready, I got a local karigar and an art student to handprint the pot. The final product came out exactly as I envisioned. That’s how I decided to start the business,” says Atman. 

One-man army

With a limited budget, the founder set up a workshop in Chandigarh in November last year with a team of 10 people, including local karigars (artisans), potters, and logistics staff. 

The startup went live in January 2021 with the launch of Shibui’s official website — shopshibui — and social media channels. Within six months, the brand amassed 8,000 followers on Instagram besides an elite clientele, including celebrities like Soha Ali Khan, Maheep Kapoor, Diana Pandey, and Seema Khan. 

On average, Shibui manages to sell around 100 planters per month. To date, it has made a total sale of 700-800 planters, which start at Rs 2,799. 

“I started with word-of-mouth marketing and got good responses. I collaborated with around 25 influencers online and that pumped the brand’s presence in a big way. The orders started pouring in from pan-India, especially Delhi, Bengaluru, Mumbai, Pune, and Hyderabad. We get around 100 visitors daily on our website, besides orders on social media and the conversions are satisfactory,” the founder says.  

The 26-year-old did not let her lack of business know-how become an obstacle in operations and growth. Rather, she learnt the basic nuances through online mediums and kept hustling. 

“I do not have dedicated resources for design, sales, marketing, or operations. I personally take care of everything, and I take immense pride in that,” says Atman, who holds a degree in political science and mass communication from Lady Shri Ram College, Delhi University.  

Overcoming difficult times  

Shibui’s business had slowed down for a few months after seeing good traction initially. The frustration reached a point where the founder had almost decided to shut down operations. 

“I had completely given up. It was my parents who motivated me time and again to have faith in the idea,” she says, adding that her mother helps her keep the finances under check.

Even during zero sales, Atman says she did not fail to pay the workers who were on fixed salaries. 

“COVID-19 had taken a financial toll on everyone. There was a period when Shibui was making just enough money to cover basic raw materials costs. I used my personal savings and borrowings and somehow managed to pay the employees,” she says. 

The founder recalls the time when she faced a lot of criticism and mockery for selling “gamlas”.  

“People around me were very harsh with their words. No one took me seriously until it started making good money and was covered by some publications,” she adds. 

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Future growth   

Atman aims to grow Shibui organically by focussing on the brand’s website and social media. She says she has been approached by ecommerce websites like Jaypore, Pepperfry, and Pernia’s Pop-Up Shop. However, she has turned them down for now, as she wants to maintain the brand's exclusivity through its website.  

“I do not want to pay 30 percent commission on each sale to the platforms. At present, I am satisfied with the sales and will explore similar partnerships in future,” she adds. 

Speaking on competition and pricing, Atman says there are a lot of SMEs and local vendors selling planters — both offline and online — but not many offer sustainable and sturdy eco-friendly products in the designer category. 

“I want to come up with a complete range of handmade environment-friendly designer home decor products in collaboration with local artisans and take the business offline in future,” says Atman.