[100 Emerging Women Leaders] This is how a young woman entrepreneur set up a sexual wellness brand

In most Indian households, just the word 'sex' could stir up a series of uncomfortable situations. While times are changing, most Indians even today discuss sexual health and wellness in whispers.   

When Anushka Gupta started MyMuse with her husband, Sahil Gupta, in 2020, it was not an easy decision. Starting a sexual wellness and bedroom essentials brand, meant confronting everyone and starting a conversation about a topic most people would rather keep behind closed doors. 

“For me, that turning point was when I spoke to customers. We were doing our research in building the brand and trying to understand if Indians even wanted this,” Anushka Gupta shares. “So many women I spoke to said that they genuinely needed this,” she adds. 

Soon Gupta realised that if she could impact thousands of Indians, there wasn’t a need to be scared of what a small group of people might say.

As a college student, Gupta found herself passionate about all things creative. 

“I was passionate about design, arts, and always a writer, and interested in how people think, and that started to merge with my interest in marketing and branding, understanding consumers, culture and trends,” she recalls.  “I think starting MyMuse was like a confluence of everything,” she adds. 

When the husband-wife duo started MyMuse, they wanted to create a sexual wellness education platform. While today the focus is on selling their products, the ethos remains the same. 

“Our focus still is equally devoted to having a positive dialogue… creating a safe space for people to talk and also giving them the right information,” says Gupta. 

MyMuse continues to actively talk about everything that falls under the umbrella of sex-ed on their social media, newsletter, and blog. They plan to continue these conversations further.  

“People will give you more attention and time and take your opinion more seriously today as a woman in business, because the entire attitude and cultural shift has happened. People are recognising the kind of role women have to play in these equations,” she says. 

Her advice to women leaders is to win over any fear of failure. “Self-doubt is the biggest killer of dreams. If you don't try, you'll never know, and that is what you would regret at the end of the day,” Gupta concludes. 

Disclaimer: This story has been updated to correctthe spelling of the company's name in one instance.