No sibling rivalry here, for these Lucknow brothers and sisters it is business as usual

Family businesses often exclude the daughter of the house. The notion is that the girl will be married off and move away from the family home. Though few and far between, there are exceptions. And what better place to find them than in Lucknow.

Besides its age-old traditions, the city also houses businesses that have sustained through time. But make no mistake, you can feel the winds of change blowing into this historic city.

In a society where the focus is more on a girl’s marriage rather than her career, it is heartening to see women entering their family businesses in a break from tradition and playing an active role in decision making.

Despite all odds, with the support of their families and their personal grit these young women are sharing space with their family members, especially their brothers to help the business grow.

On this Raksha Bandhan day, we bring stories of two pairs of siblings who run their family business together.

Kriti Gulati and her brother Abhineet Gulati own the Avadh Handloom Furnishings which is a business firm started by their father 25 years ago in Aminabad area of Lucknow.

---

Abhineet and Kirti

Abhineet was always interested in his family business and started helping his father from the time he was in the 11th grade. He decided to expand the business and to do something different on his own so he opened a new branch at Aliganj after his graduation.

Kriti, on the other hand, after finishing her graduation in interior designing was also keen to join the family business.

“One day, my brother asked me to take care of the Aliganj showroom and that was the beginning. He inspired me and taught me how things are done and allowed me to handle everything on my own. This way I got to learn a lot of things, I even made mistakes but everyone in the family was very supportive,” she tells SMBStory.

She says initially she wanted to go abroad and study but her parents and brother insisted that she stay in Lucknow and learn the ropes of the business considering it was related to her field of interior design. “I was very confused at first what to do but now I feel I did the right thing,” she adds.

Abhineet says, “Getting my sister involved has helped me in many ways and added to the growth of the business. She is a well-educated girl. I feel it is important to have someone close who can show you a different perspective. She has a different taste and a different mindset, and change is always a good idea.”

Abhineet feels that being a nuclear family, siblings need each other's support, especially in difficult times. “If siblings support each other then there is a lot less pressure on the boy alone,” he adds.

Handling a big business is not easy, there are times when there is a difference in opinion or a conflict between the siblings.

To this, Kirti says, “I am a very shy person. My brother knows my nature well and making him understand what I feel or want is easier than explaining it to my dad. I feel today's generation has a different way of working so they understand each other."

Unnati Kapoor and her brother Garvit Kapoor are a part of the business established by their father and uncle in 1994. CSPL Computers Pvt. Ltd. is a major turn-key solutions provider in northern India.

After doing his BTech and MBA from IMT Ghaziabad, Garvit worked in Dubai for sometime but came back to India to join his family business. Unnati, who was pursuing law in Pune, is the family’s recent addition to the business.

She says, “Honestly, it was my dream to become a businesswoman. I grew up in a business household and got this passion from there, I suppose. But after my schooling, I decided to go for a law degree. I did quite a few internships and I enjoyed it also but felt there was something missing. After completing my fourth year, I realsied I wanted to join my family business. I started going to our office and slowly learnt the work there.”

Unnati feels she is among the lucky few who have the full support of their family. “My parents were very happy that I want to do this. It makes them even happier when they see that I really take interest and work hard for each of our projects. My grandmother was also happy and no one ever made me feel that there is difference between me and my brother.”

Unnati looks after the GeM (Government e-Marketplace) of her company. “Handling GeM in itself is a huge task as there are a numbers of sellers willing to sell their products so matching to prices at what they are selling is really tough,” she says.

---

Garvit and Unnati

Talking about his sister, Garvit says,

“It is natural to be happy when you find that your sibling is willing to join hands with you to take the family name and legacy forward. As far as the troubles are concerned, she is strong and capable enough to handle herself in most of the situations.”

Garvit is grateful that he has her as a business partner. “It's been a huge help ever since she got actively involved. My workload has reduced. The entire GeM work is looked after by her.” As far as differences in opinion are concerned, he adds, “She does not take feedback as criticism rather tries hard to correct her mistakes.”

In a traditional and partially conservative society like Lucknow, women entrepreneurs are bound to face problems.

Unnati recalls, “I attend a lot of business conferences and most of the time I am the only woman present. I have had to face a lot of judgmental looks that conveyed to me that I did not belong here. They did not openly welcome me or recognised my presence. But I love my work and that is what drives me.”

Unnati says that working with one’s sibling is not tough provided there is understanding between the two. She says,

‍“See, our main aim is to grow our business so if the other person is proposing something better then it shouldn’t be an issue. Little conflicts and fighting are a part of the sibling relationship. Negotiating my personal and professional relationship with my sibling isn't difficult at all as we are exactly the same no matter where we are, be it home or office.’’

Clearly, for these two sets of brother and sister, sibling rivalry is just a term. As far as they are concerned they have channelised their energies into making their business and their lives better.