From a business that bagged a deal for a Tom Cruise movie to a laminates exporter: the top SMB stories of the week
This week, SMBStory shone the spotlight on a four-year-old Indian luxury aviation-inspired business that landed a deal to manufacture merchandise for Tom Cruise-starrer Top Gun: Maverick and an Ahmedabad-based laminates manufacturer exporting to 65 countries.
Launching a company isn’t easy – it involves days, weeks, months, and years of hard work to build a business that continues to stay relevant and thrive in today’s fast-changing landscape.
Getting foreign recognition is one of the biggest validations of success that a business owner can get, and this week SMBStory focused on a couple of Made in India businesses that have attracted international attention.
WoodFeather
WoodFeather was founded in 2017. It has produced and sold more than 1,000 propellers so far
Akshay Sharma always wanted to be a pilot. He was all set to fulfil his dream and apply to a flying school in Florida in the early 90s, but his medical revealed that his eyesight wasn’t good enough.
His world came crashing down, and he grappled with his new reality. As someone who never had a Plan B, he dabbled in hotel management, radio jockeying, and marketing. In 2010, he decided to get back to flying.
Aksay acquired his licence from the Dean International Flight School, Miami, and became a licensed pilot. He became a recreational pilot but as an aviation junkie, he had a deeper quest. In 2015, while doing the interiors of his new home in Mumbai, Akshay wanted to install propellers, an important component of aeroplanes.
He could not find a company that manufactured them in India and when he did find one from America, he realised it offered a shoddy job. The piece got lost in transit, and Akshay lost a lot of money in the process.
The flying enthusiast then started making a propeller, and the piece managed to catch the attention of every visitor. Between 2015 and 2017, Akshay, inspired by people’s interest, started making these propellers for several individuals and in 2017 launched WoodFeather.
In June 2020, Akshay bagged a deal with American film production and distribution company, Paramount Pictures, to come up with an exclusive range of merchandise in the wake of the Tom Cruise-starrer Top Gun: Maverick, which is slated for a June 2021 release.
Royale Touche
Raj Patel, Director, Royale Touche
Started by Jitendra Patel, Ashwin Patel, Dinesh Patel, Bharat Patel, and Arvind Patel in 1978, Royale Touche was established with the vision to create extremely high-quality products for the decor industry.
Dinesh’s son Raj Patel, who joined the company in 2006, told SMBStory that when they started out, there were just two or three products in their catalogue. Today, the number of products has increased to more than 1,500 categories. He adds that the focus has shifted towards innovative products that reflect the sensibilities of the founders.
Royale Touche started with just one factory in Surendranagar. Two more factories were later started in Ahmedabad and Jamnagar.
The company is one of the oldest manufacturers of laminates and has stood the test of time. It now employs around 800 people and clocks a turnover of Rs 500 crore annually.
The brand also exports to over 65 countries, including China, Hong Kong, Canada, Dubai, the US, Mexico, Vietnam, and many others.
Another top pick of the week
Boldfit
Pallav Bihani, Founder, Boldfit
Twenty-five-year old entrepreneur Pallav Bihani realised the importance of fitness quite early when he suffered from a slipped disc while in school, right before his board exams.
In an interaction with SMBStory, he says, “I weighed 105 kg and realised that I must start a fitness regime to stay healthy. In the first year of my college, I hit the gym and started taking health supplements. It took a little while, but I was able to bring down my weight. But there was one thing that stood out: fitness affordability.”
He explains that fitness is not affordable in India. Be it health supplements and fitness accessories or immunity boosters, people cannot afford such high costs.
Hailing from a family that has been into manufacturing hospital supplies, Pallav decided to join the family business after his graduation. He soon realised that he was not adding much value to the business, which was already established.
Pallav started thinking about the fitness segment and founded Boldfit in Bengaluru in January 2019 to fill the gap.
The company, which began by selling Yoga mats, has in a span of two years grown to 30 SKUs and claims to have grown to an annual turnover of Rs 30 crore.
Edited by Teja Lele