I derive my inspiration from people: Riddhima Kapoor Sahni on entrepreneurship

Daughter of legendary Bollywood actors Rishi Kapoor and Neetu Singh, Riddhima Kapoor Sahni has never basked in the limelight of being a star kid. A successful entrepreneur in her own right, and a Jewellery Designer, Riddhima recently got into a candid chat with the Telegraph Online Edugraph giving insights into her entrepreneurial journey.

1. After studying fashion designing, what got you into jewellery designing?

There’s actually a very funny story behind it because I have dabbled a little in everything. I have done fashion as well and I did come up with my own brand mainly for baby girls, which I named Sam and friends after my daughter. I have graduated in marketing and I was never a jewellery person, but post my wedding my mother and I endorsed a popular jewellery brand together. It is after adorning those beautiful pieces, that I fell in love with jewellery. I also had a lot of jeweller friends who used to design as per my suggestions, which when I wore I received nothing but compliments. Eventually, I decided that rather than spending money on these items, why dont I make people spend money on them and that's how I teamed up with a jeweller in Mumbai and we started this brand together called ‘R’ jewellery.

2. What is the most difficult part of building a customer brand from scratch?

There are challenges everyday that one has to face. Literally, from designing to selling the piece, and the reviews and feedback that one gets, are all important. With Covid-19, everything took a back seat. But by god’s grace we have repeat customers and in the coming months we are planning to become even bigger. I think one needs to constantly think of something new, something that drives them and makes them think out of the box. But at the end of the day, it's our customers who we put before anyone else, and we prefer giving them exactly what they want.

3. What do you do to track trends and stay in touch with the current customer demands?

These days one has so much exposure to everything. I basically observe people through my travels. I see what people wear and try to understand what’s in and what’s out. I never try to design whatever is in trend, though. It always has to be something I like, because I need to enjoy what I am selling. Of course, we keep track of trends, but I believe I have to love something to convince my customers to wear and buy it, and that's how my business works.

4. Looking back, are there any kind of indications from your childhood that foreshadowed you becoming an entrepreneur?

I always knew I wanted to do something in the creative field. Today I would say that looking at trends is basically my stressbuster and it excites me. But as a child, I used to see my mother dressing up and I was always in awe. My mom was amazing in her styling, even when there were no stylists as such. Somewhere that has stayed with me and I carried that forward. So today, whenever I create something, I understand that it has to be a statement.

5. How do you handle disagreements in design with your co-workers?

That's also one of the biggest challenges in business. Being a creative field there are disagreements everywhere, but we usually take a call collectively, as a team. In our workplace there is no ‘upar-niche’ or hierarchy. We believe in taking everyone’s opinions - from our karigar to our back-end team and of course my business partner - everyone’s vote matters. I believe this is another skill that one needs to have when running a business - you need to make your team happy. You cannot be arrogant, a bully or a selfish person. Everyone has to be considered equal for a business to prosper.

6. What is the one change or impact that you would like to see in the world of fashion, especially in jewellery designing?

When compared to the trends that were followed in the past, I believe in the current times people are changing and they are more into fun jewellery and pieces that are quirky and dainty that they can carry from morning into night. Nowadays, except for weddings, I don't think people like wearing heavy jewellery. Even in the times to come, I believe people will prefer jewellery that is wearable throughout the day and can complement different settings, from a desk job to a dinner outing.

I still remember when I myself was a bride, I had to be heavily dressed up. But all that has changed now, the modern world has come to terms with the fact that one has to be comfortable first, and there should be no pressure regarding what people would say. The trend these days is fun and it has been accepted very well and I think this will be carried forward in the near future, as well.

7. Nowadays people in creative professions draw inspiration from a lot of things, and in the process end up copying in some form or the other. What work ethics do you follow to maintain authenticity and originality?

I derive my inspiration from people and observe them and their taste patterns minutely. I believe that one can derive inspiration from anything, but then they also need to have their own USP to maintain their originality. This is developed over time. And in the creative field, the sky's the limit and one needs to keep experimenting with ideas to excel in the long run.

8. What would you say are 3 pieces of key advice you have for aspiring entrepreneurs?

I believe a complete newcomer firstly needs to find something that excites them and makes them wake up in the morning and feel motivated to go to work.

Secondly I believe they should take risks - life is all about taking risks! Business is also about taking risks. Risk can bring with it fears, but temporarily, one needs to forget their fears and anxiety because challenges happen every single day and without them, it can get very boring. In addition, they should not forget their values. You have to be ethical and keep your values intact. A newcomer needs to understand that everyday is a new day to learn and they need to get up, give it their best and not give up.

Lastly, one also needs to understand that they cannot be a master of everything and delegation is crucial. There are responsibilities that one needs to share as well. For a business, team creation is extremely essential, and once it is created each member has to be considered equal. One needs to create a team that will work alongside them, and that's how you get results.

Entrepreneurs are forward thinkers who turn innovative ideas into reality. Successful business owners make their and others' dreams come true, and as our expert, Riddhima Kapoor Sahni tells us, once you decide on what you want to do, the sky's the limit and there’s no looking back!

Interested in fashion designing? Click here to learn how to start your career