Kaushal Modi and Sukriti Agarwal who run Outbox Surprises Company in Kolkata made their way to the increasingly popular show Shark Tank India with their unique business proposition. Curating special surprise events for their clients, they have been successfully running the company that was conceptualised in 2017.
Their website outboxsurprises.com boasts of offerings that are neatly categorised by price points, occasions and categories and needless to say, the popularity of their portion on Shark Tank India led to their website crashing with orders within the first 24 hours of screening of the episode. A premium service that will be specially customised based on your needs, Outbox wooed the ‘Sharks’ and came home a happy business despite not winning their bid.
Their unique experiences often include the likes of live music, movies under open skies, spa sessions, and a dream proposal under Howrah Bridge (at a whopping Rs 1.5 lakhs)! While the entire range of their services is available in Kolkata, now they are extending them to Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore as well. We sneaked in a small conversation with Kaushal Modi about the entire experience. Excerpts…
How was the experience of being on national television?
We never thought about it from the angle of being on national TV. Our focus was on the business pitch and getting a deal with one of the ‘Sharks’. For those 60 minutes that we were inside the ‘tank’ it was just us and the five Sharks listening to our plans very patiently. But yes, the entire experience of being on a set, getting make-up done, rehearsing our pitch almost 100 times so that we don’t falter, was truly memorable.
What were your expectations from the show when you landed there?
We wanted to be on air! Out of the 198 companies that presented only 90 were telecast and our expectation was to be one of them. The show, the set, was almost similar to the US franchise and we had similar expectations. We did hope to have an informal chat with the Sharks outside the tank, but that didn’t happen. The guidance given by the Sony team was very helpful. Our pitch, costumes, act, everything was closely monitored by the team and each team was given enough and equal importance. To operate on a scale like this was really commendable.
What are the few things you learnt from this journey?
To be calm in any situation. ‘Fake it till you make’ it does not work in business and in reality shows. Clarity of thought was extremely insightful learning we took out of the journey. If your business fundamentals are strong, success is not very far. The entire journey forced us to look at our business from a third person’s view. We did come out more confident and motivated even though we couldn’t crack a deal.
What are the plans for the near future for Outbox Surprises?
We are expanding our operations in Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore — all thanks to the overwhelming response by Shark Tank India. We are also working on our digital platform with a strong emphasis on logo and branding (something that was pointed by the Sharks).