Interview: Bharat Bansal CEO & Co-Founder of Nirmalaya, an Organic Wellness Company

Interview with Bharat Bansal CEO & Co-Founder of Nirmalaya, an Organic Wellness Company

A CA dropout, Lawyer by profession, and entrepreneur by heart, Bharat has worked a lot
with startups in building his last company profitably from 0 to a team of 30+ people.

Bharat was always passionate about starting something of his own and he started BanBros consulting where he was working super closely with founders in their financial decision-making and acting as Virtual CFO.

This led to his introduction to the ecosystem. He is a people person who loves to strategies and builds relationships.

Tell us a little about yourself

Bharat Bansal: I am a CA dropout, Lawyer by profession, and entrepreneur by heart. In the past, I have worked with a lot of startups and was also able to take my last company from 0 to a team of 30+ people.

I have always been passionate about starting something of my own and hence also started BanBros consulting where I was working super closely with founders in their financial decision-making and acting as Virtual CFO.

This led to my introduction to the ecosystem. I am someone who loves to strategies and builds relationships.

Please tell us a little about your entrepreneurial journey

Bharat Bansal: I have always been passionate about starting something of my own and hence also started BanBros consulting where I was working super closely with founders in their financial decision-making and acting as Virtual CFO.

I scaled that company from scratch to a team of 30+ members and a client base of more than 100. This led to my introduction to the ecosystem.

I am someone who loves to strategies and builds relationships and that became my core strength working at Nirmalaya also.

Kindly brief us about Nirmalaya, its specialization, and the products that it offers

Bharat Bansal: Nirmalaya started in 2020. Rajeev, one of the founders, visited Shirdi, where he saw the process of conversion of flowers into incense.

Since we have been living in Delhi for almost 30 years, we have seen Yamuna getting polluted to an untreatable extent.

Rajeev was fond of waste management and me & surbhi were fond of fragrances, creating brand and selling, we all joined hands and Nirmalaya was born.

We started with 6 fragrances in Incense sticks, cones and Dhoop sticks and Havan cups and today we have 15+ fragrances, with Havan Cup being our star product.

What is your biggest USP?

Bharat Bansal: When compared with our competitors, we have an extremely attractive and standardized price point along with better quality and a wide range.

This makes the customer lean towards our product. Along with that, our fragrance is something unmatchable in the market. While it smells amazing it also lasts for more than 24- 48 hours.

What inspired you to start Nirmalaya?

Bharat Bansal: As said earlier, when Rajeev, one of our founders, visited Shirdi and saw the process of conversion of flowers into incense, which got us inspired to start Nirmalaya.

That said while we were inspired, we also found the market very niche and realised that it needed a wider option for the consumers.

What are your sustainable/eco-friendly practices?

Bharat Bansal: We started in 2020 and are currently recycling 40 tons of waste flowers every month. The floral waste is collected from 300 temples across Delhi NCR every day and recycled by over 100+ women workers.

Our zero-waste, biodegradable incense sticks are charcoal free and have less than 3% carbon emissions as compared to normal incense sticks that release around 80% carbon emissions.

How Nirmalaya also focuses on wellness through aroma, essential oils and fragrances.

Bharat Bansal: Aromatherapy is also known as aroma essential oil therapy has been used for centuries as medicine to promote healing and general human wellness.

It is the process of using plant materials and aromatic plant oils to improve the psychological well-being and physical state of a person.

It is a holistic healing treatment that uses natural plant extracts to promote well-being and health. The oils are used as medicines to improve the overall health of the body, mind, and spirit and these enhance both physical and emotional aspects. The process of aromatherapy oil is thought of as both an art and a science.

What are your best-selling products?

Bharat Bansal: All our products are widely loved by our consumers. But our best-seller of all time is Hawan Cups. It removes negative vibes and cleanse your surroundings with the therapeutic aroma of handmade small cups.

It is also available in a variant made with Desi breed’s cow dung. It’s filled with a special composition of healing herbs to spread good vibes around you.

What was the inspiration behind turning an entrepreneur?

Bharat Bansal: Once during our class, our accounting teacher said that if you are working for 12 hours for someone else, try working for yourself and then see the results.

That was the day I decided that I will work for myself only and then despite being a CA dropout, I started my own consulting business.

How do you develop new products?

Bharat Bansal: Initially, we developed products keeping products already available in the market. Now we develop products based on our customer feedback and market research. We just keep one thing in mind, that we will make a product which is good for our consumer. 

What are your plans for the future of Nirmalaya?

Bharat Bansal: We are building nirmalaya in a way that as soon as a person get’s up in the morning, he will start smelling Nirmalaya from his bedroom to  everywhere around the house and then his car, then his office and then Nirmalaya will also help him get a peaceful sleep. Nirmalaya will be one of the leading organisations in organic fragrances.

If you had one piece of advice to someone just starting out, what would it be?

Bharat Bansal: Businesses are not made on Excel Sheets. Be realistic in approach and no magic happens, only hard work and perseverance pays. Survival is very important.

What is your success tips for young and aspiring entrepreneurs

Bharat Bansal: It is too early for me to share tips but yes i would advise young entrepreneurs to work hard, do all you workings before you start acting and take a calculated risk.

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