Interview: Namrata Reddy Sirupa, Harshaavardhan Redi Sirupa, co-founders of ‘Satliva’

Interview: Namrata Reddy Sirupa, Harshaavardhan Redi Sirupa, co-founders of ‘Satliva’

At Sugermint Media, our aim is to bring to our young entrepreneurs community some of the inspiring and motivational stories from the entrepreneurial ecosystem.

As part of this endeavour, we invited yet another passionate entrepreneur duo Namrata Reddy Sirupa, Harshaavardhan Redi Sirupa, co-founder of ‘Satliva’ for an exclusive interview with us.

Tell us a little about yourself

To begin with; I’m Namrata Reddy Sirupa, and along with my husband Harshaavardhan Redi Sirupa, I co-founded our company ‘Satliva’ in 2017.

I chose to pursue my foundation in engineering, and later on went abroad to the United States of America to earn my postgraduate degree in Master of Science (MS), Computer engineering from the San Jose State University, in California.

Following my years of research and study, I received the incredible opportunity to work at NASA as a Quality Assurance Engineer, where I was able to further expand my skill set and understanding of engineering.

All my experience abroad came in handy when I decided to start my own venture in the Hemp industry in India, and ever since there has been no looking back.

How did you get your idea or concept for the business?

Harshaavardhan had been studying and researching Hemp Seed Oil to understand how it could help our 1-and-a-half-year-old son’s eczema; we had tried our hand at every other solution available to us but none seemed to work for our son.

When Hemp Seed Oil began to work almost miraculously, we knew our findings held great promise. We were certain Hemp would be the future of the personal-care industry, and we continue to do our level best to harness its benefits and make it accessible throughout the country.

What product(s) do you offer at Satliva?

At Satliva, we aim to provide environmentally and personally sustainable products that are highly beneficial for you and for the environment.

Our list of products includes but is not limited to – face creams, soap bars, body butters, body & face oils, shampoo bars, hair creams, hair oils, and lip balms.

Each one of these holistically crafted conscious products are infused with the umpteen benefits of Hemp Seed Oil.

What is unique about your business?

What’s unique about our business is the fact that all our products are created in-house. Even the cold-pressed Hemp Seed Oil that we use in our products is extracted freshly every morning, using a patented cold-press machine that our ingenious team of engineers has designed in order to extract exclusively high-grade Hemp Seed Oil.

Additionally, we follow a “minimal ingredients, maximum benefits,” concept, meaning we use only 100% natural, and organic ingredients; for this reason, our creams, oils, and bars have a short lived shelf-life of 4-6 months, but are packed with the most natural nutrient dense punch.

What made you choose this type of business?

Satliva was conceptualized to tackle what I personally believe is a very serious problem; the widespread acceptance of unsustainability, and toxic chemical-based products.

Every single day, people apply generous quantities of such chemicals onto their hair and skin, which poses catastrophic consequences to their health, and also the environment.

We came up with the idea for Satliva to circumvent this issue, and incorporate eco-products and eco-living into as many households as possible.

What was your mission at the outset?

Our mission at satliva is built on the belief that ‘nature provides the best nurture.’ And since its inception in 2017, providing widespread access to the benefits of 100% natural, chemical and additive-free, Hemp Seed Oil products, has been our focus.

By harnessing the natural goodness of Himalayan Hemp Seed Oil, we aim to make massive contributions toward the betterment of the Sustainable Self-Care Industry in India.

Additionally, we employ great measures such as ethically sourcing raw materials and using biodegradable or recyclable packaging, to ensure our practices not only preserve the delicate ecosystem but improve it.

How many employees in your organization?

Presently, we are a hard-working team of 15 individuals. We actively seek out new talent, and passionate individuals who can contribute to this cause and help us take our efforts to the next level.

What are your company’s goals?

Our goals are simple; we want to ensure sustainable and salubrious products are easily accessible by the masses.

We want to raise awareness and promote concepts such as eco-living, local-shopping, and collaborative growth that works towards a better tomorrow.

We want our products to serve as solutions to various skin ailments caused by climate, chemicals, and anything else that is a hindrance to great hair or skin.

And finally, we want to educate people on the benefits of Hemp and erase the common misconception that Hemp is an intoxicant or drug.

Who has been your greatest inspiration?

Our greatest inspiration has been none other than the provider of all our whole-some ingredients; nature! We believe in the wisdom, power, and intelligence of nature above all else.

Without our efforts to understand the natural world, and how it can help us lead better, less disastrous lives, we would never have come across the wonder plant Hemp. So nature has been our greatest inspiration and guiding hand in this venture.

What have been some of your failures, and what have you learned from them?

We have been working hard in-order to help customers understand why natural or truly organic products are expensive when compared to chemical-based products.

This hasn’t been a complete failure, but it is somewhat of a challenge. What we have learned from this is – to show our customers the incomparable difference in results between our products and the other unsustainable alternatives, and have them decide what they would rather apply on their body. The key is to provide excellent and truly beneficial products.

Key things to consider before starting a startup

A few key things to consider launching a start-up are –

1) work on a sustainable business plan, one that shows promise for long-term growth.

2) know your numbers like the back of your hand, this will enable you to understand where to cut costs, and where there is room for further growth.

3) know your audience, they are your most important critics and your greatest supporters. If you’re able to understand them thoroughly, you have a great chance of earning their trust, support, and inevitably; their business.

What are some of the biggest mistakes you’ve made?

A13) Our greatest, and costliest mistake thus far has doubtlessly been our massive investment to promote our hemp-based products on social media platforms.

The reason being; the word “Hemp” cannot be marketed or promoted on such platforms, due to ever-changing protocols and misconceptions regarding hemp.

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

A word of advice for anyone entering the business world would be – ensure your products solve a genuine problem, and satisfy your customers, leaving no room for complaints.

One way to do this is by being transparent regarding what goes into your products. Be honest about your process, and develop trust with your audience. They deserve the best, now all you have to do is diligently provide the best.

Your success tips for young and aspiring entrepreneurs

Our simple success tips for any young and aspiring entrepreneurs out there would be: To hold a clear vision and remain focused on your goal.

Have unwavering belief in your abilities to succeed at whatever business you try your hand at, value greatly the feedback you receive and make sure to learn as much as possible from your mistakes.

Another bonus tip would be to keep your finances in order as raising capital is always harder than we estimate it to be.

Website: https://www.satliva.com

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