Interview: Pooja Gupta, Founder of Amiraah and Idesign Studios

Interview with Pooja Gupta, founder of Amiraah and Idesign studios

Pooja Gupta is a remarkable entrepreneur and the visionary founder behind two successful ventures, Amiraah and Idesign Studios.

With her creativity, determination, and business acumen, she has carved a niche for herself in the fashion and design industry.

Pooja Gupta’s journey as an entrepreneur began with the establishment of Amiraah, a fashion brand that focuses on blending traditional Indian craftsmanship with contemporary designs.

Under Pooja’s leadership, Amiraah quickly gained popularity for its exquisite ethnic wear, including sarees, lehengas, and salwar suits.

Pooja’s attention to detail, commitment to quality, and understanding of customer preferences helped Amiraah thrive in a highly competitive market.

Pooja Gupta’s success as the founder of Amiraah and Idesign Studios can be attributed to her unwavering dedication, passion for her craft, and commitment to excellence.

Her ability to identify and capitalize on market trends, combined with her creative vision, has set her apart in the industry.

Pooja continues to inspire aspiring entrepreneurs and remains a shining example of what can be achieved through hard work, determination, and a strong belief in one’s abilities.

Can you tell us about your journey to becoming the founder and owner of Amiraah?

Pooja Gupta: This takes me back to 8-9 years now and so the first initial three years it was a home decor store where we used to struggle of low walk-ins, so we converted the store into a fashion store, as well as a home decor store and soon the fashion took over and now it is a complete multi design store with various designers for B2C consumers.

How do you differentiate your fashion luxury store and interior firm from others in the market?

Pooja Gupta: I’ve been doing this for the last 22 years, basically i am a qualified interior designer and that’s my main line of business and that is what I usually use to do.

Fashion and luxury came secondary because initially like I told it was a home decor store which converted into a fashion store because we had low walk-ins at home decor, and it was a fragile item and a lot of wear and tear and multiple other problems were there.

So as a result, the interior store took over the fashion store and then gradually I started enjoying it like other womens I also really enjoy fashion. So fashion took over.

What inspired you to create a fashion luxury store and an interior firm in Kanpur?

Pooja Gupta: My inspiration is that financial stability is very, very important for women and like all other women.

I also felt that you should be looking into the financial perspective of your own life and take charge of your life as a result, I opened an interior firm and did a lot of consultation and then later on a lot of turn key projects and so similar work for getting  expansions and of course we expanded into a home decor store which gradually took over as a fashion store and immediately became bigger and more bolder.

Can you share with us any challenges you faced while establishing and growing your businesses?

Pooja Gupta: Establishing and growing businesses is very difficult since both were emerging businesses. But otherwise it is so much fun that my half of the day goes in the interiors and half in fashion and that is how I balance it out.

There are certain days where pressure on interior business is much more and it is difficult to manage but i really enjoy the hustle since i am really passionate about my both the businesses.

How do you balance managing both businesses and ensuring they continue to thrive?

Pooja Gupta: As much as I love supporting Indian arts and textiles at Amiraah, I’ve been equally passionate about offering my clients a home that exudes comfort, luxury and warmth. If you’re passionate about what your work, then it can be your haven.

Can you walk us through the design process for your interior projects?

Pooja Gupta: So once the client enrolls in we send a google form to the client, which tells us the requirement details in black and white and once the google link is there which tells us the requirement and which includes the timeline and the kind of the interior they are looking for and preferences whether they need it to be minimalistic or artistic and much more.

And then we gradually show and take them through, with an imagery to get a hang of what their likes, and dislikes are.

So after that, we do the layouting of the projects, once the layout is approved then Electrical Plumbing, POP drawings for the project including and then gradually, moving forward with the detailing of the project.

And once all those things are clear, then we do our 3D render for the project and once the 3D is approved and signed by the client we implement everything.

How do you stay up-to-date with the latest trends and styles in the luxury and interior industries?

Pooja Gupta: I have done a lot of Lakme salon, LOOKS salon, alot of Inext office for Jagran newspaper. Therefore, I stay proactive at the latest trends and style by visiting all these exhibitions, seminars, visiting exhibitions abroad and in India.

It keeps me updated like, what is the latest trend, what is new in the city, what is new in the market and like that I keep updating myself.

How do you ensure your team members share your vision and are aligned with your goals for the businesses?

Pooja Gupta: I believe no firm can grow without a perfect team. My team comprises 10 people, and of course, I make sure that all of us are in the same page as they understand the design philosophy of the firm, and obviously we try to take care of their mental and emotional health.

It is very, very important to give your staff an environment in which they really enjoy working because it’s a creative field.

You have to have a good creative input and that happens only when the customer or when the staff is very, very happy in or her space..

Can you talk about any notable projects or collaborations that you have worked on recently?

Pooja Gupta: I have recently worked on a special initiative which was around Celebrating PM Modi’s national initiative of Swatch Bharat, and as FICCI FLO kanpur’s ex-chairperson we collaborated with Kanpur Smart City and Nagar Nigam, and took the initiative to create a spit-free Kanpur by installing 110 spit bins across the city in phase 1.

Kanpur, a place known for leather industrialization is also popular for spit stains sadly! A place of historical and industrialization importance has lost its glory from last five decades due to one wrong habit of spitting in public.

We at FICCI FLO Kanpur focused on this key issue and collaborated with EzySpit to provide not only the defined space but also a pavement to cleanliness and greenery. By having designated areas to spit, we can together control the spread of air-borne diseases, like tuberculosis, COVID-19, pneumonia, flu etc.

The initiative was very well received by the government and phase 2 was initiated with installation of 500 more spitbins across the city.

Taking one step ahead, The district administration has now issued a fine on spitting, taking the resolute further.

One small initiative led to monumental change in transforming the city and i am proud to have led this under my leadership.

What advice would you give to aspiring entrepreneurs looking to start their own businesses in the interiors industries?

Pooja Gupta: I would like to give the advice to the aspiring entrepreneurs that stay focused, there will be ups-downs in the initial years and once you get hang of this and the role you can move forward and certainly thrive to do amazing work which you can definitely do. It is all about consistency in the end.

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