[Interview] Pooja Nagdev, Founder of Inatur, Organic, Vegan Skincare, Haircare & Wellness products Manufacturer in India

Interview: Pooja Nagdev, Woman entrepreneur & Founder of Inatur

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

As part of this endeavour, we invited yet another passionate women entrepreneur Pooja Nagdev, Woman entrepreneur & Founder of Inatur for an exclusive interview with us.

Tell us a little about yourself

Pooja Nagdev: I was born and brought up in Delhi. My father’s journey as a self-made entrepreneur inspired me to become a businesswoman.

To be in sync with my dreams and aspirations, I did my graduation from Delhi University and then went on to get an MBA in Finance.

My passion for nature, wellness and a keen fascination for the blessings Mother Nature has to offer led me to study aromatherapy and cosmetology in Canada and UK. These academic milestones helped me carve the career path that I always aspired to.

Managing my father’s printing ink company, which gave me, my first hands-on experience with the business.

My interests include travelling, reading, and creating new formulations. While studying abroad, I’d learnt the principles of Ayurveda and the relevance of such ancient science in modern times.

The knowledge led to the development of Inatur Herbals, a holistic wellness brand that focuses on complete skincare and haircare needs.

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

Pooja Nagdev: Like I said, my first brush with business was managing my dad’s printing inks company. Working closely on my husband’s incense business and brand Hari Darshan brought me closer to essential oils, herbs, and traditional sciences.

This joined the dots with a passion for nature and wellness. I have always believed that nature has many more treasures than what we have known. I applied the principles of Ayurveda in harmony with aromatherapy to create unique formulations that bring safe & effective results.

These natural treasures and age-old science of Ayurveda inspired me to innovate and create unique, eco-friendly, effective, and safe skincare & wellness products. That’s how Inatur was born.

What service(s) or product(s) do you offer at Inatur?

Pooja Nagdev: We make natural and result-oriented Skincare, Haircare, and Beauty products that are made using ethically sourced materials.

We ensure that nature, ethics, and care are part of every single product and service that we offer and this is what creates value for our clients.

What is unique about Inatur?

Pooja Nagdev: Inatur’s products are solutions that are made for a purpose that extends beyond the product attributes; it’s about guiding and educating consumers about natural care and includes therapies for skin, hair, and beauty.

What sets Inatur apart from all the competitors, is our extensive research and development coupled with strict quality control practices.

A remarkable advantage is our end-to-end manufacturing process – from the raw materials to the finished goods along with the packaging – everything is in-house.

What made you choose this type of business?

Pooja Nagdev: As consumers, we were, especially in past inclined towards foreign products in this category of skincare, haircare, and beauty products. The common perception was that our local products lacked the level of quality and results didn’t show.

This prompted me to explore this situation further. India is the land of Ayurveda and making good quality products without compromising on ethics and pockets, was indeed possible. That was my foray into the Indian Beauty and Skincare Ecosystem.

What was your mission at the outset?

Pooja Nagdev: “Beauty should not just be a result of our products. Beauty should be in every process we undertake from, selecting ingredients, making these products, and handing them over to our customers.

Beauty, Nature & Ethics must integrate seamlessly with what we do, how we do it & why we do it.”; It was with this vision that I set upon the endeavor to create Inatur.

How many employees in your company?

Pooja Nagdev: Currently, Inatur has 100-150 talented and hardworking employees. They are pillars of our company. I believe that they are one of the biggest reasons for our growth and success.

What’s your company’s goals?

Pooja Nagdev: INATUR has a range of natural skin, hair, and wellness products ethically made from pure Ayurveda and Aromatherapy ingredients in a scientific and research-backed way to be result-oriented and safe on the skin.

The ‘I’ in Inatur stands for India and ‘Natur’ stands for Nature. At Inatur, we believe that Nature is the cradle of life and offers ingredients that nurture, nourish, replenish, and even repair our skin, hair, and body to bring about true wellness.

However, to deliver the benefits of these ingredients on skin, hair, and body, a scientific and well-researched mechanism is needed.

This harmony between natural ingredients and scientific methods is the core & soul of Inatur. We call this proprietary method of manufacturing our products, SCINAT or nature empowered by science. Inatur products are even PETA certified.

How do you build a successful customer base at Inatur?

Pooja Nagdev: Honestly, there is no single formula to this. Customers are loyal as long as their; expectations are met, problems solved, and their desired values delivered.

For any brand, in order to build and maintain a loyal customer base, it’s essential to always commit to the values and vision that made you start in the first place.

Maintaining that level of quality and pricing while also staying up to date with the dynamic needs of the consumers.

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

Pooja Nagdev: I genuinely don’t believe that we ever fail. There are no failures in life or in business.
My personal belief is that every experience can be an enriching experience if you reflect back and learn from it.

The idea is to not repeat a mistake twice. To conclude, I’ll say; “ Sometimes You Win and Other times You Learn. “

Who has been your greatest inspiration?

Pooja Nagdev: Ms Anita Roddick founder Body Shop and Ms Kiran Mazumdar Shaw have been source of my inspiration and guidance.

Ms Anita the way she build Body Shop keeping the ethos together is really commendable. Ms Kiran Mazumdar Shaw has put Biocon an Indian Company on another level.

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

Pooja Nagdev: My spiritual self taught me that failures are not the mistakes we make but the learnings and lessons we take from life.

As an entrepreneur starting out from the ground I have to admit that life has been kind enough to give me many such lessons and I have been fortunate to learn from those.

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

Pooja Nagdev: My advice to the young aspiring & upcoming entrepreneurs will be to take the plunge, start out & do not wait for the right moment. Identify your goal and have a solid route plan to sail towards it.

Bee creative & innovative because life is changing fast and so are our needs. Delivering innovative and meaningful products is the key. It is essential to know your customers for whom the product and service are created.

Before going full-on one can test the idea on a smaller audience. In case there are any changes needed , make them in the plan, and follow the market feedback.

At this point, it is essential to build a strong network, connect with people who matter, and get them to understand your plan.

Sometimes a business plan is unique and needs to be scaled up immediately before other people enter the market, therefore it is advisable to have your finances in order.

And most importantly, Don’t Give Up On That Dream.

Does your company help the community or society?

Pooja Nagdev: Every business owes it’s survival to society and community in one way or the other and to pay back this debt is ethical and essential.

I believe to walk the talk it is essential to pick up one cause that is close to you and commit to it as an organisation.

At Inatur we are committed to women empowerment and employment. We take pride in having women as over 90% of our employee and management strength.

Website: http://www.inatur.in

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