Interview: Ms. Richa Grover Badruka, Co-founder of 1 Hair Stop, a leading hair extension brand

Interview with Ms. Richa Grover Badruka, Co-founder of 1 Hair Stop

Richa Grover is the co-founder of 1 Hair Stop, a leading hair extension brand. Driving innovation from her family’s origin in the hair industry and closely understanding customer needs and trends led Richa to come up with her own hair extension brand.

In a bid to transform the hair industry, 1 Hair Stop’s pragmatic co-founder has been tasked with the responsibility of looking after content generation, sales and ensuring quality customer care.

Under her splendid leadership, the brand is focused towards reaching more and more women and providing them with ideal hair extensions suiting their specific needs.

A reputed firm striving to make an impact in the lives of women, 1 Hair Stop is the mecca for hair extensions in India, specializing in creating high-quality, long-lasting virgin hair extensions in different textures, lengths and types.

Moreover, with the motive to eliminate the need to connect with multiple vendors and platforms, 1 Hair Stop acts as a one-stop solution for your hair extension needs.

Realizing that consumption of hair extensions in the Indian market was less despite the country being the world’s largest supplier is what led Richa to 1 Hair Stop.

In fact, she recognized the opportunity to establish the company as a market leader in the hair industry by providing 100% natural human hair extensions that will enhance the appearance and confidence of women everywhere.

For someone who strives for creativity and aims to put her originality in her brand to understand the needs of people better, Richa’s greatest strength is her innovative marketing approach.

1 Hair Stop being a startup with a small budget but enormous aspirations resulted in the co-founder becoming the brand ambassador of her own products, allowing her to relate to people on a much deeper level. She leveraged this knowledge and applied it to create something beneficial for the entire hair business.

Richa’s passion for fashion and beauty influenced her career decisions to a great extent. She earned her bachelor’s degree in management studies, received her training for hair extension application in Russia and completed her Diploma in Hairdressing from Sassoon Academy, London.

She kickstarted her professional journey by working in her family hair manufacturing business in 2013 solely as a wholesale supplier for 5 years.

After obtaining a substantial amount of experience, Richa, along with her sister Raina launched 1 Hair Stop in 2019 with the motive to cater to Indian women hair care needs.

‘Make ambitious plans for the future and begin to take small steps to achieve them’- Richa lives by this motto and utilized it to build her brand.

Today, the brand has attained a remarkable position in the market catering to hair extension needs of women as a result of her unwavering commitment to providing consumers with nothing short of the best.

Additionally, she envisions the hair industry expanding rapidly in the future, with a large number of women using extensions and other hair products.

She intends to be at the forefront of this revolution by helping 1 Hair Stop become a global hair industry leader.

Moreover, at the behest of the brand’s unrivalled products, Richa aspires to develop an offline presence for the 1 Hair Stop in addition to the online presence and introduce a new range of products to meet the demands of modern-day women.

Apart from her work responsibilities, Richa enjoys cooking and experimenting with new recipes. Additionally, she sees travel as a therapeutic escape and a means to unwind and see new locations. Moreover, when work obligations drain her out, she resorts to yoga and workout to de-stress herself.

Tell us a little about yourself

Richa Grover Badruka: From a young age, I’ve been captivated by the world of fashion and beauty. This passion eventually led me to pursue a degree in business management studies and subsequently join my father’s hair business as a sales lead where I gained valuable knowledge on how to turn my love for beauty into a successful business venture.

To further my skills, I traveled to Russia to receive specialized training in hair extension application and bleaching, followed by completing my Diploma in Hairdressing from the renowned Sassoon Academy in London.

Additionally, my family’s longstanding presence in the hair industry allowed me to work in their manufacturing business for five years, giving me an in-depth understanding of the industry.

In 2019, my sister and I launched 1 Hair Stop, with the aim of providing high-quality hair products that cater to the unique needs of Indian women.

Despite being the largest supplier of hair extensions in the world, we recognized the lack of demand in India and saw an opportunity to create our own line of products.

Our mission goes beyond just enhancing beauty; we strive to instill a renewed sense of confidence in women by providing them with top-notch hair solutions.

Can you tell us a little bit about your background and how you got started in the hair extension industry?

Richa Grover Badruka: My career in the hair extension industry began in 2013 when I joined my family’s hair manufacturing business, where I focused on wholesaling hair products to international clients.

After five years of working in the business, my sister Raina and I decided to launch our own venture – 1 Hair Stop – with a mission to cater to the hair care needs of Indian women and enhance their confidence and beauty.

Despite starting as a small startup, we had a clear vision of creating an all-inclusive hair extension brand that women could trust.

Through hard work and a customer-centric approach, we have achieved our goals and established ourselves as the leading hair extension brand in India.

We offer a wide range of high-quality hair products that cater to various hair types and styles, which has been a key differentiator for us in the market.

To stay ahead of the curve in the hair extension industry, we continuously research and attend trade shows to stay updated with the latest trends and technologies.

We then incorporate these into our products, ensuring that our customers receive the best possible experience and product.

We have expanded our online presence, diversified our product portfolio, and maintained an unwavering commitment to customer satisfaction, which has enabled us to maintain our position as a market leader.

We are proud of the strides we have made so far and are enthusiastic about the opportunities that the future holds.

Kindly brief us about 1 Hair Stop, its specialization, and the services that it offers

Richa Grover Badruka: 1 Hair Stop is a leading hair extension brand based in India that was founded with a mission to address a long-standing issue faced by women who were unable to find a reliable source for their hair extension needs.

Over the years, the company has grown to become the go-to destination for women seeking high-quality, long-lasting virgin hair extensions in various textures, lengths, and types.

In addition to hair extensions, 1 Hair Stop specializes in toppers, seamless clip-ins, wigs, messy hair extensions, buns, cover-up patches, and push-up patches, among other products. We cater to a wide range of preferences and offer an extensive selection of styles, colors, and lengths.

At 1 Hair Stop, we understand the hassle of having to connect with multiple vendors and platforms to fulfill all your hair extension needs.

That’s why we provide a one-stop solution for all your hair extension needs, making it easier for you to access everything you need under one roof.

Our commitment to quality and customer satisfaction has helped us become a popular choice for women across the country.

What inspired you to start 1 Hair Stop, and what sets your company apart from other hair extension companies?

Richa Grover Badruka: I was inclined to start 1 Hair Stop when I realized the gap in the market, after spending several years in the business.

It was apparent that there was a dearth of high-quality options in the market that offered both longevity and a natural appearance.

Raina and I saw an opportunity to create a brand that prioritized the needs of its customers and concentrated on providing outstanding quality products. We leverage our family’s prior experience in the industry to swiftly turn our vision into reality.

What distinguishes 1 Hair Stop from other hair extension companies is our unwavering commitment to quality. We produce all of our extensions from scratch, using only premium-grade hair obtained from ethical and sustainable sources.

We wanted to establish a brand that offered a one-stop solution for all hair extension needs, providing 100% natural human hair extensions that could enhance the appearance and confidence of women worldwide.

Additionally, we offer the most extensive range of styles, colors, and lengths, enabling our customers to discover the ideal match for their individual preferences.

At 1 Hair Stop, we are devoted to providing our customers with the best possible experience and delivering extensions that surpass their expectations.

How do you source and select the hair for your extensions, and what criteria do you use to ensure the quality of the hair?

Richa Grover Badruka: 1 Hair Stop specializes in high-quality hair extensions sourced from ethical and sustainable sources.  Our manufacturing process involves sourcing the hair from the temples in South India.

We work closely with our suppliers and have decades-long relationships thanks to our family’s prior involvement in the business that really ensures that the hair is of the highest quality and has not been obtained through exploitative practices.

Additionally, thanks to our long standing relationship we are able to cherry-pick the textures and types of hair that we like (wavy, curly, salt and pepper, virgin) and are most suited to the market requirement and that puts us in a unique position to serve our clients with exactly what they need.

Can you walk us through your manufacturing process for the hair extensions, from sourcing the hair to packaging the finished product?

Richa Grover Badruka: Our hair undergoes a rigorous and systematic production process that can take several weeks from washing and degreasing, to coloring and bleaching, to carefully crafting each finished product.

The raw hair purchased is first sized systematically into short and long sizes by the inch. Once that is achieved, we follow our sizing format to segregate the sizes based on the final product to be made. Now, based on the product to be made, each category undergoes a unique process which may include several unique and proprietary steps.

The smallest of products flows through the hands of several dozen artisans and is worked upon for hundreds of man hours in our own facilities to achieve nothing short of perfection. 

What has been the biggest challenge you’ve faced in growing 1 Hair Stop, and how have you overcome it?

Richa Grover Badruka: One of the most significant challenges we have faced while growing 1 Hair Stop is staying ahead of the constantly evolving market trends and customer demands.

We understand that keeping up with these changes is crucial to staying competitive in the industry. To overcome this challenge, we have adopted a culture of continuous innovation and improvement to enhance our products continually.

Furthermore, we remain dedicated to maintaining a high level of customer satisfaction by providing the highest quality hair extensions and exceptional customer service.

Additionally, the Covid-19 pandemic presented unprecedented obstacles for our business, including supply chain disruptions, shipping delays, and increased safety regulations.

To navigate through these challenges, we had to adapt quickly and implement new strategies to ensure the safety and well-being of our employees and artisans.

We have introduced new safety protocols for our employees and implemented contactless delivery options for our customers.

We have also remained committed to providing our customers with the best possible experience, despite the pandemic’s challenges.

Overall, we have managed to overcome these challenges by remaining agile and focused on our customers’ satisfaction.

How do you stay up-to-date with the latest trends and technologies in the hair extension industry, and how do you incorporate them into your products?

Richa Grover Badruka: At 1 Hair Stop, we understand the importance of staying current with the latest trends and technologies in the hair extension industry.

To achieve this, we invest in attending industry trade shows and events, networking with other professionals in the field, and conducting extensive research on new developments and innovations.

We then carefully analyze this information and incorporate the most relevant and effective trends and technologies into our products.

Our ultimate goal is to ensure that our customers always have access to the highest quality, most advanced hair extension products available on the market.

What was the inspiration behind turning into an entrepreneur?

Richa Grover Badruka: As someone from a family that has been involved in the hair industry for a long time, I have grown to find a passion for hair and the transformative power it holds.

My family’s prior involvement in the business served as a source of inspiration and motivation to start my own venture along with my sister Raina.

I saw an opportunity to leverage my knowledge of the industry and my family’s experience to create a brand that not only provided high-quality hair extensions but also prioritized exceptional customer service and personalized consultations.

Furthermore, I realized that many women struggle to find hair solutions that are both natural-looking and durable, and I wanted to create a brand that could help fill that gap.

By starting 1 Hair Stop, I was able to combine my passion for hair with my desire to empower women and provide them with the tools to feel confident in their appearance.

What are your plans for the future of 1 Hair Stop, and how do you see the company evolving in the coming years?

Richa Grover Badruka: Looking to the future, we have ambitious plans for 1 Hair Stop. Our primary objective is to extend our reach and offer high-quality hair extensions to even more women across India.

We aim to continue to innovate and improve our product offerings while staying true to our commitment to ethical and sustainable practices.

Our goal is to become the leading hair extension brand in India, providing a trusted and reliable solution for women to feel confident and beautiful.

To achieve these goals, we plan to expand our online presence and diversify our product offerings to include new and exciting hair extension solutions.

We also hope to establish a physical presence by opening experience centers that can enable us to connect with our customers in person and offer them a unique shopping experience.

Ultimately, our success lies in our ability to listen to our customers and provide them with the best possible experience.

We will continue to prioritize customer satisfaction and make every effort to exceed their expectations in the years to come.

What do you consider to be the key factors that have contributed to the success of 1 Hair Stop so far?

Richa Grover Badruka: The success of 1 Hair Stop can be attributed to several key factors. First and foremost, our unwavering commitment to quality has helped us stand out in the market.

By manufacturing all of our extensions from scratch using only the highest quality human hair sourced from ethical and sustainable sources, we have established ourselves as a brand that customers can trust.

Another critical factor that has contributed to our success is our ability to innovate and improve our products continually.

By staying ahead of market trends and customer demands, we have been able to offer a wide range of styles, colors, and lengths to suit individual preferences.

Additionally, our marketing strategy has played a significant role in our success. Through our brilliant content format, which is both informative and entertaining, I think we have been able to amass a large following across all social media platforms.

By keeping our followers engaged and providing them with valuable information, we have built a loyal customer base that continues to support us.

Overall, the success of 1 Hair Stop can be attributed to a combination of factors, including commitment to quality, innovation, and marketing strategy, all of which have helped establish us as a leading brand in the hair extension industry.

What are your success tips for young and aspiring entrepreneurs

Richa Grover Badruka: As someone who has experienced the ups and downs of running a business, I would like to share some pointers which I have gone back to time and time again.

Firstly, it’s crucial to stay true to your vision and values, as these will guide your decisions and actions as you build your business.

Surround yourself with a team of dedicated and passionate individuals who share your vision and can help bring it to life.

Secondly, prioritize your customers and provide exceptional customer service. Remember, customers are the lifeblood of your business, and their satisfaction should be your top priority.

Listen to their feedback, address their concerns promptly, and always strive to exceed their expectations.

Finally, entrepreneurship is a challenging journey, and setbacks and failures are inevitable. However, you can never fail if you never give up.

Stay resilient, keep learning and growing, and never lose sight of your goals. With perseverance, dedication, and a willingness to adapt and evolve, you can overcome any obstacle and achieve success.

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