Interview with Rohit Bachhawat, Founder of Litmus

An exclusive interview with Rohit Bachhawat, Founder of Litmus, personal grooming products company

In the ever-evolving landscape of personal grooming products, Litmus stands as a beacon of innovation and technology-driven excellence. Founded by the visionary entrepreneur Rohit Bachhawat, Litmus has redefined the industry’s standards by seamlessly blending cutting-edge technology with personal care.

With a passion for revolutionizing the way individuals approach grooming, Rohit has steered Litmus to new heights, creating products that not only meet the demands of the modern lifestyle but also exceed expectations.

This interview with Rohit Bachhawat promises a deep dive into the journey of Litmus, the inspiration behind its groundbreaking products, and the role of technology in shaping the future of personal grooming.

Can you share a bit about your background and what inspired you to start Litmus?

Rohit Bachhawat: Having been part of the Electronics and Technology industry for over a decade, we’ve observed a shift in consumer behaviour. Today, buyers are more informed and conduct thorough research before making a purchase. Recognizing the challenges in a price-sensitive market like India, we prioritize a delicate balance between affordability and quality.

Unlike many brands compromising on product quality, at Litmus, our focus goes beyond customer satisfaction; we aim to maximize customer delight. Our commitment involves delivering top-notch tech specs, superior build quality, and meticulous attention to detail in both products, accessories and its packaging, ensuring a wholesome customer experience.

Litmus is known for its innovative and technology-driven approach to personal grooming products. Could you elaborate on some of the unique features or technologies integrated into your products?

Rohit Bachhawat: While developing a product, our focus is on its unique features that adds value to the customer and also acts as a differentiating factor vis-a-vis competition.

 A few examples would be:

Litmus Beard and Body Groomer Carbon – 100

One of our best sellers has been Carbon-100 is a beard and body groomer which is meticulously designed for individuals who trim regularly even while travelling either for work or leisure. The product offers 20 length settings from 0-10mm and the comb length can be adjusted by 0.50mm to suit the consumer’s styling needs.

It is powered by a 600mAh lithium-ion battery and has a quick charge feature. To top it all it comes with a hard-shell carry case which makes it very easy to carry it while travelling. While developing this product our premise was to develop a wholesome product which can be used at home and is also easy to use and store while travelling.

Litmus Infrared Hair Straightener with 3D Floating Blades HS-69

This is India’s first indigenously designed Infrared Hair Straightener with Ioniser. This infrared hair straightener has one of the most advanced technologies which heats the hair cuticle inside out and retains the natural moisture and hence in the process it reduces hair damage by upto 30% as compared to any ordinary hair straightener.

It comes with 3D Floating blades which is easy to use and prevents hair pulling. The PTC heating technology quickly heats up the plates and ensures consistent heating and with a unique 12 temperature setting option a consumer can choose a suitable temperature ideal for their hair type.

 Litmus Travel Garment Steamer TS-1166

 A unique and easy to use Travel Garment Steamer which is 50% lighter and more compact in comparison to a traditional steamer. It has been designed specifically for travel purposes as it cuts down on luggage space and weight drastically while travelling and does the work of removing creases from clothes. Ideal for both business and leisure travels.  

How do you position Litmus Connect in the competitive personal grooming products market?

Rohit Bachhawat: As a product brand, our goal is to stand out by creating products that provide a great experience and value for our customers. We believe in keeping things simple by understanding customer needs and anticipating future customer requirements. With each new product, we aim to close the gap by offering improved designs, finishes, and superior technical features.

Every entrepreneurial journey comes with challenges. Can you share some significant hurdles you faced while establishing Litmus and how you overcame them?

Rohit Bachhawat: In our journey, we’ve learned that simply being a trendsetter isn’t sufficient. The real challenge is connecting with your audience amidst the noise. In our journey we have realised that it is very essential to have strong business fundamentals and it is important to be true to your customers.

While launching Litmus there were several hurdles that we came across. The first biggest hurdle was to establish a use case for our products especially in a category which has been dominated by legacy brands, which have been around for a very long time.

As we gained confidence in our product, the second big hurdle was to ensure we reach out to our Target Audience among all the noise and marketing clutter. This has still been one of our biggest challenges and we are working each day to reach out to more and more consumers and spread awareness about our product.  

Litmus Connect has gained recognition for its branding. How do you approach marketing to create a distinctive brand identity in the personal grooming sector?

Rohit Bachhawat: We believe that a brand must resonate with its’ target audience. Our positioning of being a premium yet affordable brand for the aspiring middle and upper middle class of India put a lot of responsibility on us to deliver world class products at competitive prices.

To achieve this, we at Litmus believe in “Limitless Possibilities” which is to think Limitless in our quest to develop the best-in-class products and to do so explore all the possibilities. This has been our brand ethos and it is also our brand tag line.

Where do you see Litmus in the next 5 years? Are there new product lines or expansions on the horizon?

Rohit Bachhawat: In the next 5 years, our intention is to introduce more products across all three categories and establish an offline presence as well to reinforce our online success.

We are also subsequently working on new products and we intend to be market innovators in the category that we operate in.

As a technology and lifestyle brand, our vision is to keep innovating and keep bringing in new technology and design concepts to our market. We want this to always be our key differentiator.

What advice would you give to aspiring entrepreneurs looking to enter the personal care or grooming industry?

Rohit Bachhawat: My advice to any aspiring entrepreneur who is looking to start any product or services business will be to carefully understand your customers buying patterns, their needs and requirements, anticipate and forecast trends that could change their buying behaviour.

Start small and have as many use cases as possible for your products which will help understand the product market fit. Once the business model and the product line-up is streamlined then try to scale up sustainably. 

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

Rohit Bachhawat: As a product company we do come across a lot of hurdles while we are developing a product and at times, we have to go back to the drawing board and restart the entire process which could take months.

I think any new age business is about trying new things and this could end up with you failing to achieve your set goals but at Litmus we take this as part of the learning process. But we believe it is important to identify the mistakes and be quick in taking corrective measures.

What is your success tips or young and aspiring entrepreneurs

Rohit Bachhawat: Success in business or rather in any life goal cannot be guaranteed but I believe that we need to have our fundamentals in place and this requires to have a strong foundation. For any young and aspiring entrepreneur before he/she begins his/ her entrepreneurial journey, it is very important to have a strong sense of Purpose and Passion for the venture.

Once they have started the venture they would come cross a lot of hurdles – big and small. That’s when they need to have Perseverance and Positivity. So, I believe the four Ps – Purpose, Passion, Perseverance and Positivity are very important for an entrepreneur to be successful and also to deal with failure.    

As we conclude our insightful conversation with Rohit Bachhawat, Founder of Litmus, it becomes evident that the company’s success is a testament to the harmonious fusion of innovation and personal care. Rohit’s unwavering commitment to pushing the boundaries of traditional grooming norms has propelled Litmus into a realm of its own, where technology and personal well-being coalesce.

Litmus not only addresses the contemporary needs of consumers but anticipates them, reflecting a forward-thinking approach that sets the brand apart. We extend our gratitude to Rohit for sharing his experiences, shedding light on Litmus’s journey, and inspiring a future where personal grooming is not just a routine but a transformative, tech-infused experience.

Read more Success stories of Indian entrepreneurs, Women Entrepreneurs & startups stories at SugerMint. Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn