It’s no secret that everybody is looking for that “Eureka!” moment in life. A light bulb turns on suddenly in your head and there it is – a ground-breaking idea with the potential to turn things around for the better.
When Siddharth Darda (25) of Jaipur returned to his dear hometown after completing his studies from abroad, he too was in search of that “Eureka!” moment.
Siddharth wished to create something from the ground up and feed his entrepreneurial spirit. His desire to become self-made was apparent to him and those around him.
Then came Tistabene Retails. He wanted to make it into a household name. So, the journey of naming his entrepreneurial venture took multiple sessions to the Pink City’s libraries and reading numerous books in search of a word that would represent the brand aptly.
‘Tistabene’ means “looks good on you”. The name exudes positive vibes and is a common compliment exchanged by people.
THE JOURNEY AHEAD
After deciding on a distinctive and feel-good name, Siddharth started dealing in women’s fashion jewellery in Jaipur as it’s the epicenter for it.
With infinite resources available for production, Tistabene was in safe hands.
This also gave Siddharth and his team enough time to answer pertinent questions such as what the fashion jewellery industry was lacking.
Unreasonably high prices for mediocre jewellery were the first red flags that Team Tistabene noticed.
That’s when they knew what to do. The brand would bridge this gap and cater to the customers by providing high-quality jewellery at reasonable prices.
It’s also remarkable to observe that the major reason why Siddharth chose to dip his feet into the fashion industry is that it was a challenge.
And, the challenge came in the form of intensive market research. He spent hours after hours trying to pinpoint how the fast-moving world of fashion was evolving at every second.
This process took time but it feels worth it now.
It’s best to state that Siddharth and the team were successful in identifying the latest market trends. Because no sooner had they debuted women’s jewellery on the Tistabene website than they also expanded into men’s jewellery, women’s and men’s apparel as well as lifestyle products.
The official Tistabene website was launched in 2019 with the hopes that it would satisfy a customer base that had been searching for (but couldn’t find) affordable jewellery of premium quality.
Sooner rather than later, it also seemed to be on a path to commercial greatness.
CHALLENGES FACED
The issue of fast shipping around India rattled the founder and employees of Tistabene.
Despite having done plenty of research, the brand also faced competition from similar brands in the market.
While finding a trustworthy delivery service took time, the results were highly satisfactory once found. Safe and timely deliveries were being executed around India after this slight roadblock.
As for fighting off other competitive brands, Tistabene made sure that its marketing would always be top-notch. Their social media would also showcase the “IT” factor through the content and graphics.
The pandemic caused by COVID-19 also resulted in a significant halt in the growth of this brand. A complete lockdown in 2021 also made matters worse.
But Team Tistabene persevered and powered through.
“It was hard to stay relevant at a time when everyone was focused on staying safe, healthy and at home. So, at that juncture, we stepped up our game.”, Siddharth says.
THE IMPRESSIVE NUMBERS
Success doesn’t come overnight.
Rome wasn’t built in a day.
Similarly, Tistabene’s success was gradual yet beautiful to witness.
With a turnover of 4.50 crore in 2018-19 and a product return rate of less than five per cent, Tistabene has proved its potential in a short time.
Not only this but Tistabene has also presented itself on renowned websites such as Flipkart, Amazon and more – making it into an established fashion and lifestyle brand in 8 different marketplaces within five years.
The numbers inside the Tistabene office are also interesting. From a team of four to a full-fledged workforce of 50+ employees in just two years, the work being done behind the scenes has also seen a massive improvement.
THE FUTURE
By expecting a growth of 70% in the coming year and the launches of several other fashion products lined up, the cards seem to be in Tistabene’s favour.
Of course, Siddharth would like to put the brand EVERYWHERE on the map. But for now, he is taking baby steps by focusing on setting stores across the Indian nation.
It only gets better from here on. If one believes in achieving their dreams, then their determination will enable them to do everything they aspire.
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