Why Prachi Bhatia Quit Her Job To Create Affordable Designer Home-Décor Venture

As a 10-year-old, Prachi Bhatia often asked her mother why they didn't buy exquisite home-décor items. Her mother would explain that they were usually quite expensive and that a middle-class family like theirs should learn to manage with simpler ones. Prachi would keep quiet but was never convinced. "Why can't we get designer home-decor items at an affordable price? " she often wondered. Her mother hadn't thought in her wildest dreams that her daughter would become an entrepreneur with a mission to sell designer home-decor items at affordable prices through her venture Chokhat.

"At Chokhat we apply simple production methods to bring down the cost of the product without compromising on the quality of the product. We want people from middle-class families to buy them without thinking about how much they will have to shell out", she said to SheThePeople.TV. Their products include baskets, serving bowls, snack plates, tea sets, coasters, cutlery and snack plates.

Prachi Bhatia at work

Entrepreneurial challenges 

Did entrepreneurship come easily to her? No. She said that she was in a full-time job that she hated and wanted to quit. Everyone around her, however, discouraged her from doing so. "I come from a service-class family. The pay cheque that we get at the end of each month means the world to us. But I knew I was cut out for bigger things in life". After working for two years, she quit her job and fulfilled her childhood dream of making affordable designer home décor.

With her elder sister's support and her savings worth Rs. 1 lakh, she took the entrepreneurial plunge in 2018 and has never looked back.

"It hasn't been easy at all. I had to learn the ropes of the business myself. Even after starting my business, I had to take up some freelancing work in my free time which gave me more funds to invest in my business", the entrepreneur said.

Believe in yourself. If there is a problem you are stuck in, make a sincere effort to think of all the possible solutions, and you will find a way - Prachi Bhatia's advice to aspiring entrepreneurs

Her team

Prachi is now earning a revenue of Rs. 2 lakh per month, and she is happy to have come this far. Behind the success of her business is a team of 8 - 10 people handling logistics, manufacturing and social media. Google Sheets, she says, is another blessing. She tracks her social media numbers, sales and other important operations through this wonderful tool. "The best part is its accessibility. I can make changes to the sheet from wherever I want and my team gets to know about it which helps everyone stay on the same page."

                                                              Prachi Bhatia at work

Milestones achieved 

Talking about the milestones achieved, she said that earning a decent amount of money from her business every month has been a great milestone. She has recently crossed 10K followers on Instagram.

Her advice for aspiring entrepreneurs? Perseverance, she believes, is the key. She urges entrepreneurs not to give up when the going gets tough. "Believe in yourself. If there is a problem you are stuck in, make a sincere effort to think of all the possible solutions, and you will find a way", she said.

Future plans 

In the future, Prachi plans to increase the size of her products to cater to more number of people. She also aims to expand the product range to include floor lamps and side tables.

This interview has been published in partnership with Google.