Today we’d like to introduce you to Nandita Bhagwandin.
Hi Nandita, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
My small business journey began as a hobby, in my college dorm room at Augusta University, in February 2020. I wanted something outside of stresses of school and something that I could call my own. At this time, a lot of homemade products and businesses began popping up, especially with the quarantine in March 2020. I took a leap of faith, spent almost all my savings and bought supplies. Within a few weeks, I was playing around with the supplies at home, in Tyrone, GA. That same evening, I discovered my best-selling product, the Jelly Salve. It was done completely by accident but it has turned into something life-changing for my community. I also tied in my culture to my brand, simply for recognition and representation of Indo-Caribbeans. This, for me, was a way for me to express my love for cosmetics and gaining recognition to my own identity. With local pop-ups and town events being added to my calendar, I knew I.C. Lotus Beauty was going to go places. Being a full-time college student, as well as working a part-time retail job, balancing a business is definitely a challenge, but I love what I do.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
The challenges have been mainly being an online business. Starting strictly online was so much harder than I anticipated. I wasn’t the best with social media, and I’m still not that great with it, but I was able to build up my following with the help of Instagram ad tools as well as local pop-up shops in my area. Also, being a full-time student and part-time retail associate takes more time away from my business but I do still manage to attend pop-ups and sell my products in person
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Indo-Caribbean Lotus Beauty?
My business is all handmade cosmetics! Most of my products were created on accident as a result from playing with supplies. My goal is to keep all my products affordable and make it as appealing to everyone possible! Best selling product would be the Jelly Salve balm because it’s a universal balm that can be used on the face as well as the body. It’s made with only 3 ingredients and has been giving customers results in as little as ONE week of consecutive use. What sets me apart from the competition would be that I am solely client based. I want to make my clients happy. My products are made with simple ingredients, with a touch of Indo-Caribbean flare in them. It’s the best of both worlds, culture and cosmetics. My goal with my brand is to one day be on shelves in a big named retailer like Sephora. To be in stores for everyone to see and everyone can try it is such an exciting thought and motivates me to work even harder on my brand.
Risk taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
My biggest risk was financially. I used up just about my entire savings to start this brand. It’s still considered a risk since my business is still relatively small. Given that I want to stay affordable for all, my prices are all under at least $10. Given that online only sales are slow and pop-ups are mainly outdoors on Saturday mornings early, it’s still hard to break even with some of these events. I find it hard to see profit, which can be discouraging until you have a great pop-up one day or really great online sales. Definitely, my only advice would be to do your research. It took me about 3 months to decide if this risk was worth it, and when I finally did it, there was no going back. Risk is not always bad, but like I said, do your research to see if it’ll be worth it.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://indocaribbeanlotusbeauty.bigcartel.com/
- Instagram: @i.c._lotus_beauty
