Self-Starter: Fix My Curls’ Founder Anshita Mehrotra Shares Lessons On Building A Haircare Brand For A Niche Market

So many brands specialising in hair care products are all over traditional and digital media. Some for straight hair, some for coloured hair, some cater to damaged hair, some others for dandruff, while still others want to sort out various other hair woes for different hair types. But how many have you seen talk about curly hair? The reality is quite stark.

The Channel 46 has collaborated with the Founder of Fix My Curls, Anshita Mehrotra, who speaks about what gave her the idea to start a hair care brand for curly tresses, her first milestone, how aspiring entrepreneurs can make their way through the industry, and much more.

1. What is your educational and professional background?

I went to Pathways World School, Aravali for my high school, graduated with a IB diploma, and then went on to study Journalism at The University of British Columbia in Vancouver. I dropped out in December 2018 and came back to Gurgaon, where I began working on Fix My Curls. Thereafter, during COVID, I moved my credits to Penn State and continued my degree. I am still in the process of completing it!

2. What prompted the idea for Fix My Curls?

My moment arrived when I was 19, back from college and out of hair care products. It was a simple Google search for curly hair products and the empty search results were enough to convince me that something was missing. It was the realisation that I either had to pay tens of thousands of rupees to get the products my hair needed or resort to brands that made similar products for ridiculous prices. This was when I jumped to make my brand, with a direct problem-solution strategy! Got frizz = got curls, and we were there to fix them. 

3. Did you always know you wanted to work in the beauty space?

Honestly, I never thought I would! I always loved beauty products and skincare but my passion in college was writing, media, and PR. So, I always assumed I’d end up at a publication and stay there. 

4. What was your first business milestone and how did you get there?

I think our first business milestone was receiving 400 orders in 8 hours for the first time ever. We achieved this last year during a Valentine’s Day flash sale! We probably still haven’t beat that milestone.

5. What are your tips for an aspiring entrepreneur who wants to enter the competitive space of beauty, specifically haircare?

My main tip would be to make sure what your brand personality and voice is! Is your brand friendly, is it the brand that teaches its consumers or learns with them? Is your brand young and fresh, or older and wiser? Creating a strong brand identity that will not waiver in even 10 years can help you stand out, and will stay with consumers far longer than the product might. 

6. What do you think are the 3 best business/financial decisions you’ve made?

1. Investing in camera/lighting/studio equipment to make in-house content. It saves you way more money in the long run!
2. Starting an affiliate program instead of simply paying your influencers for one-off posts/reels. This will make them feel really involved in the brand journey.
3. Waiting to spend on PR. Unless you have a VC round, numbers for at least 6 months to 1 year, and some experience, venturing into PR is not fruitful and can be a waste of money.

7. How long did it take you to monetise your venture?

It took us 2 to 3 months to monetise our venture. At first, it took a lot of cold DMs on Instagram, cold emails, and phone calls to create a brand identity and introduce the curly hair community in India to a new brand! After that, on our first day of sales, we received 30 orders in one go. 

8. Are you looking for funding/intend to bootstrap your business? 

We are currently bootstrapped but yes, we are looking for our first round of funding! We are in search of a financial investor that can help us scale further for FY 22-23. 

9. What are your 5-year expansion plans for Fix My Curls?

In the next 5 years, we plan to be present in a minimum of 30 countries outside India. We want our global presence to be massive because we believe that the market outside India is developed, ready to purchase and understands their hair very well. Therefore, the cost of acquiring customers falls rapidly. We plan to be present in salon chains all over the country, as salons drive a massive amount of repeat customers due to loyalty and trust! We also want our product line to be double where it is right now, with more verticals.

10. How has social media helped you market your brand and product? Can you share 2-3 learnings?

1. Social media has helped us maintain an informal, friendly, and personal relationship with our customer base!
2. Platforms like Instagram have such high engagement and daily usage rates by consumers, which can help us maintain visibility indefinitely.
3. Influencers can form strong connections with consumers and drive direct sales. Social media has helped us find them and make them a part of the brand identity.

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