Toeing the fine line between entrepreneurship and home-making, Bengaluru-based Runjhun Pancholi is among those few who has made her ‘plan b’ work — her first venture Simply Sane testifies to that. She chats to us about how the idea transpired and her journey until now…
Pertaining to a staunch belief that one woman’s overflowing wardrobe certainly is another woman’s fashion solution, she reminisces how Simply Sane was born out of a personal problem of unused clothes. “Like most other women, I indulged in a lot of shopping on a whim for my wedding. But a few months later, I realised how bad an idea it was, as it took me down a guilt trip every time I looked into a wardrobe full of unused clothes. That’s when I decided I could probably put these to use than just have them lying around in my wardrobe all day. A few evenings of brainstorming and a well-charted out plan and Simply Sane was born, ” she explains.
Backed by just an idea, support from a couple of acquaintances and a PR friend, this 32 year old computer science engineer embarked on the venture by starting out with a group on Facebook. Five months later, her project is fast moving as one of the most popular online community marketplace that directly sells as-good-as new fashion apparel. The app is underway, but the reach isn’t.
Talking about how a lot of us indulge in reckless shopping, she tells us it is nothing but a platform for people to de-clutter and encash out of it. The community group on Facebook currently enjoys a steady following of 1, 884 members and is still counting.
Comprising of a team that does a quality verification of the product before it reaches your doorstep, Runjhun emphasises on how the crux of her start-up ideal boils down to rendering quality services to its buyers. The team follows a transparent policy, which entails an independent verification authority in a bit to safeguard the interests of both buyers and sellers.
Having worked for the FMCG industry as a consumer strategist for over a decade, the entrepreneur tells us about her innate ability to gauge people’s needs and interests. “Personally, I’m someone who is quite good at judging one's taste's and interests. I’ve always looked forward to helping people get the most of whatever they buy or use.” A stickler for perfection and neatness, Runjhun calls herself a raconteur with an obsession for cleaning.
“The one thing I enjoy the most is honest, open and stimulating conversations. I think diplomacy is overrated as it only delivers in the short term. I firmly believe that true interactions form the basis of any true relationship – be it personal or professional,” she says. During her free time, she often finds herself looking up for interesting DIY projects to try or cleaning even the smallest of clutter at home. “I can’t function until things are spin and span. I’m always organising something or the other much to the annoyance of people around me,” she quips.
Undeterred by competition and naysayers, Runjhun believes there are always takers for a good brand. “I believe Indian consumers online are quite smart that way. A good idea always garners the right kind of attention. I hope more women use the opportunity as this platform is not just economically-feasible, but something that’s going to do a whole lot of good to your wardrobe as well!” she ends.
