An exclusive interview with Sakshi Aggarwal, Founder of Gharobaar
Gharobaar, which is an e-commerce platform for homegrown brands. It intends to connect one home with another and to make one experience the warmth, love, care, tradition and uniqueness of each home through their handmade products. The online platform currently offers 5000+ products and has 400+ registered sellers from 21 states in India. Approximately 90% sellers are women-led small homegrown businesses.
Gharobaar is a bootstrapped startup incorporated in December 2020. The startup began its full operations in October 2021 and is now looking for angel and institutional investors to further expand its products and services. The startup also plans to partner with home cooks from across states, tarot readers, home tutors, music teachers, astrologers and more over the next few months to further expand its offerings.
1)When did Gharobaar come into existence?
Ans- Our Venture Gharobaar is a product of lockdown. During that time we came across many uplifting stories of people who with their sheer hard work and grit stood up to the test of the time by becoming self- reliant, showcasing exceptional character. People started to make their passion like cooking, painting, knitting etc., as profession. Those limitless endeavours gave us the nudge to come up with a platform that helped these homepreneurs get access to a wider reach for their products. Therefore, we support them by providing services like marketing, shipping, technical support etc. which eases up the hassle of these small businesses as they are often run single handedly.
2)How did you get an idea to start this venture?
Ans- The journey of Gharobaar started over a get together at Diwali Party. We were discussing our hobbies that we picked up during the pandemic. From cooking different cuisines to making innovative art & craft, we were brimming with excitement about our creations and joked about showcasing our stuff on an e-Commerce platform. This somehow led to wheels turning and we came up with the idea of Gharobaar. I believe that this platform can provide a much needed impetus to homepreneurs who run small businesses and struggle to widen their reach. Therefore, Gharobaar is not just another marketplace, as it is an attempt to make one experience the warmth, care, love and tradition of another’s home.
3)What is the USP of the company?
Ans-The one thing that differentiates us from our competitors is that we are focussing on both sides of the business i.e the seller and the buyer and all our efforts are streamlined to make their experience with our platform worthwhile. As a seller one get’s access to a platform which provides easy and hassle free experience of getting registered on a platform and as a buyer one gets a platform which offers wide range of handmade, organic and sustainable products which are classified into categories like Fashion, Grocery, Home Decor, Personal care & Lifestyle, Kids, Art & Stationery and Gifts & Festivities, making sure that there is something for everybody.
4)What is the strength of your company?
Ans- The strength of our company lies in the fact that we are giving small businesses a shot in the arm by supporting them through our business model and also, as a result giving a push to the nationwide slogan of “Vocal for Local”. We believe that this platform of ours can help uncover the hidden talents and skills present in our country, which can help them to become a brand of their own.
5)Is the company funded?
Ans-No,it is currently bootstrapped.
6)Briefly explain about the business and revenue model?
Ans-Right now we earn our revenue through sales commission from sellers.
7)What are your future plans?
Ans-Currently, we are preparing to launch the Home Cooks category on our portal, wherein we would be focussing on freshly home cooked delectable meals along with other product categories. In future, we also wish to expand in the Services sector, and providing a marketplace for people who provide any kind of service from their home.
