Raghava
At the age of 12 most children spent time on playing games and watching cartoons. But Samaira Gupta at the age of 12 started a home decor startup called ” The Homesy “. StartupsIndia recently interviewed Samaira Gupta about her Entrepreneur journey. Read Samaira’s Journey in her words.
Hi, can you give a brief about yourself?
I am Samaira Gupta, 12 yr old, an entrepreneur and the creator of ‘ The Homesy ’ I’m a student at Oberoi International School, Mumbai. I have a keen eye for artifacts and a fine sense of art.
I enjoy art, writing, reading, playing the keyboard and love enjoying a game of tennis too. My favorite subjects in school are design, art, and maths. My short-term goal is to use all of my time wisely and I am wanting to do that by spending time for my academics and working on my hobbies.
What were you doing before?
Besides doing home decor I am deeply engaged in my academic studies. I always had a keen interest in decorating my room and always redecorated my room every Diwali. I would help my mother each time she would re-decorate the house and give her my keen suggestions. Other things I do to make weekend recreational are singing, photography, traveling and my studies being my main focus throughout.
What is your inspiration to start your company The Homesy?
My grandfather is my inspiration behind my interest in home decor and interior. Since I was a five I would keenly observe him positioning furniture around the house. I thoroughly enjoyed his furniture purchasing and always accompanied him to interior decor stores. He always says ‘A home is only a house if it’s not with the decor you love’ and this played an important role in my interest for home interiors.
Can you explain in detail about startup The Homesy about?
The Homesy is a place offering home decor, artifacts, organizers and interiors for your house. We offer a digital platform that is a go-to source for decor expertise for design enthusiasts ranging from teenagers to adults. We at Homesy believe in providing products that help you tell a story of who you are and be a collector of what you love.
How did your journey start towards your startup from planning to funding?
Weighing our options and getting going! We always wanted to ensure that we were making a smart decision and that’s when the research came into place. We brainstormed everything right from the branding to the sourcing and pricing in a matter of 24 days. Since I’m still too young we didn’t look at investing heavily into ‘ The Homesy ’ and started with a smaller affordable range of products having a mass appeal. It indeed is a lot of work to keep updating the store with products which delight homeowners from time to time and provide them with unique and novel decor ideas. The industry influencers and trendsetters keep me updated with what’s needed next.
Is your startup growing at good phase according to your plans? What are the upcoming plans from your end?
Working on Homesy has surely expanded my reach and success as a small-time student start-up. I really feel that we have a very strong foundation due to the idea of starting slow and small. We have spent lots of time and energy as compared to the money, this is our company’s asset. Our current idea is not to make money or be famous it’s all about laying the foundation for a company that will in the future clap up 1000 times. Currently, we are taking a step by step approach towards future acceleration which would be when I’m old enough to handle it.
What your stack on the competition? who are your competitors? How you are overcoming them?
The Homesy currently faces no competition as I have not come across a similar startup by a 12-year-old child. For the competition I shall face in the future, I plan to gain global exposure and education which will give my store that extra edge over every existing home store.
Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
With time, the online retail landscape is constantly expanding. I am surely looking at expanding beyond that, with Homesy having a chain of real-time retail stores too. My dad always suggests opting for an omnichannel way of retail which would include multiple avenues such as brick & mortar, catalog, e-commerce, mobile app, etc… The Homesy also aims to provide every customer with a 360-degree view across all platforms. We will bridge the gap between mobile technology and physical retail and move to make our brand the most sought after for Home Decor.
As you said you are 12 years old, what you want to suggest to your age group?
Education is the key success in everything. I would suggest focussing on education as I believe education is the most important thing and will help you throughout. Education plays a key role in every part of your life and I would strongly recommend them to put in all their dedication towards it.
What do you suggest people who are interested in starting their own Business?
‘There’s always a way- if you’re committed’ a quote by Tonny Robbins. I would suggest people who are interested in starting their own business is to be committed. I believe being committed is really important and plays an important role in almost everything. Being committed will help you overcome all the challenges that are faced and as Tonny Robbins said will help you create a way.
What is your opinion on Startupsindia.in? Any Suggestions for us?
In my opinion, Startupsindia.in is a great platform as it gives opportunities to other startups to be out there and get recognition. It also helps aware people about the younger generation and how they are achieving so much. The people at Startupsindia provide motivation to people like me to follow their dreams and create a startup through their hobbies
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