Back

Meet the woman who started at 45 as a single mother and built an 8300 CR business. 1. At 28, Mira Kulkarni found herself at a crossroads in life. A failed marriage and losing both her parents in quick succession had left her as a single mother of two young children without any support. She had to do something to survive. Then something strange happened in 1999. 🤔 2. The lights kept going off while on a summer holiday in a cottage. Mira gathered the melted candles and reheated them to make new ones. At 45, she turned her passion for candle-making into a business with two employees and Rs 2 lakh. In 2000, Forest Essentials was born. 🚀 3. The idea was simple ⏩ Source 100% Ayurvedic ingredients from the hills of Tehri Garhwal in Uttarakhand to make high-quality skincare products. Starting from her garage as an office, Mira shifted to making niche candles to everyday use soaps. But the problems were there. 👇 4. The soaps were expensive because their formulations were 100% pure and Ayurvedic voids approved. Mira had many questions: "Would people buy it?" Would people even believe her claims to be valid? After thinking for three long years, the answer came to her mind. 💡 5. She would make handmade soaps to the most exacting specifications in a rich and elegant feel. If people found quality, the price would not matter. She opened her first store in Delhi's upscale Khan market. Magic happened as she expanded to making body polishes, hair oil, and age-defying serums by 2008. 🪄 6. As it expanded to seven stores in India, the famous luxury hotel chain Hyatt Regency ordered its soaps for the rooms. It scaled to a revenue of 6 CR, and the eight billion American cosmetic group Estee Lauder invested 7 CR in Forest Essentials on 18th February 2008. It became a 100 CR company. 💰 7. With funds, Mira gained formal credibility from her Haridwar factory, which received a GMP pharmaceutical-grade certification. With a new logo, she expanded to the entire beauty products line. After having no big clients for eight years, Mira worked with Taj, Oberoi, Hyatt, and many more. 🙌 8. Forest Essential's quality became a global standard internationally as its products placed at premium stores like Harrods in the UK and Bergdorf Goodman in the US. With a focus on eco-friendly packaging packed with 100% pure ingredients, it had scaled to a revenue of 177 CR by 2017. 📉 9. Today, Forest Essentials operates 130 stores in India, exports to 120 countries and clocks a revenue of 432 CR. Valued at 8300 CR, its products are used at 190 high-end properties, including Rashtrapati Bhavan in India and the Taj 51 Buckingham Suites in London. 💪 ➡️From being a single mother with no support at 45 to becoming one of India's wealthiest women in 2020 with a worth of 1290 CR, Mira Kulkarni inspires not only women but everyone to start their business. 🙏