Munje caters mostly to working couples, senior citizens and people moving into new homes, charging between R3,000 and R15,000, depending on the nature of the work and size of the flat.
“We’re still bootstrapping and earning just about enough to cover our expenses,” says Munje candidly. “Also, we are constantly upgrading our equipment.”
But as he put various elements of the venture in place, more investment came in, eventually totalling R5 lakh.
“We are still working on getting the product ‘right’,” says Munje. “But I do look forward to expanding and raising more funds.”

WHY: Munje’s heart was never entirely in engineering. In college, he spent more time outside class than inside it, getting involved in various campus clubs and in editing a magazine. “I quit engineering because I wasn’t inclined to complete the degree for the heck of it,” he says matter-of-factly. It took him six months to convince his parents. “If an entrepreneur is able to convince his family about his decision to start up, he will have less trouble finding customers,” Munje says. After six months of planning, Munje finally launched his venture, offering to ease people’s ‘pain point’ of inefficient maids.

WHEN: Founded in October 2011 HOW: Quitting a well-paying job was a huge financial step down that has made Parrikh turn to a simpler lifestyle. As his firm’s sole employee, he works out of Bombay Connect, a co-working space in Bandra. In November 2011, he found support from UnLtd India, an organisation that helps social start-ups.
“The economy is tough now, and with everything expensive, I have had trouble getting clients and hiring employees,” says Parrikh. “But we have attracted good volunteers and mentors as well as support from an IT company.”

WHY: In 2008, Parrikh launched a part-time start-up with his friends to develop a volunteer management software for NGOs. The venture, though unsuccessful, convinced Parrikh that his real passion lay in the social sector.
“Initially, TracksGiving was meant only for tracking donations, but I soon realised that the need is even more basic. Most businesses do not even have effective giving programs,” says Parrikh.

WHEN: Registered in April 2011, the firm began functioning in January 2012.

HOW: For the first few months, Kothari had to work from home and from cafés. The work involved generating a demand for T-shirts that are more expensive than most synthetic ones available in the mainstream market. “Initially, the T-shirts cost R1,199, but we had to bring it down to R799, and R499 when on sale, because we realised we would not be able to create a consumer movement by remaining niche,” says Kothari, who has recovered the money he invested but has not made any profit yet.
The company has sold more than 6,000 T-shirts since April 2011, although the turnover fluctuates every month. Kothari is seeking to expand, and hopes to partner with another fair trade textile factory in south India. “If we don’t make good returns in another six months, we will have to either look for crowd funding, angel investors, or worse, not do this full-time,” says Kothari. “We have been optimistic so far, but we know we have limited time.”

WHY: In 2006, Kothari read a newspaper article about increasing farmer suicides in India’s cotton belt. Disturbed, he began to find out more. Most farmers who commit suicide, he discovered, use genetically modified cotton seeds and synthetic fertilisers that damage the land; they also have to pay off high interest loans, while not getting a fair share of the returns.
Kothari realised that getting into the social sector would help him impact the lives of such farmers. Most of the cloth made from organic cotton, he says, is exported. No Nasties aims to create an Indian market for organic clothing. “We began with T-shirts because they appeal to a large market, but we hope to develop a larger brand of clothing,” he says.

WHO: A 34-year-old computer engineer, Nishant Nayak grew up in Mumbai, went to the US for his Master’s degree and has since then moved between the two countries, working in software engineering and e- commerce. In April 2011, he moved back to Mumbai with his wife, Tina Datta, a sales, branding and social media professional. For six months, he handled a managerial position at a prominent Indian e-commerce firm, but left it to launch Natural Mantra with Tina.

WHEN: The firm was founded in December 2011.

HOW: When he quit his job for Natural Mantra, Nayak was at the height of his career, enjoying a “multi-lakh salary” and the luxuries of a car and driver. Since then, the family has had to sacrifice vacations, movies, fine dining and even their two-bedroom Kandivli (East) home. This flat is now the Natural Mantra office, crowded with cartons of chemical-free food, toys and personal care products waiting to be packed and delivered. The Nayaks now live in another rented flat down the road. “At times I wonder why I gave up my comforts to work longer hours and not get paid in my own company,” says Nayak. “But Natural Mantra is growing, and it is good to know that we are giving people a chance to use healthier products.”

WHY: As an infant, Nayak’s daughter, now five, developed eczema, and in the US, the couple easily found a non-toxic lotion for her skin. “When we returned to India, it was hard for us to find chemical-free products,” says Nayak. Over the years, with more research, the couple realised that there was not only a high demand among urban consumers for natural goods but also a large number of small companies involved in manufacturing such goods. “Those brands were not well-known because there was no single platform to market their products,” says Nayak, who decided to fill in that gap through Natural Mantra.

Speaking about the monthly meetings organised by local start-up incubators, he says, “You get to meet others like you — those who not only have ideas but are in the same boat as you, looking for resources and capital.”
He feels that this climate is optimistic for first-time entrepreneurs. “These so-called angel investors aren’t anything one would expect them to be,” he says. “Most of them are first- or second-generation entrepreneurs themselves. They are in sync with the times and are always looking for good ideas.”

HOW: After spending about six months attending meetings with potential investors and start-up incubators, the trio got feedback, if not funds, assuring them that they were in the right direction. They started work on the app, pooling in their savings, adding to about R 20 lakh, and using it for technology, design and an office space in Four Bungalows, Andheri (West).
The trio has also developed a device, which they call the Moojic box, which is essentially a mini-jukebox. They plan to make money by selling this for R 7,000, as of now, to the venues that they tie-up with. They will also get money from people who pay for addons and extra features in the app.
They have also been speaking to proprietors of several restaurants, cafés and pubs across the city. As of now, 20 establishments have agreed to come on board and tied up — including the Mocha chain of cafés and Khar pub Three Wise Men.

WHY: Mahendran was in Manilla working as a consultant with several start-ups in the mobile sector. A lot of them dealt with location awareness, where an app uses GPS or mobile internet to track the user’s current location. This gave him the idea for Moojic, and when he told his ex-classmate Behani, who was working in Singapore, about it, they decided to quit their jobs and launch it in India.
A year ago, Mahendran and Behani returned from Manila and after six months of planning decided to set up operations in Mumbai. “We felt that Mumbai was the most conducive of all metros in terms of its start-up culture and ready base of consumers,” says Mahendran. “More people here seem to be willing to work for startups than in other cities.”

HOW: In January, Vijay Basrur, an MBA degree holder from Mumbai’s SP Jain Institute of Management, was on the website of Turquoise Cottage, a popular live that there was a definite market for this — users who were willing to pay for digital downloads of the music they really liked,” he says.
Setting up a website isn’t capital-intensive, but Basrur says he spent “about three to four times more” than one would normally spend on designing and setting up the website, paying R 12 lakh for this from his own savings. “I wanted to build a good product,” he says.

WHY: Basrur has 17 years of experience in start-ups. After working in and helping several tech-related companies get off the ground, he wanted to delve into a sector that has been booming in India over the past two years — independent music. “With festivals like Sunburn and NH7 Weekender, we now have a lot more platforms at which bands can play live,” he says. “Therefore, there is more interest in independent music.”
In two months, 31 of 35 bands that have been catalogued on the site have made money, although the figures are minuscule right now, admits Basrur. “I’m optimistic about seeing a lot of growth over the next eight months,” he says.

In January, the band had done a series of shows in Bangladesh, which earned them a lot of money. They decided to put most of that money and invest it into this place, which they felt was perfect since it was big enough as well as in a relatively quiet area.
“We could have blown up all that money on partying if we wanted to,” says DaCosta. “But since Something Relevant started, the philosophy has always been to invest a part of the money we earn back into the band.”
They spoke to Mazhar Jaffer, the owner of the press, and took one of the warehouses on rent. They then spent some of their savings on installing an air-conditioning system and outfitting the studio with highquality recording equipment. “We call it a ‘boutique recording studio’,” says DaCosta, jokingly.
This is reflected in their rates: An hour at this studio costs R 2,500, which is nearly the same — and in some cases, even more than — certain well established recording studios, such as Yashraj Studios and Purple Haze.

WHY: Something Relevant, who have been together since 2003, are one of the most popular indie bands around. However, last year, they took a break as three of them, including DaCosta, shifted to Chennai to study music at the Swarnabhoomi Music Academy. Their experience as a band as well as their postgraduate degree in Chennai had honed their audio production and recording skills, which they wanted to put to use. They also wanted a space where the band could record their second as well as subsequent albums. “The studio has been set up in such a manner that all we have to do is plug in our instruments, press the record button and play,” says DaCosta.

R4,000 and a frilly Nanette Lepore bikini that was just R1,500 with a measly $10 for express shipping. ASOS ships for free. Saks Fifth Avenue has Elie Tahari men’s jeans for under R3,000 and designer linen shirts for R2,500. Why look like a Zara clone now?
Stuff that doesn’t need trial is the safest. Men don’t try on socks or belts before they buy. Books, groceries and handbags are one-size-fits-all. Choose from online avatars of traditional stores (Crossword, Big Bazaar, Fabindia, Croma, Hypercity, Cotton World), multibrand stores selling items at MRP (Jabong, Myntra, Orbymart), and websites dedicated to designer sales (Fashionandyou, 99labels, Brandsvillage, Strawberrynet, etc) or the Indian Amazon (Junglee).
Like a particular brand? Do everything you can to make sure they know it. Sign up for email newsletters, put yourself on their text alerts list, like them on Facebook and follow their tweets. Brands save their best rewards and freebies for regulars and fans, so you’ll get advance notice of sales, be allowed to browse the stuff a day in advance, get free shipping and be privy to their awesome one-day flash sales. On September 21-22, Facebook told me that Kiehls was offering a free lip balm with any purchase at their Khan Market, New Delhi store. The L’Occitane online store had a one-day sale recently that offered 50 per cent off on certain products. Beauty brands also throw in several free samples when you buy online.
Full-price is for last minute shoppers and idiots. Want a weekend trip, spa sessions, lunch, brunch and high tea, or Superman boxer shorts? Check out Snapdeal, Dealsandyou and Crazeal for lower rates. I’ve enjoyed countless massages ( R600), got my car shampooed and waxed at home ( R600), and directed friends to a weekend break at a five star resort ( R5,500 including all meals and one free massage). It’s a world wide web of possibilities – so move that mouse and get shopping.