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Name: Somu Swapna
Business: P E T U N I A D E S I G N S
Location: Hyderabad, India
Industry: Apparel & Accessories
Reason for starting: I concluded my bachelors in Vizag and worked in the UK for some prominent establishments acquiring decent understanding of processes. I’ve always been a fan of articles made with art, designs, handicrafts and apparel. I started my first brand – Petunia Designs in 2013 which is an output of my passion converted to a career.
I have been fascinated by the idea of starting my own enterprise for a long time; it’s a constant process of enthusiastically searching for exceptional ideas which will create value. The primary motive behind starting my business was to be self-sufficient and to have the satisfaction of achievement. Self-motivation has been critical in my journey till now. I always wanted to do something unique in the apparel and arts industry.
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How do you define success? There are two aspects to this, monetary and psychological. Both are critically important for any entrepreneur to achieve bigger goals. For me, if I create value for each and every customer of mine for the money they pay for our products, we are successful.
Biggest success: My biggest success to date is having repeat customers which I believe is a success.
What is your top challenge and how you have addressed it? Logistics was an issue, being a small firm, sourcing from multiple locations to combine the best at a single location without missing deadlines was also a big challenge. We have our art centers and clients scattered globally and connecting them seamlessly took a while. But now that everyone is connected, we do not miss a single deadline for deliveries.
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Who is your most important role model? Personally I have been influenced by Swamy Vivekananda and APJ Abdul Kalam.
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Edited by The Story Exchange