Remember the times when we were kids and making cards all colorful for our colorful friends was something we enjoyed a lot? Excitement lay on both sides. You may not like a card from the store, but it’s impossible that you won’t like a handmade gift from RB-Artfix.
Founder Ria Banerjee of Kolkata always loved craft and started on with her RB-Artfix venture in July last year when her friends came up to her saying they want to buy the cards so that they can gift it to their near and dear ones; as they find printed cards available to be more regular and monotonous one. And there began her entrepreneurial journey- She started buying materials for craft by spending Two thousand rupees only and whatever she earned from her first sale she invested on her next purchase ( keeping a small amount aside). Aspiring entrepreneurs take a note of the fundamental rule of entrepreneurship.
Everyone loves handmade gifts and Ria probably loved more. She did not like printed cards from the beginning as she found them to be mechanized and devoid of feelings depicted.The essence of human touch on the gifts made, surely cannot replace anything; may it be a small note card or a big painting. She made the gifts on her own and gifted them to friends and relatives. Then she started making cards for clients on their requests, and the happiness that they delivered on their feedback was way enough to motivate her to go ahead.
With an aim to organize the unorganized market, Ria works on her own. With the main challenge being the funding with the inventory, she almost converted her room into a workshop. She started the whole idea alone with all the support from her mom and friends. Receiving orders, buying raw materials, making the gifts and shipping or delivering them to the happy customers-is all done by Ria. She utilizes her free time thinking about the possible designs, doodles, she crafts or simply cuts papers into some shapes.
Ria says,”Till date it was a home based small venture that used to cater a limited number of happy customers. But with the growing demands and the spreading happiness, I am surely looking for it to expand.”
Her journey from being a hard core academician who did not have idea of start-up or the market to starting her Facebook page which keeps introducing new products that soon display ‘Out of Stock’ has been commendable. Family, friends and colleagues helped her spread the start up with their mouth of words.
She currently views no competition. In her words, “May be many start-ups are working on handmade gift items but each one is different in their idea and style, so is mine. I focus on the cards which are one of its kind in Kolkata and which have won some international titles till date. My style of working is clean and simple, far away from copying any known personality or celebrity, showing on my handmade products or the traditional art.”
While most of you must be already thinking about gifting someone one of her products, she is planning to open a good big studio of her works and if possible a retail chain where she can showcase an array of colorful cards and paintings, where she can see a huge number of happy faces buying those.
“I want my start up to spread much so that my aim to spread happiness with handmade gifts and especially cards gets fulfilled,” says Ria.
So next time we want to show some love, we definitely know how to!
