If you have ever ordered a customized T-shirt online, chances are you have received a watered down version instead. CustomBaba founder Akshay Jain spills the beans on how his online store delivers your tee exactly as you ordered it every single time.
What is the story behind CustomBaba?
I have always had a penchant for selling things online. The thrill of having complete creative control has long drawn me in. In fact, CustomBaba is my third entrepreneurial venture. The idea was born when I ordered hoodies for myself from a well-known online store and disliked the quality very much. So, I thought, why not start my own company?
CustomBaba.com was up and running in October 2016, and in January 2017, we opened up a vertically integrated unit in Ludhiana. We thought that having this unit at our disposal will give us an edge over our competitors and that’s exactly what happened. We soon got visited by the team at Abof. They liked our quality and workmanship so much that we got an order from them to manufacture garments for their winter collection.
What have been your biggest challenges so far and how did you overcome them?
Initially, the biggest challenge was to find good and reliable labor. Manufacturing is a labour-oriented job and it took time to put together a team capable of fulfilling orders while also delivering quality. The next key struggle was getting customers, but that was soon sorted thanks to me being highly active on Quora.
What has been your weirdest experience with a customer and what did you learn from it?
One weird experience we had was when we sent a package to Noida and it reached Bihar instead. Initially, the client was pretty angry, but they calmed down when we told them that our shipping partner was responsible for the mix-up. We have now made a point to only use Fedex for dispatching all our packages.
How is CustomBaba different from its competitors?
Unlike other players, our manufacturing is 100% in-house. This enables us to offer cost effective prices to our customers without compromising on quality. In fact, apart from the images displayed on our website, you can send us any image of your choice and we will manufacture it for you – color, style, size no barrier. What’s more, we offer different styles and sizes for men and women. Lastly, in the entire industry, only we give all your money back if you are unsatisfied with the quality.
As an entrepreneur, what makes you truly happy other than your business doing well?
The fact that I am able to create a positive impact on the lives of the people who work for me. I know the company is responsible for their livelihood, and it makes me work harder. I believe every entrepreneur reaches a stage where they ask themselves if they can now call themselves successful. I think I can now call myself successful now, and that has brought me immense happiness and peace. In fact, I focus more on improving my processes instead of worrying about my competitors.
Any advice for budding entrepreneurs?
Bootstrap till profitable. Expanding fiercely with no systems in place will lead to problems later on. Companies are run by systems and establishing them should be given the first priority. Do not build fancy offices. Concentrate on the balance sheets and save money. Also, do not get disheartened by failure. Failure is imminent in the entrepreneur lifestyle, so it is better if you fail forward. Every failure will teach you a lesson or two. Learn from your mistakes and try to not repeat them.
Very motivating. All the best to custombaba.com
Akshay’s journey is indeed very motivating. May custom baba continue to grow and flourish :)