Meet Salendra Gupta, a former corporate employee from Bangalore made a bold decision to quit his job and shift his focus towards consumer awareness and sustainable living. Let’s read about the entrepreneurial journey of this young man to find out how he managed to generate an impressive Rs 2.5 crore at just the age of 35.
Early Life and Background
Salendra was born and grew up in Surat. His father worked as a diamond merchant, while his younger brother as a textile engineer and has valuable experience in the Indian textile industry. His experience played a vital role in shaping Salendra’s perspective on the Indian textile industry. Surrounded by a successful business family inspired him to pursue his passion for entrepreneurship and start something of his own.
From Employee to Entrepreneur
Before launching Ecentric, the young entrepreneur worked as a telecom engineer at Ericsson. While pursuing his MBA, he did an internship in an e-commerce company. After that, he joined Godrej Properties. He was earning a salary of Rs 30 lakh and living a healthy and happy life. Despite this, he decided to quit his job and start his venture.
Building the Brand: Ecentric Fashion by Salendra Gupta
During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, when other people were experimenting with different foods and recipes, Salendra figured out the ideas to build his business. Upon recognizing that there is a lack of emphasis on eco-friendly clothing in the textile industry—which is known to be the most polluting in the world—he decided to take action.
He did thorough research on sustainable and eco-friendly fashion. In the same year, he launched Ecentric Fashion. The startup specializes in sustainable and affordable fashion products made from hemp for both men and women.
The product range includes co-ord, 100 SKUs, yoga wear, pants, and many more. Individuals can find these hemp clothes on e-commerce platforms like Amazon, Flipkart, Myntra, and more. The products range in very affordable prices between Rs 1500-2500.
No Compromise on Sustainability
Ecentric’s products are fully eco-friendly. Their products are made of hemp, which is a sustainable fabric. Apart from this, the brand uses paper-based packaging, labels, and tags rather than using plastic. Additionally, the buttons on their shirts are made from coconut shells.
Progress and Expansion: Sales in Different States
Customers are mostly from Tamil Nadu, Maharastra Andra Pradesh, and Karnataka, with the highest sales reported in Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Chennai, and Delhi. The majority of its customers are aged mostly between 35-45 years old, with a customer base of 70% male customer and 30% female.
Challenges and Customers Experience
Despite the negative stigma associated with cannabis in India, businesses faced challenges selling hemp products. However, on the online platform, there was little awareness of hemp clothing, which made it easier for Salendra to sell hemp clothes.
In the beginning, Ecentric didn’t receive many orders; they received just 100 orders in the first year. With time the orders increased, and now, they receive over 2500 orders in a month. From earning Rs 30 lakh in a corporate job to establishing a thriving venture of Rs 9-10 crore is truly inspiring.
Customers of Ecentric have had a great experience till now. On e-commerce platforms, there are more than 4 ratings, and there is a yearly purchase of over 30%.
Future Plans
In the future, Salendra is planning to expand his business by setting up a manufacturing unit in his hometown, Surat. Additionally, he is also looking to expand its product range by launching more SKUs made from different sustainable fabrics.
To further grow its market presence, the Bangalore-based pioneer in hemp fabric brand is looking to partner in Dubai and the US.
