Latest / The Collaborative Canvas Podcast / Priya Tyagi on Building Tied Ribbons | From Startup to Global Brand & Social Impact
Transcript
- Speaker 1: Everyday you see yourself fail Sometimes you see your team's fail Speaker 2: When you're selling outside of India, you really have to be very wary of the fact what audience exactly need. Speaker 1: I think the same trend is coming in India as well. When you don't come from a business family, your risk appetite is not of greatest value. Speaker 2: International business in itself is a cycle. Speaker 1: If you look there only Sadar Bazar in Delhi. There are no women washrooms there. mean business doesn't happen like that. Ecosystem in India has to come. Speaker 2: Entrepreneurship is basically turning ideas into reality. Speaker 1: What you call as repeat purchase could be a challenge. Speaker 2: What is that one advice would you give to these young entrepreneurs who really wanted to have that kick in their mind that I to start something. Speaker 1: Business is very subtle. Speaker 2: Welcome to the Collaborative Canvas podcast, where we bring together entrepreneurs, change makers, and these people who are shaping the industry with certain purpose. Today, I'm joined by Priya Tyagi, founder of Tide Ribbons, a global home decor brand built on the belief that relationships are priceless. From leading changes as a student to creating TR ideas, a nonprofit empowering entrepreneurial solutions, Priya's journey is all about blending business success with social impact. Priya, welcome to the show and ⁓ we really wanted to understand first where this idea of TR came along. Speaker 1: Okay, so Tide Ribbon started way back in 2014. We started with retail stores and the primary reason was to have gifts that were just not expensive as Archies. So I recently got married and there is this time when you want to give gifts and lot of those things. So I myself realized Archies was expensive when I was in school and so was it when I was around my 25. when I was 25-26. And I really felt that if you want to give somebody a lot of gifts, ⁓ need not necessarily be to one person, but to multiple people and you want to promote this culture of give and take of gifts, they have to be slightly reasonable. That is when we started this brand called Tide Ribbons and ⁓ we started with a range of personalized giftings. so we had one store in Ghazibad, one in Noida. and one in Chandigarh and all three stores within a year were profitable. that was it went off pretty well. Then in 2015 around ⁓ e-commerce came to India. So it was when Amazon, Flipkart they started. ⁓ I think I knew somewhere I knew that I felt that this is the right time to start online and ⁓ Again, in around a year and half, we were getting around 80 orders per day, which was, according to Amazon, was a good start. I don't know. Yeah, it started once Amazon... Speaker 2: I was from Amazon. And this was all going through the stores or you a warehouse somewhere? ⁓ Speaker 1: So we had rented a space in Noida, in 1963 and we started shipping some to our retail stores and the other would go directly to the Amazon clients. it was then because we were also new and so was Amazon India. They were also new. So it used to be like Amazon team who were establishing Amazon in India. They would come and then we would discuss how we can promote business, what Indian client need. I think fortunately for us, one of the I think by God grace, we started Tide Ribbons on the influx of e-commerce coming to India. So we had latest updates on what customer wants because we had our retail stores. And since the retail stores were getting good traction and all, we knew that somewhere we were at the right position. And same Same thing we replicated in Amazon and since we were from this gifting industry, we had that knowledge, okay this is Mother's Day. So way back ⁓ in 2015-16, people would not know much about Mother's Day, Father's Day. I mean they have come up with... Speaker 2: except 14Fab, nobody knows anything else. Speaker 1: Yeah, exactly. mean, 14th February is the popular then. So, think, so Amazon people were as new as we, so we had worked, you know, very much in consonance with each other, like what Indian people would need, what should go. And I think that is what helped us and Amazon both to, you know, come up with a brand that people loved. And since I think 2016, there have been no looking back. So that was the Indian story. And around COVID times, we started with our international business. And it has again shown considerable improvements year on year. I think that is right now we are around 15 plus countries. So the same elements of understanding the customer, we try to replicate it across the world and it has worked so far for us. Speaker 2: I wanted to learn more from that fact that there is certain mindset when it comes to selling it in India. But there is a different mindset altogether when you sell outside of India. And you are predominantly an international home decor brand at this point of time or your strong foundation that comes from the fact that you understand the relationship and you know exactly what message needs to go out. How did you differentiate it between both those two geographies because selling in India is different than selling in India. Speaker 1: I tell you, if you look at it like that, a lot of things that work in US, they don't work in UK. So different geographies, of course, they have their local traditions and local dominance of particular things. Like a lot of things that are working in UAE, like that gold and white, more of those colors, they don't work in UK. It's absolute no. So I think when we started international, gradually, we started with US, then UK. And at that time, we had a particular research team of three and four people who would just try and understand this culture, this penchant for particular things in any geography. And this has helped us a lot because the failure rate of any product has been considerably reduced. If you just understand how this country has come up, what are their traditions, what are their cultures. So if you do that study, that homework well, ⁓ I think it always helps. It minimizes your chances of failure. That's one thing. ⁓ I think that helped us a lot. And of course, even now, there is an AI in place that does this. So this thing has worked in this country. It has not worked in there. So it keeps on building up. And then we try to follow those trends. That's the AI part of it. Apart from them, again, there is a lot of research that goes, we do it and we get it done outside, which is primarily looking at how this country is evolving. Like if you see UAE, the MENA countries, have MENA area, they have gone tremendous change. Speaker 2: mean Dubai is different than Abu Dhabi, then it is different than Bahrain. Speaker 1: The way is different than Katha. And all of them are trying to make themselves global. ⁓ mean earlier it used to be you know very traditional closed doors sort of a thing. But they are actually opening their you know doors to make it and to actually give it a feel of very very you know cosmopolitan place. So I think if you really study the countries you will get to understand what is going to pick up. I mean you get a fairly good idea. Speaker 2: And I am sure that the in-depth research has actually helped you. Yes. So did you ⁓ picked up all the countries at far because you said you went to US first then UK and you other countries. So it needs a lot of research and then you come from a... whenever I studied about Priyatiyagi, got to know that social impact. Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean we were into gifting and we ⁓ introduced this ⁓ home decor range simply to revive the ⁓ artisans and their handicrafts. Speaker 2: you're selling Indian products outside of India. Yes. Speaker 1: and Indian made artisanal product. Incidentally, we had lost and to a very huge extent our market share in the international market, especially the Indian artisanal made products is very, very less across globe. mean, I'm not just talking about the e-commerce thing as such even in retail you will see a recent data. think 2025 only it just came when Trump initiated this tariff. It was like just 2 % of Indian diaspora which is just 2 % of it buys Indian products. Indian diaspora buying Indian specific products that is only 2 % of the total gamut of expense that they are doing. Oh, 2 % they are putting in buying Indian products. Very very less. I mean that's very very less. So I think Speaker 2: Population of Indian population there? Speaker 1: Of course, we lost two products that were much better made by, you know, ⁓ Chinese did it pretty well. Now Bangladesh is also coming up. There are countries that have really worked hard. I don't say we had a stature in handicrafts and we gradually lost it. There is a reason. Right. Now, when we ⁓ when we took this task of reviving, of course, it's not something that probably I think even if my whole life will go and we do exceptionally well, it is a work of generations. Of course. Yeah. So, I think our idea is to just give it as much push as possible as tidal bins can give and this element should continue. So, how we do? We are not primarily into getting it made by artisans. So, we work on a very strict contract basis wherein the raw material is procured by us because in international market quality matters. Yeah. I mean... the attitude that in India doesn't work outside. It's a clear no. I think that is where we started. I mean this problem we got because once we started US we understood that small small tidbits which we left, okay it's it's handicraft. I that is how we have been trained to think that it's handicraft, it will a I saw that was the biggest roadblocker. Speaker 2: You can't sell It has to be perfect. Speaker 1: It has to be perfect. mean and they are paying it for a good... they want a good product. They are paying you for an absolute product. I how can you just do all this? So I think this was one benefit that entirely changed our perspective of handicraft. We felt it's not... I mean it can't be wrong simply because it has been made by hands. True. the whole ⁓ system changed after that I would say. ⁓ we would procure the raw material ourselves and they would work on this. All the dyes, all the color themes, everything would be done by the designers of our teams. Design teams and there are product creative teams and all those teams. They would do the prototype would be created and once the product was final, then we would give it to the artisans to make it. Speaker 2: Do you test those prototypes before? And do you test it on the people outside of India? Speaker 1: Yes, yes, of course. So, it depends. First check would surely be in whichever market we want to launch it. That would surely be there and it is like 50 to 100 pieces. They would go to our old customers. They can test it, they can give a review. Is it worthwhile? It is not worth. And I think this again helps you a lot. Because sometimes you are very biased. If you put in a lot of hard work in any product, so you get emotionally attached to it. Speaker 2: Basically, child is good. ⁓ Speaker 1: It should do. But then, you know, some people are generous to tell you it's crap and then you have to accept it. Okay, let's work on something else. So I think it's just you keep on learning, you know, every day. Every day you see yourself fail. Sometimes you see your teams fail and then again you get up, okay, let's Speaker 2: Because ⁓ I was talking to one of my friends and I said, things which I used to see outside of India, probably whether it is US or UK or even Singapore, if the size of Bhatura selling at Haldiram is X, it will always remain X. It's not like in India, changes now. Speaker 1: It will not change, that's for sure. Speaker 2: So, I think it's really ⁓ very evident that when you're selling outside of India, you really have to be very wary of the fact what audience exactly need. And you have to make changes accordingly. Speaker 1: Exactly. I mean, they want ⁓ what they pay for and they are very, very particular about it. And I think the same trend is coming in India as well. Speaker 2: Priya, you talked about certain strategic decisions that you made. I mean, of course, considering that now you're reaching out to the folks outside of India, USA or UK. ⁓ Even if the slightest of, you know, checking what kind of raw material you need to procure, whether it is okay or not, there a lot of strategic thinking that goes underway. How would you, you know, talk about ⁓ the challenges, the most of those challenges that you actually faced over a period of time and then you... You constantly have to evolve around it and then you finally made a product which is like, wow, super profitable product. Speaker 1: Okay. So, I tell you, if you talk primarily, know, majorly about international markets and I mean, there are so many things because I myself, I'm not from a business family and you know, when you don't come from business family, your risk appetite is not of greatest level. You always try to play it safe. Correct. Yeah, and that comes by default. So, when we started, Speaker 2: Agreed. Speaker 1: I tell you first two shipments that we made that we sent to US both of them had some issues, ⁓ some paperwork that was not correct and they came back. Once a shipment comes back from international country, in India again they put import charges are levied. So your product ⁓ is going to one port in US, the paperwork is incomplete, it comes back, the Indian government puts import Because it's an import. Yeah, it's an import and then so I mean. Speaker 2: What a DS. Speaker 1: That was one thing that when we were sending in here, we weren't that particular about paperwork because it is only the GST and other things. In import and export, logistics play a very critical role. So once our one or two shipments got stuck, it was then that I understood that that was missing part. Like we were not ready for that. So I think that brought me to learning about how the logistics work, what are the paper documents, the CAs were also put in place that time. So it's not just product that needs improvement. At every stage, are going to be hiccups, are going to be problems, and then you learn through them. So I mean... Speaker 2: International business in itself is a cycle. Every chain you really have to be very oiled and glued. Speaker 1: Yeah, it's a should be the new you, you have to learn. And e-commerce as such is still very nascent in India. E-commerce export is even newer. So if you our system, it is more for B2B exports. A lot of EPCH, lot of government organizations have come up that are primarily working for the e-commerce exporters. But if you the rules, they are B2B driven. That's a clean thing. So, I mean you don't get ⁓ appropriate resources who understand the e-commerce export. And because the policies are not that driven. I mean that comes so... I mean think there are so many challenges. Then there are product challenges that the product has to be exactly... which was not what we read it to be. Initially we thought it is handmade. It should be fine. Like that the product thing is there. then the logistics thing is there. Then when the money from international countries come to your country. So, this is a challenge. Because B2B is straight. I I sold for 100 rupees. He me 100 rupees. That's a B2B transaction. India is... You know we have policies around this. But we don't have policies around that I someone's goods rupees. Not rupees was it went 20 % of that amount I have spent on ads. That the minus source. After that, I 10-20 dollars of That's how it happens in e-commerce export. So you have to settle that how did And that has to happen in a particular time that is 3 months according to RBI. So, mean lot of work even at a government level is happening. So we usually have a lot of meetings. don't say, mean, you know, business doesn't work in isolation. So if you go to China, there is this EU market which is like pretty famous for exports. I look at the infrastructure, you just get down from the airport, clean, super clean roads, super clean taxis. I mean they treat you like, okay you are a guest, are very very welcomed here. They will drop you to your hotels and all. I mean it's very very streamlined. If you look there is this southern market in Delhi. There are no women washrooms there. I mean business doesn't happen like that and I don't say government is also doing. I mean now that we have meetings with you know, I think every month there is a meeting that is happening at government of India level, the revenue department level and I see so much is being done. But I mean we still have a long way to go. that ecosystem in India has to come up. So if I mean basic... know, if man is he should know where he has to land up, how he has to place the order. I mean, if there is through agents, the agents have to be very, very proactive. So all that ecosystem India has to build, it is not now. Speaker 2: That is not now. When you said Sadar Bazar, can realize, the moment you entered Sadar Bazar, you lost yourself. Speaker 1: You feel, you feel you have been cheated. I that feeling exists. I mean no shopkeeper will tell you exactly what is there. And we it difficult, so think about it, someone coming from he just... Speaker 2: Every shopkeeper's product is good But again a lot of shopkeepers keep the Chinese products, so we if not. I think the point that you made about artisans and the product that you sending out, it's more of very authentic Indian consumer brands or products. And I know a couple of folks who are trying to do this, so you very right that the 2 % mark stays for them as well because that's exactly what their problem is. A lot of Indian diaspora there, they only purchase a certain amount of their expenses out on these things. Whereas, ⁓ the impact that you creating socially would be more of a cherry on our cake if these guys actually buy more from you guys. Speaker 1: So, I tell you, mean, ⁓ this is again a change of thought that has come up like since a couple of years. Earlier we used to think Indian artisans products are only for India, But actually they should be for the world. Agreed. I mean, I don't see, you know, a traditional Rajasthani lady, why should a Frenchman not buy it if it has got its aesthetics, right? They are buying African women, ⁓ you know, portraits and all. They are buying... Speaker 2: third time the is Speaker 1: They are buying because you think it is Rajasthani but for them it is a piece of art. If you see Spanish, ⁓ there is like... It is seen lot So that distinction, I think it is for us to get over this first. That this is a piece of art. It has to have a universal appeal. And ⁓ we are actually working on it and a lot of our products. I tell you... Speaker 2: These are portraits of Speaker 1: Ganesha sculptures of tie ribbons are, I mean think if I look at it, it should be 60-40. 60 is being bought by Indians and 40 is... Across? Non-Indians, no, non-Indians in US. non-Indians. Yeah, yeah. So, they love the, you know, the distorted nose. They think it's a piece of art. Speaker 2: They look at like an art. Whereas we look at it as a God. Speaker 1: Yeah, we look at it as a God. So I think that's what we need to understand that we have and we can actually create Indian traditional products for everybody on this earth. I think that should be the objective and not just for Indian customers. Speaker 2: So next question is on your objective and specifically you know talk about the fact that you have been looking at the research that your team is doing by far almost every single day which I believe. a certain persona that it is going on this. So entrepreneurship is basically turning ideas into reality. You a certain vision also. The mind shift the habits which are changing, you are almost every essence of your consumer then and there itself so that you know exactly when it goes out people are buying it. So how do you scale those multiple ⁓ process driven businesses when bringing your vision to life? What challenges you face and you have told, how do you, you you coming out of it. Speaker 1: Yes. So, we are primarily into a long tail selection. That's the cons of being in home decor, if I look at it. So, there is definitely a valid point when you say that you have built up a product and that product is not for lifetime. If there is a piece of art, you would like to keep it in your house and then probably next year when you buy something or after five years if you want to buy something, you would definitely not want to buy the same product. This gives a limit. to your product life. Agreed. ⁓ I mean what you call as repeat purchase could be a challenge. That's one. But incidentally this repeat purchase is only for that particular product. ⁓ the category from that product's intelligence, the other range that you that should do what this product is not able to do simply because you are a long-tail... Speaker 2: and I can visualize something like you the home decor section, you the bed sheet first but just bed sheet alone in that room of American family would not just do even if he believes that I have a good Rajasthani if you add aesthetics around it that's what you trying to say that's how you study the product and how you arbitrate it with Speaker 1: Exactly. I mean how much traction it can bring to somebody who has this taste, who has bought your product. So there taste element more important. Speaker 2: So how you study that? How do you come to know that this element? Speaker 1: So, I mean there are multiple data points. One is of course Amazon gives us this data. Second is our own research team. fortunately for us, so I tell you brief our company structure. So it is divided in two parts. One is the domestic team, one is the international team. My husband looks into, heads the domestic. I head the international business. We are like 100 % bootstrapped and ⁓ we do around $20 million annual revenue. I think it's pretty easy. and no rocket science. If you really understand like these are the basic values of how the business should be run. Everything else will fall in place. Speaker 2: How do you study that is it like you a product and it's market didn't get repeatability like you said it didn't get so what can I that it's repeatability increases. Speaker 1: How do we decide There are navigation trends. One person here, then he saw then he purchased this. And purchasing he saw a couple of things more. So we go at the back end, we go through that company. Yeah, on the website and through other channels also. This information can be gathered. So what has been his trend of research? What has he liked? What he is not liked? What... Even across US if I talk about there are multiple pin codes. Speaker 2: website. Speaker 1: So something like New York, we don't know whether it is a change or not. Something particularly if you look into your data, something in New York. Not X factor changes I may not say but there is a particular trend. If you just understand this that in particular locality, will see that usually people same financial status live normally. Speaker 2: x factor changes Speaker 1: Right? If it is a middle class, if it is a lower class, it is a rich class, whatever it is. let us assume it's a middle class, right? And then there is an environment all around you. So, you will see, now if New York's pin code is 11001, you will see there is a particular trend of how people are buying there. Right? Which might not be same to something else like there is 1101 Florix. So, that gives you an idea like... why something is working there. If they are buying this, then they will buy this. I mean all those data if you just you I think just like life, now business is very simple. You just have to be a keen observer why somebody is buying this, why this thing is not working. I to two people. One person lives the person lives city. picked up the X thing. His neighbours also the X thing. Nobody is giving any attention So you understand that particularly in this area this thing seems to work and I tell you we are still a small seller. Amazon does it at a very detailed level. I mean they penetrate it to by-lanes. this is the behavior of this by-lane. They can give you all those data. So I think that's data driven. Speaker 2: No, I agree. think the observation is predominantly it should be there. It's a paramount thing at this point of time because if you know exactly the moment you enter the store what is the first thing that catches their attention. And you right. One question was that you said that a certain pattern comes Do that pattern on your products or do you the overall pattern? Speaker 1: Both ways. ⁓ is for our market also and it is like what is the general trend and I tell you it's not just that I only observe ⁓ in home decor. There is a guy in our team who even wants to know that if rent then what is their rent like that area on an average how much That is the level of research that we have. Yeah, so I mean that is why I mean our product Speaker 2: as they are doing. Speaker 1: rate failure is like among the lowest on Amazon US. Speaker 2: You said that you started e-commerce, it was 2014-15. So you work with lot of young entrepreneurs along with Amazon seller program. us something about Speaker 1: So I did this for quite some time, where in like three and a half years back I stopped. But before that, ⁓ I met so many people who want to do something on Amazon. they came up with like, some of them actually had wonderful business ideas, must say, wonderful products they wanted to sell. And ⁓ my job was more to make them understand like how... not the technical part of it, that what you have to do, how to place But probably because I had a very strong exposure in Chinese products because I visit China also a lot. I visit Taiwan a lot. I visit Vietnam a lot. I all the manufacturing countries I visit a lot. So they just wanted me to understand and have a look at it that does this product in any way make sense or not? And can you just inspire these people? to go ahead and do it because you will see in that how many people we meet who will tell you that I want to do something. You will meet them after 2 years, 4 years it would always be their desire. So just to and when people see you that okay you have done something on that platform they anyway want to come to you and tell you that you have it so we will it. So it was like I would say it was very eye-opener for me also because I realized that all age groups are ready to take this risk. They literally talk like people in Silicon Valley that we for 4 years. If it works fine, if it doesn't work, we will go to jobs. I think this liberty of giving yourself time did not exist when we were young. Speaker 2: I think when I see you, you started after your marriage and now you are pretty much a global brand and I completely agree because Hindustan, maybe following from not broken down. Speaker 1: We have been very very in... I mean we feel that is the stability and once we get that stability we feel that okay let's stick there because everything else might not be as good as what I already have. Speaker 2: So I am talking to Priya Triage and Priya is who has no business background. No, no. Who didn't a risk appetite. Right. And after she became a million dollar company working out of a small place in Noida to supplying it to the across the world. What is that one advice would you give to these young entrepreneurs who really wanted to have that kick in their mind that I to start something but it not Speaker 1: Okay, like I said three years back I used to be very very positive. if I you honestly, business comes with its own risk. Right, so if you have that objective that I want to a lot of money, I don't want to listen to anybody, I mean that's one of ⁓ the things. whatever you want to That's all lie, it doesn't happen. Right? ⁓ In business, you just don't listen to your clients, the customers. You listen to your team members also. I mean, you have to learn to listen. So if you are away from that I Boss, all those things, it's not going to end there. In fact, you would be doing listening, making people understand a lot more than you would have even thought of. That's one. Secondly, it comes to money. I think for some... Like somebody like me, I myself have never had any desire of I want to be this or whatever. But I know a lot of people in my circle who want to have a lot of money and they have done remarkably well in their work and they in any which ways have a lot of money. I don't say that what is enough is a very tricky thing. So, if you'll keep on following, mean 10 CR is my thing. Once I get this, I think it should be enough. 20, 50, 100, 1000, 10000. There is no limit to it. There is no limit. So you will keep on running. when a 20 year old child comes and says that I want to have a lot of money. I I really don't understand that does he have a clarity of what is enough money. So, incidentally you will see when we started I thought once I reach a 10 crore mark maybe I won't be it because I thought that my capacity is 10 crores. Speaker 2: True. Speaker 1: then it went to 20, 50, 100. mean it just... It just forward. But fortunately for me I never bothered about money. It doesn't matter much to me. But I say it might matter to you, it might not matter to you. But you have to define what is enough for you. Speaker 2: We So you are saying that is determination and other clarity. Speaker 1: Clarity in everything, not just money. mean, what you have what you don't have to are you ready? Like someday all this might go. Are you still okay with it? I mean all those things and we need to be acceptable. That all this can If I two missions that I lot of I to listen that's why I want to do business. I think that's the wrong approach to get anything started. I think the most important should be that you have to try to solve a problem. It should be a genuine problem and a genuine solution that should come out of it. Speaker 2: True, otherwise ideas come and it's not that easy to and do it. So thank you so much Priya for making time out and talking about tie-dribbings by large. We got to know a lot many things. mean specifically talking about the persona that Priya and her team looks into while making those positive change around ⁓ the entire ecosystem that she's creating. And she also mentioned that you know she goes out to talk about this with the local authorities as well. It is not an easy game for an entrepreneur. to ensure that that social impact is being created. So thank you so much for building Tire Dribbons with a very thoughtful vision. I'm sure the audience would love it. So if you do, then don't forget to like and subscribe and follow the Collaborative Canvas podcast, because we bring you such stories that can shape your own desire and can inspire you big time. Thank you again, Priya. ⁓ we look forward to this show when it goes air. Thank you so much. Speaker 1: Yeah, sure.