Life is not a bed of roses especially when you want to do something different than ordinary.
Today, we will go through the journey of Bengaluru-based woman entrepreneur Neeta Adappa, co-founder of Prakriti Herbals, a leading name in the herbal beauty industry, who started her entrepreneurial journey in 1995 with her friend Anish Desai.
Beginning
Neeta’s father was a sales manager for a herbal extract manufacturing company. So she was well versed with the demand for herbal products. The desire to start her own company made her a millionaire.
After completing her master’s in Pharmacy from SNDT University Mumbai in 1992, she joined a Research and Development (R&D) and Quality Control job at a pharmaceutical company, German Remedies, to gain some industry exposure. After working for 6 months, she started feeling overwhelmed by routine work. Her interest to do something creative made her resign the job and she started her own business.
Wasn’t An Easy Road To Glory
It was a challenge for her to start her own business. But she decided to accept the challenge and approached her college time junior Anita Desai. Both started manufacturing herbal beauty products. After trying products at family and friends, they start selling products to parlors and hotels.
One day she got an order from Nahar Heritage Hotel in Bengaluru for moisturizers and shampoos. And since then, there was no looking back. The work ethics like timely delivery and quality made her a reliable brand.
But the real expansion came in 2000 when she secured a loan from Vijaya Bank through a newly launched scheme for women entrepreneurs called V Swashakti. It helped Neeta grew its business.
Neeta entered the retail market in 2011 and being part of the ISB Goldman Sachs 10000 Women Entrepreneur Programme helped her in a big way.
Today, Prakriti Herbals has gained the trust of five-star-rated hotels like The Park Hotel, the Goldman Sachs Spa, Manipal Hospital, and Royal Orchid Hotels across India and has 100 hotels as its clients. They also sell a wide range of herbal beauty products for customers on various e-commerce platforms.
What Next
Prakriti herbals are one of the most favorable brands appreciated not only in India but also overseas. Neeta’s daughter joined her recently, and the mother-daughter duo is planning to mark a national and global presence.
Neeta says the only mantra of success is, “Find what the customer wants and then invent it.”
