In Conversation with Ishwar Kumhar @ WOW Retails

Enthusiasm and determination never die and it is never too late to start anything. WoW Retails is an example of determination of young engineers who decided to learn new things on their own and make their living out of it. They can be seen in Mumbai in shopping malls, standing tall along with the giants of apparel industry.

Today, we will talk about Ishwar Kumhar, with no family background in Business but spirit that is capable of moving the mountains.

Here goes the story.

Please let us know about yourself

Ishwar Kumhar, a small town guy and I hail from Sirohi district of Rajsthan. Just like a normal school guy, I entered NIT Jaipur as an Electronics Engineer and completed my engineering peacefully. I got a regular job meant for a regular guy but I wanted not remain a regular guy anymore.

You started PrintClubZone soon after your college in your college. What made you start this venture and how did you get the idea about it?

As I have already stated that I was just a regular guy. It was during the engineering years, I started reading inspirational books and biographies of great men and started thinking of doing something on my own; to become an entrepreneur. The seed was sown right there, but at that time I had no idea from where to start and more importantly what to start.

After engineering I joined Atos Origin as a Software Engineer, but the fire to become an entrepreneur was not subsided. A lot of ideas came into mind, which I discussed with my friends and colleagues, to get feedbacks and perspectives. It was a ‘one of those’ drinking sessions with friends, when suddenly this idea of customized apparel popped up from someone’s mind in the group.

On further discussing the idea, it looked interesting as well as feasible and a plan was drawn right there. I started researching more on the idea of customized apparel and within a week left my job to pursue the dream of becoming an entrepreneur.

What were the difficulties you faced and what kept you going?

There were a lot of difficulties in the journey which everyone without business background has to face. I had no before-hand idea about how to manage a business. Everything I had to start from scratch. I had no idea about apparel industry, customization, from where to procure and whom to sell, nothing; it was like a blank paper for me where I had to write without any clue of the topic given.

But these challenges made me even more determined as this was the path I had chosen leaving a promising career behind. But the things that really kept me going were my family and friend’s support. My parents never questioned about my decision and at every stage provided moral and financial support whatever was required.

Friends were very helpful in setting up the business, which would be really difficult without their support. Also when I started building my business network, I came along some wonderful people who helped the business grow what it is today.

And today you have another retail brand to your name, WoW Retails. What is it and what brought it into the picture?

Wow retail is a concept where we give gifts a personal touch. A gift is a way to warm someone heart, and when it becomes personalized, the intensity only grows stronger. So this was the idea behind starting WoW Retail. At WoW Retail we are into 3 businesses mainly

a. corporate gifting

b. physical retail

c. online retail

China, Taiwan and major Indian Corporate houses have become our customers and the chain is growing rapidly. Currently we have four retail outlets functional in the business capital of country, Mumbai.

All the customization at these outlets is done on the spot. Customers just need to visit with an artwork or else our designers are there to assist them while our production guy makes your product ready.

Lastly, the online retail is simple, you choose, you pay and you get at your doorstep. If you are a designer, let us put your design on our website, we sell it and you earn 25% royalty of the sold item.

We have worked hard to mark our presence in the Indian marketing Industry. Today we have tie ups with UTV India.

WoW retail is exclusive merchandise partner for John Abraham (JA) brand. We have setup an online store for John Abraham branded merchandise where people can buy merchandise with designs provided by John Abraham himself.

Ideology and Work Methodolgy

What we do is not ‘work’, it is our passion. We are a group of friends and the way we work is simply amazing. We are ready to work 24X7, all of us and none of us ever feels tired.  Wow team is comprised of engineers from NIT and MBAs from IIM. After office, we sit for long hours to discuss our plans and strategies and review how things are going at present.

We started with the idea that we need to do good work because money is a byproduct of work. We intend to do the good work and money will follow.

Lastly, we at WoW strongly believe that no one except you can stop you from achieving what you want. So don’t be a prisoner of your own inhibitions, overcome your fear and you’ll be amazed to see what all you can do.

Failure is when you stop dreaming or stop putting efforts, when you accept that you have failed. Failure is nothing but a state of mind; if you believe you are successful you will be successful, definitely.

www.wowretails.com | www.printclubzone.com | Facebook Fan Page

Three years, two retail brands and a happily satisfied team, you do not want more from life.

P.S: Within three years, WoW has become a popular name in India and recently they made an appearance on the ET Now TV for the brilliant start up idea of theirs.

This man talks from his experiences and his experiences have made him a learned and famous man.

Check WoW Retails @ ET now: Video Link