You may be familiar with their range without knowing the lovely ladies behind ‘Little Putar’ ( http://www.littleputar.com) , dynamic sisters Rajveen and Harleen. They set up Little Putar to celebrate all things Punjabi via their children’s clothes that have slogans that everyone from an Asian background can relate to! They spotted a gap in the market and pursued their entrepreneurial dreams. We are delighted they shared their business journey with us and hope you will enjoy reading their interview on how they started Little Putar.
What made you want to start your own business?
You could argue that self employment is in our blood. Our parents had a shop when we were kids and our way of living revolved around that. Helping in the shop taught us valuable lessons of being your own boss. It’s not the easiest path to take but it’s what we’ve always wanted to do. Most crucially, we have always wanted to do it as a family.
How did you come up with your idea?
The inspiration for our brand was the birth of Harleen’s daughter in 2012. We set the range up because we wanted every generation after us to celebrate their British identity and Punjabi heritage. When we were younger we never really had anything like that to relate to so we wanted to change that landscape for the next generation.
What’s been the toughest part of the journey?
It’s all been a learning curve really. There is no right or wrong way to do this. The journey teaches you how to learn skills you never thought you’d know. For example, Harleen was the biggest technophobe from school onwards, yet she mastered how to maintain a live website, add products on to it and deal with the all the technical issues that come with it. We also created and directed our own TV ad for BritAsia . This was the first time we had done it and had no prior experience of it. These tasks had no steadfast rules, or ways to learn, but we learnt that where there’s a will there’s a way.
What are your fears?
The slow disappearance of the Punjabi language. The humour and connection it provides is something we want to continue to share for generations to come.
What are your hopes?
We like to constantly add new ranges to the brand. This year alone, we have added onesies, teddybears and Punjabi books for children to our collection. So, we would like to continue to do that. Hopefully, this will include creating ranges for different communities too. We also want to use the brand as a positive tool for social change. For example, our Lohri collection for girls and upcoming collection campaigning against female infanticide. This is still a problem that is prevalent within the Indian community – together we can address it.
How did you come up with your business plan?
The brand came into being through intuition and gut instinct. We went on to build the brand through the common sense approach. That is how we have always approached things. A large part of building a business is through taking risks, making quick decisions and changing direction to reach your objectives. There is no plan that can prepare you for that.
How have you financed the business?
Through blood, sweat and tears!
What do your family and friends think of it?
Our parents has always been really supportive of us doing things that we are passionate about and our families have supported us in every capacity. Mum and Dad were really proud to hear that we were doing something for our community. Thanks Mum & Dad for always supporting us!
What sacrifices have you had to make to get to where you are right now?
Sacrifice is not really a term we really use. Of course, we have made investments in the business: financial, emotional and time related. For example, self employment means working around the clock. This could well be seen as a sacrifice to some, however, we feel it gives us more freedom than working to the clock.
What are you proud of?
Taking the leap.
What are your tips for any other ladies wanting to start a business?
Your mentality is your most important tool. Don’t be deterred by the white noise around you.
You can connect further with the ladies on their Twitter: https://twitter.com/LittlePutar or Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Little.Putar.
if you know any Women Sikh Entrepreneurs let us know! We’d love to feature them!