An Epic Entrepreneurial Tale

Shaili Shah is a powerhouse of energy. About 8 years back she laid the foundation stone of Mortantra. Based out in Ahmedabad, it’s an Indian handcrafted gold-plated jewellery brand. And since then, she has come a long way! Mortantra is Gujarat’s fastest-growing jewellery brand which is making its mark nationwide and worldwide. The founder of Mortantra started with a simple thought “Bride like myself who doesn’t want to spend her father’s savings on gold jewellery!” However, this concept resonated with many, making a large community. Almost all Indian celebrities have been adorning the dazzling Mortantra jewellery. Even Mortantra jewellery was seen in the Cannes Film Festival marking a historic achievement. During Shaili’s entrepreneurship journey, she got immense support from her husband Naimish. And their amazing partnership in this jewellery business made it to success! Read further to decode the entire story around making the brand—Mortantra loud and clear.

The Adorable Inception of Mortantra

Shaili believes that the journey of Mortantra revolves around the storytelling built for jewellery. It was more of a personal passion project for her. The idea was to dress up and look beautiful bride without spending all money on gold. With this, Shaili made the first 4 set of jewelleries and she wore them to her wedding! Ladies loved her designs and she ended up getting about 30+ orders on her wedding day. Interestingly, till now she had no clue and never planned to start any business. Later on, she got overwhelmed with all these orders as she had no artisans who could help her with jewellery making. And there came her saviour and co-founder Mr. Naimish who took her for Karigar Hunting. This husband-wife duo then sat to decide a name for their business. 

The Naming Philosophy 

Shaili was very particular about giving an Indian name with a contemporary touch. And she was very much inclined towards peacock in her jewellery. So it was clear that peacock needs to be there in the name anyhow. Experimenting further, the husband-wife duo picked magic. They did a mix of both words in an Indianized version. Finally, a fusion name—Mortantra was found. Its literal meaning stands for Peacock (MOR) Magic (TANTRA). With this beautiful name, the brand got huge recognition and it got upscale to the next level. Started with 30 orders to 250 orders in first year and now a surplus number of orders fulfilling it across the globe! This reflects the passion of the founder for her brand.

Key to Balanced Business

Shaili is an extremely creative person and in her opinion,she can’t do finance and marketing. Hence, she is thankful for a perfect life partner who became her business partner. And they sailed through well with leading the best jewellery brand! Initially, Shaili used to get orders through her Instagram page and Naimish used to help her out. Gradually, he found potential in this business and thought of giving it a full-time experiment. Being an IT engineer, Naimish got down to measuring risks and finding a solution. The duo then found their clear directions and roles. Shaili continued her creative work of getting fresh designs and posting engaging content. While, Naimish took up finance, management, and everything business. And that’s how a personal passion project turned into a profit-making business! They cracked the code of balancing creativity and business together.

Overcoming the Challenges

Eight years back when Instagram and E-commerce were very new. That was the time when Shaili & Naimish thought of making Mortantra an e-commerce brand. And building a community over social media. They had no background into jewellery and didn’t took any financial help from outside. After making an Instagram page, they went on to build a website. So they started pumping the money of pre-orders into inventory and set the e-commerce system for worldwide shipment. They kept on learning and experimenting all new tactics to stay ahead. And ended up making a grand jewellery brand Mortantra. They were passionate, authentic and truthful in their approach that helped them overcome the challenges. As Shaili right says, “If people recognize you as someone who is very passionate about , then they became your loyal customers.”

Rules to making Mortantra

From day one of Mortantra, Shaili followed one rule in her mind. She would only create those pieces that she could carry confidently in the crowd of thousands. And that’s how she kept on innovating new designs. As the founder believed in being their own brand ambassador because no one could better explain the brand. Also, if she isn’t confident enough to wear her jewellery then she can’t pitch it to others was her belief. Another rule is the motto of Shaili’s life to pump energy among others. She is grateful to her team and just can’t have a low day! She runs a big team and keeps them all motivated. Thereby, it’s 8 years of Mortantra and still, it feels very fresh and new! It is because of all these little efforts Mortantra is shining. Clients are super happy that they share 4-5 paragraphs long love letters to Shaili, thanking her for the perfect jewellery. 

The Insights and Secret Sauces 

As per Shaili’s conversation with Gujpreneur, her milestone achievement is the Mortantra Flagship store. Her agenda was to replicate the same grandeur that she created on Instagram for Mortantra. And Ahmedabad based store ticks all the boxes. From perfect location to visually appealing. And the secret insights that led to such huge empire are: 

• Building a strong community of people who trust the brand and spread the word. Mortantra’s initial 30-40 clients are the indirect influential who derive 50% of sales through word of mouth. 
• Having super friendly and warm client interaction. Most of Mortantra’s clients are brides who are panic buyers. So they calm the clients by becoming their bridesmaid helping them choose the best! This led to an amazing retention ratio. 
• The founder doesn’t do anything for the sake of money. Hence a brand endorsement is only done when she completely believes in it.  
• Shaili even believes in giving back to society. So she along with few other members has formed Sahay Foundation. They adopt underprivileged children and provide them quality education.

Tips for aspiring entrepreneurs

Here are some key highlights to learn from Shaili for building a successful brand:

• Instagram is for lead generation and not sales driver so use it wisely. Your reels can go millions but it can drive 0 sales, while having 100 views can still buy you 50% sales. 
• Be opportunistic and don’t keep on overthinking. If you have got some idea, then just go pursue it! 
• Keep the passion for learning always alive! It will bring you personal, professional, social growth. 
• Always see the brighter side and the green grass. Having this positive approach will surely bring something good in your life. 

Conclusion:

Shaili’s story is of passion and determination. From Madhuri Dixit to Anuksha Sharma, all Indian celebrities have worn Mortantra jewellery. It is Shaili and her husband’s tireless efforts that made it to International brand. Shaili’s always energetic and enthusiastic for Mortantra that never makes it out of fashion! Keep browsing Gujpreneur for more such inspiring stories.