From Struggling To Survive to Building Rubans Accessories, Here's Chinu Kala's Journey!

Every great dream starts with a dreamer, and Chinu Kala (Founder & Director, of Rubans Accessories) is the dreamer in today's inspiration of the month story. Chinu epitomizes the definition of a true fashionista in every way. She is intelligent, witty, charming, and impeccable in her style. A talented businesswoman and former Mrs. India contestant, she has assembled her fashion jewelry line, Rubans Accessories, with panache and grace. Not only are her collections intriguing, but so too is the tale of this first-generation businesswoman who managed to create an empire from nothing.

Chinu Kala has shown the world via her difficult journey that perseverance and hard work can help anyone overcome any obstacle in life. Due to various family troubles, Chinu Kala left her home when she was just 15 years old. When Chinu Kala made the decision to leave her house, she only had Rs 300 and a bag of clothes. Before working as a salesgirl and earning just Rs 20 per day, she spent two days sleeping at a Mumbai train station. But Chinu Kala persisted, and today she is the director of Rubans Accessories, a business with roughly Rs 40 crore annual revenue. She has also made an appearance in the current season of Shark Tank India and managed to crack a deal of INR 1 crore.

Chinu married in 2004, and in 2006, she participated in Gladrags Mrs. India, where she reached the finals. This experience showed her the value of jewellery in the fashion world and how a quality item may improve someone's overall appearance. Chinu created her own fashion jewellery line, Rubans Accessories, by fusing her love of fashion and commercial acumen. "Rubans was simply an idea that I had been incubating for years in my thoughts, much like any other company tale. I finally started my fashion jewellery company in 2014," Chinu says.

Chinu with her husband and daughter 

Source: Twitter handle of Chinu Kala

Her progress was, however, seriously obstructed by industry! Back then, malls and high streets were the primary venues for conducting retail business. The waiting period for a suitable position in a mall may last up to three years, and on top of that, the expense of building a store and the huge deposit proved to be a significant financial challenge. Chinu had stocks in her possession, but she lacked the money to provide the mall the deposit. But Chinu's journey thus far has been defined by overcoming the impossible. 

She persuaded the mall management to let her one month post-store opening to provide the deposit money because she was sure the shoppers would adore her unique designs. Rubans Accessories had a record-breaking day for sales on the first day it was open. The sales were sufficient to cover the malls' deposits the very next month. Fast forward a few years, and Rubans is still receiving the same support from its customers as it did the day Chinu opened her first store.

In the branded fashion jewellery and accessories market, the brand has become a front-runner over the course of five years. The brand has included the free flow of concepts & designs from all around the world in its collections, which were greatly influenced by the Sanskrit proverb Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam (The World is One Family). In reality, Rubans Accessories is one of the only national brands that provides a broad selection of goods in both western and ethnic categories, addressing consumer requests for designs, trends, and seasonal items.

Source: Rubans Meta Handle

Chinu Kala is truly one of the best women entrepreneurs in India, and an inspiration for women in general. In a recent Linkedin post, she posted something wonderful with which I would like to end this article. 

“Rewards without effort are always meaningless. 

And, my life-story is no different.

As a 15-year-old girl who left home with nothing but 300/- in hand, to now having built a 200 Cr empire, it is the efforts that have helped me tide over tough times.

My tryst in the “Corporate World” started off with me selling products door-to-door. Getting slammed on the face, facing rejections, and not being able to sell products did not deter me.

I kept rolling my efforts. I have worked as a door-to-door salesperson, as a cleaner, as a helper, as a beautician in a salon.

No work was menial for me. No work was ever a no-go zone.

Cut to today, now with Rubans Accessories having 25,00,000+ customers, my efforts still have not stopped.

I continue to invest time in building Rubans Accessories, creating newer jewellery pieces, and working on ideas that my customers love.

Most often than not, it is the efforts that keep us all going. It is those tiny efforts that bring about a transformation.

Let us keep moving, let us keep bettering the status-quo, and let us break our own benchmarks!”