Who is Richa Kar?
Born on July 17, 1980, Richa Kar came from a traditional Indian upbringing. She was born in Jamshedpur, Jharkhand but later moved with her parents to the United States. Even outside of her home country, her upbringing remained highly steeped in tradition. Her mother was a homemaker who didn’t work outside of the home. Even at an early age, Richa began considering a career. She spent a great deal of her time churning ideas regarding her future as a professional in the workforce, much to the initial dismay of her parents. It was highly unheard of for women in Indian society to pursue careers of any kind outside of the home.
A Blended and Interesting Journey
Richa started her education with an engineering degree from BITS Pilani. She spent some time working for a corporation before going on to pursue a masters at Narsee Monji School of Management. It was there that she discovered her knack for extreme leadership. Following that, she began an extensive career in the retail industry, where she began building her business acumen. She realized just how critical it was to think on her feet and make quick decisions while remaining professional and courteous. She gained retail consulting experience during her time with Spencer’s and SAP. She went on to work for Limited, a parent company for Victoria’s Secret.
Personal Conflicts
Richa Kar came from a culture heavily steeped in ancient Indian tradition. Not only was it unheard of for women in India to work, it was even more unheard of for them to pursue entrepreneurship. But the deal breaker for Richa was this: She wanted to open up a women’s lingerie business. It was something she wanted to share with her parents once the idea came upon her.
Her transparency in sharing her lingerie business idea with her parents would prove to be a difficult journey. Because lingerie bears a negative stamp, her parents had strong objectives. Her mother thought about the social stigma that would follow her daughter and was worried about the subsequent shame it would bring upon the entire family. Their opposition was so strong that her father refused to support her, but she remained undaunted.
Covert Research Endeavors
Lingerie is a sensitive topic for many women worldwide, as it involves shopping for one’s own customized undergarments. The expedition was still a transparent experience because it required women to buy their products from a male vendor. Most lingerie was made for smaller women, so there weren’t a lot of options for those who were larger. This put a lot of customers at a disadvantage, which made Richa think even more about her business. Richa knew she could create her online business where women could shop in secret from a remote area and choose from a variety of sizes.
Inspiration Behind the Name
Word choice based on meaning and inspiration goes a long way. The best attribute of a good entrepreneur is a healthy imagination paired with facts and observation. And Richa Kar was able to use both to craft her idea for a solid business name: Zivame.
The meaning behind the name had its roots in the ancient Jewish tradition. In fact, the term ziva is Hebrew for radiance, and she named her company Zivame. It stood for Radiant Me, which is a name that was well-earned due to its positive vibes of encouragement. The idea of shopping women’s lingerie without judgement was born.
A Radiant Company With Bright Ideas
It doesn’t always have to take money to make money, and in Richa’s case, that proved to be true. She soon began having success in a very short amount of time. After her first major sale, investors started eyeballing Zivame. One person offered her $3 million while another put in $6M. Another $40M followed, and that increased the value of her online business exponentially.
Growth From Struggle
Without pain, there is no gain. Struggle promotes growth through strong will and a fighting spirit. For Richa Kar, it appeared as though her naysayers would never give their objections a rest. But at the start, her rebellious spirit grew, and Richa would soon cement her reputation that proved her detractors forever wrong.
Richa started attacking her goals with renewed fervor. She continued building her online lingerie store with a host of different ideas that would expand beyond undergarments. Soon, other items such as swimwear and pajamas were added, and that led to increased revenue. Ladies’ lingerie was taken to a greater level of respect.
Richa Kar: The More Colorful Facts
Aside from being a strong business woman, Richa’s life does yield some interesting facts. One of the most interesting aspects is how active she is on social media, especially with Twitter. She makes good use of the platform to discuss her business and connect with others on a professional level.
Another interesting tidbit surrounds her lingerie business. Prior to launching Zivame, Richa was dedicated to spending time in researching her field and learning more about it. In fact, she spent a full two years working towards her goal nonstop. During that period, she remained so heavily focused on her aspirations that she refused to take any time off for socializing.
It appears that her overachiever streak paid off. Within a single hour of being launched, Richa’s new company received its very first order, a fact that would set her as the gold standard of success for women across India. She went on to expand her line for women of all sizes, thus encouraging all women to shop regardless.
Final Thoughts
Inspiration can be found in the most unlikely places and drive the human spirit to succeed even more. For Richa Kar, that appeared to be the case. The criticism she took ignited a strong rebellious spirit within her, which earned her respect with customers and investors alike. But the real driving force was a passion for allowing women to shop lingerie in private without judgement.
