Gone are the days when the business world used to be referred as a male-dominating industry and the thought of a woman starting her own venture was treated as a Taboo. But today, women are proving their mettle in almost every sphere of life. From food to fashion, one can see women entrepreneurs making their mark in every field. In this blog, we will discuss the inspiring journey of one such woman – Meena Bindra, founder of Indian fashion brand, BIBA.
Meena is the perfect example of “Never Give Up” sprit as even without the professional training or any past experience in the clothing business, she reached the pinnacle of success. Want to know how? Well, read further.
Life before BIBA
Meena Bindra, at the age of 20, got married to a navy officer. At that time, she was just an ordinary homemaker with a lot of responsibilities on her shoulder. Though, she had a hobby of stitching clothes with her own designing concepts, Meena didn’t want to take that hobby forward during that period of time because she had to take care of her two sons – Sanjay and Siddharth. In a fortunate turn of events, Meena’s husband was posted in Mumbai in 1983. That’s when she realized that both her children had grown up now and she finally got some free time in hand to follow her passion. So, Meena decided to start a clothing business.
But prior to launching her new venture, the biggest challenge for Meena was to arrange funds. Since she had no money and not even a bank account, her husband helped her in getting a loan of Rs. 8000 from a bank which worked as seed capital in her business. And that’s how BIBA was born in 1988.
When Meena first tasted the success
Meena Bindra started her entrepreneurial career at the time when readymade churidar-kurtas were something people not heard of and sourcing of the fabric was not easy at all. There were no malls, no brands, no benchmarks for such kurtas. Hence, Meena’s originality gave her the first-mover advantage and her talent eventually came into the notice of buyers. Her dresses received a lot of appreciation from women of all age and she became popular almost overnight.
As her business started to grow, Meena had to manage marketing, finances, planning and other important things. That’s when Mumbai’s fashion store Benzer came into the picture. Benzer gave Meena Bindra the much-awaited opportunity to move her product out of her home. The success of one sale led to another and then it was no looking back for her.
Milestones for BIBA
Since its launch in the market, Biba has seen immense growth in the clothing industry. The company has now more than 180 brand outlets across 76 cities of India and 275 multi-brand outlets. The annual turnover of BIBA Apparels is estimated at Rs.600 crores, as of now. In 2015, BIBA won the Best Women’s Ethnic Wear Brand of the Year at the CMAI Apex Awards. According to Meena Bindra, good quality of her products and their on-time delivery at an affordable cost have been the two major factors for her soaring business.
Last but not the least, Meena Bindra’s story of success is a subtle reminder of how one should never underestimate their potential and always be prepared to take that leap of faith. You never know what future holds!!