Smart and business-savvy Arjun Rastogi from the very beginning always strived to think outside the box to achieve his goals. He showcased this vibrant energy from the very start when he decided to take a bold step and leave his comfortable job at Ernst & Young in the US to start a business in India.
For others, this would have been a career suicide where they decided to leave a comfortable job just to enter the shaky land of self-run business but Arjun did not let this stop him and he boldly moved forward. He became successful.
At the age of 36, this was not his first experience in running a business, this was his third one and he was determined to make it last. His previous stint in an MNC allowed him to understand the dos and Don’ts of running a business, it built up his understanding of the structure and organization that goes into running a business.
Naagin wasn’t just any business, it was his passion and more. He wanted to bring Indian culture into the sauce industry, the taste of India in a bottle. Arjun succeeded big time, Naagin is not just available in India, it can also be found in the United States, Singapore, and Hong Kong. But what made him succeed? What made Naagin different from others? The answer to all this lies within the formula for Naagin.
Naagin is made using local produce, hand-picked daily, and homegrown premium Indian chillies to bring you unique flavours that still feel innately familiar. They don’t have any generics. This is what makes Naagin different. When others are busy adding artificial flavourings and preservatives, Naagin is stepping up the game by being authentic.
Arjun did not stop with this alone, wanting to give his users a truly unique experience he made sure to leave no stone unturned and added a page for recipes where even the novice learner could learn the best possible use for Naagin.
With over 12 different products and the bonus of being vegan, Naagin caters to everyone's needs. But the journey to success wasn’t always so easy for Arjun, he learned many lessons on the way.
Faced with failures and plagued with doubts Arjun did not let it stop him, he just kept moving forward. His family and friends had his back throughout the journey. For Arjun, all these failures were nothing more than a stepping stone towards his success and that’s how he used each of them. Pushing past all the misgivings he chose to move forward.
His main relying factor and strength in his journey were his ability in being organized, plan, find solutions, and the ability to wear diverse hats in the field of business. His primary source of excitement stems from the sheer happiness he feels while working with people, the product, and bypassing the daily challenges he faces.
But he can’t do this alone so he relies on a team of honest and hardworking people who stand by him and lend him their constant support. The feeling of having an entire group of people standing behind him and believing in the same dream gives him the strength to face his challenges and be sharp against his adversaries.
The startup experience, in the beginning, was chaotic at best and it took him some time to figure out what worked and what didn’t but soon he figured out the layers and understood what worked best and how to manage the system. Giving up would have been easy but Arjun chose to keep on going and not falter.
Starting from nothing, Naagin now has over 40 employees with its co-founders being Kshitij Neelakantan & Mikhel Rajani with Kshitji having supported Arjun in one of his previous ventures. The bonds made in entrepreneurship are some of the strongest bonds because here is where you find people who truly look in the direction that you dream. It’s important to have the right kind of people around you as you will lean on them from time to time.
"There are many pieces of advises that you’ll come across when you start on your own but here is one from the sauce king of India, One thing I would say --- Speak to a ton of people, know what you're getting into, and once you do and you've decided to do it, just do it.”
Arjun Rastogi
Founder, Naagin Sauce
It does not get any better than this, now does it?
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