Famehall’s spotlight story on Chandni Agarwal - the founder of Little Tags, a multi-label e-commerce website for children. Read her inspiring story and learn how she has managed to make it one of India's biggest online baby & kids e-commerce stores!
Formal education and early career -
Chandni Agarwal was born and brought up in Delhi. She did her schooling in Modern School Barakhamba Road. She pursued her B. Com honors from Jesus and Mary college. She then earned an MBA in Marketing and Finance from Delhi University.
Her family was from a manufacturing business background where there was no start-up culture. She got married immediately after finishing her MBA. Later, she managed the schools that were under her husband’s education business. She gave birth to her first child, a daughter, in the year 2016. Back then, everything that was needed for their daughter had to be imported from abroad as the luxury segment in the market was missing at that time in India. It was at this very point that they found a gap in the market. She then launched ‘Little Tags’ website when her daughter was a little over six months old making Chandni Agarwal the first woman in her family to dive into entrepreneurship.
Little Tags – The Origin –
The initial idea for the start-up was to get all Indian designers to design kid’s wear at one place and make it a very luxurious Indian Portal or more of a marketplace. But then after Covid hit, their former idea expanded into something more that included clothes that kids would also need at home. But the aim was to provide everything of premium quality that is not available in the Indian market. They wanted to get international brands to be included in the catalogue. So, in 2020 they launched a luxury platform which is called Little Tags luxury. They have garnered over 30 brands and became one of the largest websites for luxury kids wear in India while also adding more brands every season.
Challenges -
The initial challenge she faced was the acceptance from people at the launch of a luxury store for children. Most people questioned the reason behind such expensive clothes for kids as they might outgrow them very soon. But, Chandni Agarwal learnt from her personal experience and by watching other people from her circle that when it comes to kids, parents want to make every occasion a special one. She observed that a kid’s first Diwali, or Holi or anything else is quite special for the parents and they want to make it a unique experience for the kids by creating lasting memories. So instead of taking a step back, they decided that they want to be there all through the child’s journey which is why they sell clothes for children of ages below 16. After they overcame the initial challenge, they started to do quite well. The challenge now is to acquire and retain good talent for their e-Commerce platform, says Chandni.
Chandni Agarwal believes that while facing challenges or failures, the most important thing is to not give up. She says that holding on at that time is very crucial as failure is a part of being an entrepreneur, as failure will come and go, but when you’re mentally strong you can overcome anything and become more successful with time.
Source of inspiration -
When asked about her biggest source of inspiration, she tells us that her husband has been of the greatest support. Managing two young kids along with everything else is quite a lot and during all this her husband has been her rock. In helping her balance everything and offering suggestions on business or personal life, he has been her go-to person.
Advice for young entrepreneurs –
The advice she would give young entrepreneurs is to never hesitate to start small but to not be afraid to dream big. Adding a lot of hard work to that would bring success is what she believes.
While going through some stats, she found it a little worrying that only 5% of women get into entrepreneurship. So, at a personal level, she has been pushing this by doing a lot of panel discussions with schools to help women break into entrepreneurship. Parents always want a safer future for their children and due to some social barriers, they stop girls from pursuing their entrepreneurial dreams which she hopes would change. She has a daughter who sees her hustling and wants to do the same herself. At only six years old she already started questioning what she wants to be when she grows up. She says that she wants to be like her mother and insists on wanting to see her office. Mindset of girls has started to change society. She feels the first woman entrepreneur cycle is happening in India with Nykaa and Sugar. She believes that this has to carry forward, the girls have to be encouraged more, after which we’ll see a different zone. She can see a difference in her family already which she is very excited about.
Accomplishments -
She has been featured in various lists and won multiple awards across the country such as 'Most Influential Indian'- The Elite List -London Tower, 'India Most trusted brands of the year 2022', '20 Women Entrepreneurs' by Global hues, 'The 10 startups that caught our eye in 2022' at Business Iconic and was named as 'Woman Entrepreneur of the Month' by Corporate Review Magazine.