It doesn’t matter whether you have a college or Philosophy degree, as long as you have a passion for a specific field, you will surely be able to nail it.
Same is the biography of Vikaas Gutgutia, a person who is a perfect example of strong faith and belief in business, no matter how hard the situation is. Fruits are always worth it.
Gutgutia was born in Vidyasagar, Bihar, into a middle-class family where her father worked as a government contractor. After finishing high school, he moved to Kolkata.
Then he started to begin his career by assisting an uncle in a small flower shop. Ferns N Petals is the creator of a flower and gift portal that has locations throughout India. Ferns N Petals began in 1994 on a pavement in New Delhi’s South Expansion.
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Vikaas Gutgutia Biography:
Born: 1968
Nationality: Indian
Citizenship: India
Education: Graduated in Commerce
Occupation: Businessman
Title: CEO of Ferns and petals
Spouse: Married
Children: 4.
Heavy Flop in Selling Flowers:
From 1994 to 2003, Gutgutia needed nine years to break even. Throughout the years, he manufactured flowers and promised to send them to business owners.
On the high end, he collaborated with fashion designer Tarun Tahiliani to open FNP Tahiliani premium floral boutiques. He’s also dabbled in upscale weddings with another designer and old friend, JJ Valaya.
Gutgutia describes his foray into street food as a disaster. Following his success at FNP, he launched “Sour Chaat,” a chain of north Indian street food restaurants. The effort, however, failed, and Gutgutia suffered a big economic loss as a result.
Passion with Profession:
Gutgutia’s focus at the moment is on donors, which is his core offering. Within this career field, he has revealed prospects for diversification. Flowers, desserts, stuffed animals, and indoor plants are among his products.
He’s also begun offering express, superfast, midnight, and international home deliveries. After setting up shop in tier 2 and tier 3 markets such as Madurai, Tirupati, Nellore, and Sangli, Gutgutia is targeting towns such as Kollam, Sangli, Sanghar, Amritsar, and Bilaspur.
He has expanded Ferns N Petals’ event vertical internationally, beginning with Dubai, and has expanded the e-commerce splinter group, which now transports to 150 countries. Ferns N Petals has expanded from a single store in South Extended to over 185 locations across the country. There are seven active components in the franchise concept.
Success in Franchises:
India’s leading blossoms and gift reseller and one of the world’s largest floral sellers, with 320+ stores in 120 cities. Vikaas Gutgutia founded it in 1994. The group’s first store was launched in Delhi South Expansion in 2003, and it began taking nine years to complete.
Although the group opened as a flower vendor, it has since expanded into the E-commerce industry through companies such as FNPcakes. They have expanded their enterprise into the honeymoon packages segment and are expected to account under the name FNP Events & Events.
The six potted flowers, the majority of which were based in Delhi, provided subpar quality and services; these areas were not air-conditioned and did not have a positive environment. Delhi florists completely lack Kolkata’s exquisite finesse.
Struggle Behind Success:
“I told him about my plans and lack of cash,” Gutgutia says. A friend gave him Rs. 2.5 lakh for his business. Gutgutia went on to open a 200-square-foot sidewalk shop in etension. Meeta’s birthday was only a few months after Ferns N Petals was founded.
He was moved by several moving experiences. Once, a consumer entered his store. and spent Rs. two lakh on flowers for his girlfriend. “Such encounters strengthened my belief in my labour of love,” he says with a smile. However, earning up to Rs. 10 lakh per month was insufficient to enable him to realise his dream.
Small drops make a big ocean:
Gutgutia launched his online giving platform in 2002, supplying flowers from India and other countries to consumers all over the world. He used various home delivery methods, such as expedited, superfast, overnight, and worldwide. The following year was a watershed moment.
He teamed up with top designers to launch FNP Tahiliani, a line of premium floral stores. He also teamed up with JJ Valaya, some other artist friend, to execute the décor for FNP Weddings’ luxury ceremonies.
In 2006, he launched the Chatak Chaat street grocery chain, which quickly went bankrupt.
He says, “I gained a crucial life lesson and now urge entrepreneurs to select a driver, a CEO, before launching any firm.” In 2009, he abandoned the business after losing Rs. 28 million.
Switching to blooms, he had developed an incredible brand that gave floral giving and marriage decoration in India a new dimension. His establishments are all franchises, and he plans to expand in major cities. “Explore and expand into new markets while maintaining a stranglehold on the current markets,” he says of his expansion plan.
Variety in Ferns and petals:
The six verticals supplied by FNP include Ferns N Petals Ecommerce and E-Commerce, FNP Weddings, FNP Flowers Touching India & Dubai, FNP Gardens venues for ceremonies, The Main Headquarters, Marriage Design Centre, and Presents By Meeta.
Meeta is a director and member of his design team at his company. The couple’s two teenagers, Udyat and Mannat, are at school.
FNP’s status as the top design has been cemented by a flurry of key awards, including the EEMA Designer of last Year Award and also the Marketing And Economics Award at the European Franchise & Retail Fair in 2016.
Logic with Emotions:
“It’s not just about selling flowers and gifts,” Gutgutia says, “but also about creating special memories for friends and family.” However, that is why he began doing anything in the first place.
Vikaas Gutgutia is not one of those who works from home. For much of the year, the founder and managing director of Ferns N Petals missed getting dressed, putting on his shoes, and going out, “rather than remaining at home in shorts,” he says.
Gutgutia is securely situated at his office, and has been open since the middle of the week. He’s still donning his shoes on an unsteady computer screen, but he’s wearing a green overcoat over a darker shirt, square eyeglasses, and a helmet and he has a serious expression.
Summing Up:
Ferns N Petals suffered a major setback last year due to a lack of expensive weddings and the fact that gifting was likely not on the priority list due to viral concerns. The big supermarkets had little or no enterprise for about six months; by the end of last year.
They had, but even so, begun to recover, posting 50-60% of the previous year’s results. To some extent, internet purchases reimbursed for the losses, increasing because it was the only way consumers could order, and operations of the company accounted for roughly 80% of overall retail cash flow.
