Richa Kar | The woman behind the success story of Zivame

Richa Kar is the Co-founder of Zivame. Zivame is a Bangalore-based startup for women’s apparel. The idea of Zivame came out while Richa was researching the lingerie market in India. The website sells panties and lingerie of all sorts, like the backless bra and bikini collections. Besides various panty sets, the site also has a collection of pajamas, boxers, housecoats, etc. Her success didn’t happen overnight. A lot of hard work and effort was put into building her brand. She faced several hardships and failures as well throughout her journey. She says, “If you are strong, focused, and passionate about what you want to do, everything falls in place.” This was her life motto, and this has aided her significantly in paving her path toward success.

Richa Kar’s early struggles

Richa Kar was born in Jamshedpur and hailed from the conventional family background. She completed her education at the reputed college of BITS Pilani, after which she secured a job in an IT company. Following this, she went to the Narsee Monji Institute of Management Studies to complete her master’s in 2007. The idea for her brand ignited when she worked in the IT sector for a few years. She worked for Spencers and SAP retail consulting. While working for Spencers and SAP, Richa gained valuable retail experience that she carried to the start-up world. During her time at SAP, she worked with the Limited, which owns the lingerie company Victoria’s Secret. This paves the way for her startup.

When Richa Kar discussed her idea of selling Women’s lingerie online with her mother, her mother’s reaction was not supportive. Her mother was worried about society judging her daughter for selling bra panties online. She didn’t receive any support from her father, as he didn’t understand her business’s concept. But she was persistent. She visited many malls and shops to get more insights into the lingerie business. She observed that women feel shy about buying lingerie offline as most shopkeepers in such shops are male. After thoroughly studying all these factors, Richa Kar came up with the name “Ziva” for her idea of Radiance in Hebrew. But since that name was unavailable, she settled with Zivame, which means Radiant Me. She launched the brand in 2011 with all her savings and Rs.35 lakhs she borrowed from her friends.

Career

During her initial days, she faced rejections and a lot of criticism. People were making fun of her venture. Finding a place to rent was a significant issue, for when her landlord asked what she was doing, she had to tell them she sold clothes online. Despite all these factors, Richa Kar never gave up. Her determination and passion helped her establish her brand. With her never give up attitude, she kept trying, and finally, after some time, Zivame got a good response from its buyers. R

Richa got her first client from Indore, who was trying to buy materials from her worth Rs.7000. She finally made it big. Investors got impressed with her dedication and hard work, and she received her first funding of $ 3M in May 2012. Then another grant of $ 6M in Dec 2013 and $40Mn in 2015. Today her company valuation is more than Rs.681 Crores. Her determination and persistent efforts have been her most significant assets. Now she ranks among the most influential female entrepreneurs.  Zivame has 800 indirect partners and 60+ offline stores. 

Personal Life

Richa’s hometown is in Northville, Michigan, the United States; her father used to work in Tata Steel, and her mother was a homemaker. And she was married to Kedar Gavan. She won around $8.6 Million in revenue. Richa Kar took only one day off for her wedding and returned to work the next day, which shows her dedication and determination toward work.

Life lessons from Richa Kaur

While initially, everybody was against her idea for the startup, Richa Kar was focused and worked towards her dreams. And today, the same people appreciate her for her work. Self-confidence is very much important in life. Criticisms are a part of life but what matters is to prove to the world your abilities. Suppose the criticisms are constructive. Take them in. If not, walk past. Failures and setbacks are a part of life. When you are focused and hardworking, your journey to success is not too far.

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