The Making of a Family Enterprise
Every journey begins with one small step. But it is not this ‘step’ but the ‘Journey’ which defines a life. Defines the identity, the recognition, fame & fortune that one achieves. A journey which is full of exploration & invention, joy & sadness, learning & unlearning, challenges & obstacles, togetherness & solitude, fame & fortune, achievements & success.
The journey of an individual lasts one lifetime. But that of an enterprise, can become eternal, timeless; encompassing lives of many individuals. This especially happens in family run enterprises where the torch is passed from one generation to another, from one leader to another, one visionary to another. Each person lending a part of himself to the enterprise.
Some lend growth & diversification, others lend solidity & consolidation, networking & recognition, unparalleled wealth & asset creation. But all of them lend their values & their vision. Their dreams & aspirations! Their interpretation of ‘what is’ and ‘what should be’. Over the years, all these combined provide a soul to the enterprise whereby it creates a unique identity for the enterprise. An identity which might have taken years of toils & tears, generations of hard work, decades of neck breaking changes, crests & troughs. This is the evolution of an enterprise. Evolution of a family which is strangely encapsulated in a ‘commercial’ enterprise. Which is the sum total of the lives of many people.
Our own Making
Such is the journey of SerafiQ. Which began a hundred years ago when Mr. Hem Raj Jain decided to setup a retail shop in the picturesque, salubrious town of Simla. A town which, because of its beauty, weather and location became the summer capital of the British Empire. The whole of India was then ruled out of this town. Being a visionary himself, the interests of this enterprise soon grew into distribution of FMCG & Petroleum products. Soon his five sons joined to help him achieve his ambitions and similar retail and distribution operations were setup in New Delhi & Chandigarh.
The name of this enterprise still lives more than a century and four generations later. GAINDA MULL HEM RAJ still stands tall on The Mall in Simla.
SerafiQ is an endeavour to build on the strong understanding and experience of the family in the business of Distribution. But with a fresh perspective. A perspective which realises that the commercial landscape has changed, that the FMCG market is now crowded and there is not much scope for innovation & invention in the distribution & logistics of the same. That one has to move up in the value chain and continuously strive to be a pioneer.
A new enterprise was floated four years back by the family - Indigo Crafts Private Limited; based out of a suburb of Delhi (Gurgaon) which explored this market. The Indian market was then going through a transformation and Indigo Crafts ventured into the international market. With a strong focus on design, Indigo Crafts attracted and catered to many internationally recognised clients (wholesalers to retailers) in France, Italy, Spain, Denmark, Belgium, Japan, Australia, South Africa, Canada & the United States. The Product portfolio largely consisted of Home Furnishing products.
This exposure was a great learning experience for Indigo Crafts. Not only in terms of design, aesthetics and fashion but also on how advanced & evolved the international markets were. More importantly, the gaps in the Indian market became more apparent and visible.
The Indian market is changing dramatically now. With rising incomes, booming economy, penetration of the media and increasing social interaction, people are becoming more and more aware of their individuality, tastes and preferences. Wherein, each purchase they make, from the colour of their wallets to the watch they wear, the embroidery of the cushion in their house, the smell of the candle in their living room, is an expression of their individuality. An expression which states their character, their mood, their interpretation of fashion.
Coupled with this, there is a change in the commercial landscape as well. With the coming of huge retail chains, many mom & pop shops will be looking for a new product portfolio as their current business models will be stressed.
The Spirit of SerafiQ
SerafiQ realises this transformation and evolution of the market – from the supply side as well as from the demand side and aims to ‘distribute’ products to cater to this gap. Thereby, SerafiQ strives to be a Pioneer.
SerafiQ tries to inculcate a strong sense of design – design which is not only aesthetically beautiful but also functional, durable and well engineered. Thereby, SerafiQ strives to be a Creative.
SerafiQ tries to build products which are not existing in the market. But there is a latent demand for these. Thereby, SerafiQ strives to be an Inventor.
SerafiQ realises the power of talent. Thereby always promoting new talent and working with them, inspiring them, motivating them to explore themselves and bring out their true creativity and not restricting them to camouflaged plagiarism. Thereby, SerafiQ strives to be an artist.
We at SerafiQ, consciously learn from our history and keep an eye on the future whereby, we can not only retain the past glory but also add value to it. Enhance it, make it grow! We will consciously try to keep and nurture our inherited values of being honest, fair, transparent and progressive
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