HYDERABAD: A typical scene in an office, will have plenty of documents kept enclosed in a cupboard and people glued to their computer screens. But the scene inside the office of gamlaa.com is different. You will see around 400-500 types of plants placed around the office.
In a bid to start their own enterprise, Rohit Pandiyal and Shri Sakhare zeroed upon the idea of starting an e-commerce site, after quitting their jobs in the IT sector. Whether one wants indoor, outdoor, flowering or medicinal plants, climbers or creepers, their website provides all the kinds of plants.
Along with that, one will also get to buy suitable pots and gardening tools.
Ask them why they came up with this particular idea and Shri says, “We were looking for an idea through which we will could create a social impact. While doing our research we found out that there are many websites available where one can buy merchandise, jewellery or any other product but there isn’t any where one can buy saplings for their home. That’s when we decided to start gamlaa.com where we will sell saplings.”
While Rohit and Shri have been with the company since January 26, 2013, the day when the website was inaugurated, Mayur Oswal joined them later.
Every newbie has to go through various challenges during their initial phases, so did the duo. Elaborating on the hurdles they faced Shri says, “With no background in horticulture, we had difficulty in understanding the requirements of the business. We got in touch with a horticulture expert who helped us.”
With the theme ‘Nature at your doorstep’ in mind, the duo decided to not only deliver saplings, but also felt the need to plant saplings in a pot before delivering it to their customer. And the average number of orders they get in a day range from 50-100 plants. “Most people buy in bulk and the maximum requirements come from areas like Banjara Hills, Jubilee Hills, Hi-tech city and Kondapur.” The company also offers customers the facility to help people choose plants that suit their needs. “They have a team which will visit them and suggest plants that will suit the decor,” informs Shri.
To add on to the contemporary ways of growing plant, the co-founders also considered adding vertical gardening to their list of initiatives.
Talking about new plant rearing techniques Shri says, “Hydroponic way of growing plants is now in. In this method, plants are grown using mineral nutrient solutions, in water, without soil. Apart from that, Terrarium plants are also preferred now as they look attractive.”
They also provide plants for gifting purpose.