Love yourself and everything will fall into place: while this might seem like just another flippant Instagram bio, a conversation with Ritika Jayaswal—she shuttles between the US and India—will only evince how firmly she believes in these words. The founder of Nourish Mantra, a Delhi-based Ayurvedic-inspired natural skincare brand, has done it all—worked in the family business and later, with companies in the consumer goods’ space; nurtured a brand that creates innovative products for the modern Indian consumer; experienced entrepreneurial burnout and recovered from it; and is now balancing her professional life across time zones among other things. We speak to Jayaswal about her journey as a brand founder and more. Edited excerpts…
You’ve completed a degree from Parsons School of Design, New York. How did your entrepreneurial journey commence?
After completing my education in India, I joined my family business [in iron and steel manufacturing] and later, I decided to Parsons—my interest was in consumer goods. After Parsons, I started working in New York with consumer goods companies. The busy life took a toll on my health. I’ve always been close to my grandfather, who would guide me with natural remedies. Later, when I made a trip to India, he convinced me to visit Kerala and meet Ayurvedic practitioners. When I experienced all of this firsthand, I saw the changes in myself. This was when I got into Vipassana. I was back in the US and worked with doctors and formulators [keeping in mind] my experiences inspired by Ayurveda. That’s how I created Nourish Mantra. I call it teamwork between me and my grandfather—it’s a combination of old-world wisdom and modern science.
How do you de-stress when you are not working?
Work certainly is stressful, but there is also a level of fulfilment and excitement I get from it. But I need to take breaks; I have learnt this the hard way. In the past, I would slog myself and I reached a level of burnout. That is when I had to take a step back. I love sports; I try to find any opportunity to play volleyball or cricket. Vipassana comes in handy too; it is a life-changing experience.
Is there one thing you think that an entrepreneur must know in order to build a successful business?
A new brand or entrepreneur must focus on inventory management. You do not want to be overstocked but you also don’t want to be understocked because the worst thing is when you have orders but you don’t have stock to fulfil that. Managing inventory, I think, is critical to any business.