"We share a close and loving relationship like any other father and son, without a doubt. It is our bond, the understanding and respect we have for each other that has enabled us to take a business idea from the ground up," says Raj Gupta about his relationship with son Karan and co-partner at RG Biocosmetics, a skin care company with a number of brands under its umbrella.
Karan was a curious child, who’d often ask his father questions such as, "How is this done?" or "How does a machine produce a product?" These queries made Raj realise that Karan would take his business upward with his young entrepreneurial skills. "I was always interested in my father’s ideas and I respected his visionary sense," says Karan.
"Even after becoming business partners, that base of our relationship has not changed. In fact, dedicating ourselves towards a common entity (our company), our bond has only grown stronger. There were a few hiccups as it is with any business, but now it’s all going smoothly. I always make sure to involve his experiences in my planning so the end decision is strong and viable," he adds.
A patient father and risk-taking son make a great team. "What I lack, he fills in and vice versa. No matter what our personality differences, we always respect each other’s decision. So, our personalities hinge together in the perfect way to run our business," says Karan.
It was Raj who desired to venture into the personal care and grooming industry and create a range of herbal products dedicated to skincare and intimate hygiene. "I felt there was a clear gap in the Indian grooming industry due to a lack of natural hygiene management products, and so I launched Namyaa. The brand caters to hygiene products that are free of harmful chemicals, paraben and sulphate," says Raj. However, there is much more needed for a business to run smoothly, especially as the world is rapidly digitalising.
"Businesses today have to be an active participant in the digital revolution in order to be noticed. In 2017, Karan joined the organisation and used his expertise to provide all essential digital exposure to the business. He is very passionate and always does good research to understand the market requirements and his prime focus is always going digital," says the doting father, adding, "To be honest, our personal lives were somewhat affected at first. We would talk about work all the time and our relationship started to become purely about the business. However, we picked up on this problem early on. Now we have learned to pull each other up, respect each other’s personal time, and have grown much closer."
Even Karan has a few things to add about their work consuming their father-son ties. "We used to discuss business at dinner, in the morning and at the office. It was only when other family members started complaining that we took note. Now our home and time out with family are 100 per cent work-free zones. We do not discuss work and focus on our family life instead. We would like to offer this as advice to all other entrepreneurial families," he says.
Future plans Currently, the duo is planning to conduct in-depth research to discover different natural ingredients to develop more herbal and safe intimate care and personal hygiene products for both men and women. "Staying in touch with nature by bringing out a range of chemical-free products that fills the personal care void in an Indian man’s or woman’s life is our motto," concludes Karan.