The natural connection

Shalimar Bagh residents Akshit Goel and Shivangi Mittal talk about launching The Natural Wash, a skin and haircare brand, on bootstrapped budget in 2019, and their vision for its future
Products from The Natural Wash
Products from The Natural Wash

Akshit Goel and Shivangi Mittal have a lot in common. Both belong to business families and have a passion towards entrepreneurship. Their paths crossed during college days — Akshit at IP University and Shivangi at Delhi University, courtesy some common friends. The attraction was mutual.

“We developed feelings for each other, which soon turned into love and eventually became a lifelong promise,” says Akshit, 24. But before becoming life partners, they became business partners. “It was only after we started working together, we committed to each other,” he adds. “Working together made our relationship stronger,” says Shivangi, 23.

Products from The Natural Wash
Products from The Natural Wash

The two (residents of Shalimar Bagh) started The Natural Wash in 2019, and married early this year, following all Covid protocols. “The brand was founded in September 2019 from an idea that emerged during a discussion we had after graduating in 2018, about our future, our careers and everything around us. We thought of setting up a company that would provide people with the best quality natural skincare and haircare products at nominal rates,” says Akshit, Director, The Natural Wash. The initial days were tough as both were novices in the field, but gradually things fell into place.

Akshit first got the idea for the company upon seeing an ad for a homemade soap on Facebook. “I thought about making a completely natural soap. My mother doesn’t believe in medicines, and has a kitchen-based remedy for most health issues,”says Akshit, adding that it is this knowledge that he utilised to come up with natural soaps. “Our potato rice soap is a hot-selling item for its anti-tanning properties.”

On the work front, the couple have formed a system between themselves. “The Natural Wash is our kid and we consider our entire staff as family. We don’t mix our personal and professional lives. As a rule in the office, we are colleagues and don’t talk about home stuff. At home, we are spouses and don’t talk about the office,” says Shivangi, CEO, The Natural Wash. 

“Marrying the love of your life who is also your business partner might be a little stressful, but we never let these issues prevail for long. We don’t interfere in each other’s work, and at the same time, we appreciate and support one another in every decision; whether the result turns out good result or bad is immaterial,” says Akshit.

“Conversation is the key to a successful relationship. So when we have arguments, which are bound to occur, we give a patient hearing to one another. It’s the best way to tackle disagreement and show a little maturity,” says Shivangi. And where do they visualise themselves in future? “We have given ourselves three years to set up offline stores across India and internationally,”says Akshit confidently, adding, “Ours is a bootstrapped company, we began with `2 lakh of our own money, but in our first accounting year (2020-21) we had a turnover of `11 crore. So, I have very high hopes on my products.” 

What they like about each other
Passion towards life and dedication towards work

Interests
Akshit: Reading about psychology and giving motivational speeches
Shivangi: Reading about history, and travelling

Impact of  the 2020 lockdown
We grew stronger. This phase gave us more time to know and understand each other on a different level.

Conversation is the key to a successful relationship. So when we have arguments, which are bound to occur, we give a patient hearing to one another. It’s the best way to tackle disagreement and show a little maturity.

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The New Indian Express
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