The inception of KE Healthcare (in 2019) has an interesting back story. “The corporate hustle, weather, and pollution in Gurugram had put a reasonable amount of stress on my body. It manifested in the form of rashes, which turned into a chronic skin condition (urticaria), affecting my physical and mental health,” says Shreedha Singh, 30, who co-founded the brand with husband, Param Bhargava.
As visits to multiple allopathic doctors yielded little results, the couple turned to an Ayurveda centre in Kochi, Kerala. “Their medication worked wonders, and I started seeing results on her within a few months,” says Bhargava, 33. Inspired, the two decided to make such impactful products accessible to everyone. This is how Khadi Essentials, the beauty and wellness brand, was conceived in 2019. Two years later, they launched The Ayurveda Co.
“Thanks to my father, a businessman, I was exposed to the blueprint of running a business at a young age. The spark of entrepreneurship was further ignited after working with various corporates for nine years in different verticals such as Sales & Marketing, Brand Management, Brand Development, and Product Development & Setting up Distribution Channels. So, when Shreedha evinced interest in business, I jumped at it,” says Bhargava.
The two first met in 2014 while working at Volvo Asia Vehicles; she was with the HR department and he was in sales. “We initially bonded over work, but soon I realised we had more things in common, including our work ethics and responsibility towards our respective families and society,” says Singh, to which Bhargava adds, “I instantly liked her. The first time I saw her, I told my parents I had found the girl I wanted to marry.” The couple got married in 2017.
Nailing the work-life balance
The duo balances work and life beautifully by giving equal importance to both areas. “Who you are as a person shows profoundly in your work. Balancing work and family does not come by creating boundaries, but prioritising these at different times,” says Singh. “Sometimes, balancing the two is a challenge, but never have we compromised one for the other,” says Bhargava.
While both work on brand strategy and product development at the organisational level, each one has a set of responsibilities and departments to lead. He handles Procurement & Supply Chain Management, Domestic & International e-commerce marketplaces & Operations and New Business Development, and she heads Brand Management, Content & Community and Digital & Performance Marketing with Scaling up the D2C Sales. But again, these are not water-tight compartments; when one is stuck, the other pitches in.
Doesn’t working and living together, and agreeing on everything the other says, have negative implications?
“It can, and that’s why we have healthy discussions on our disagreements, till either he or I get convinced. At times, when there is a power charge and nobody wants to give in, we hit the pause button and take up the discussion later,” says Singh. “All our discussions are constructive, and targeted towards the growth of the organisation,” adds Bhargava.
Initial attraction
The two first met in 2014 while working at Volvo Asia Vehicles; she was with the HR department and he was in sales. “We initially bonded over work, but soon I realised we had more things in common, including our work ethics and responsibility towards our respective families and society,” says Singh, to which Bhargava adds, “I instantly liked her. The first time I saw her, I told my parents I had found the girl I wanted to marry.”