Usually, when the third generation joins the family business, all their actions are under heavy scrutiny. The biggest challenge is carving their own space within the organisation. This is exactly what the second generation entrepreneur, Raghav Gupta, experienced when he joined the family-owned carpet business in 2020, started by his grandfather, Jitendra Kumar Gupta. Jitendra’s company is called Studio Sharda, manufacturer and one of the most creative floor fashion studios globally.
What Raghav and his father, Aditya, now run, is The Rug Republ ic (TRR) , which is an offshoot of Studio Sharda. It is the only global brand of handmade Indian rugs, poufs and accessories, selling in over 92 countries. “Retail is undergoing an ecommerce revolution, and we want to be a part of it. We believe using augmented reality and great customer service; buying rugs online will be a breeze soon,” says Raghav. The 22-year-old took over the e-commerce wing at TRR after completing his BSc in Math and Economics from the University of California, Los Angeles.
“I was still in college when I joined the business in 1990-91. I had no demarcated role as it was a small business and everyone was supposed to be doing everything. Over time, I took over the design and customer relations and business acquisition more actively. There was no pressure on me to join the family business. I did it out of passion, and so has Raghav,” says Aditya, 52, an engineer from Meerut, who moved with his family to Delhi when Raghav was 13. Isn’t working with your father tough? “Of course, it is!” Raghav acknowledges, adding, “Dad’s word is the rule but he doesn’t order me or boss around unnecessarily. We discuss all the issues and topics objectively.
I have complete autonomy to take a call in an issue, which is related to my department. When we disagree, we go by the rule of thumb to listen to the expertise from the particular field. For instance, my word holds good in the tech part, and dad is the boss for design, production and management. Since I’m creating a new wing, there is not much intersection, especially on front-end stuff. Our responsibilities are separate.” His dad notes, “We are both good at compartmentalisation, and don’t let disagreements in one field affect the other.” Other than work, the duo is as different as chalk and cheese.
While Aditya is more outdoorsy, who loves adventure, travel, photography and music, Raghav loves indoor games like chess and poker. “I also love cooking and mixology,” he adds. Being in a family business, the father and son find enough time to spend with each other. “With WFH these days, we have the entire family together at lunch and dinner,” says Aditya, agreeing the situation is challenging, and adds, “Compared to last year, the demand has been good. We could reimburse all our employees’ salary cuts during last year’s lockdown. Covid has got bad again, but we are confident that we will figure a way out. We function on the philosophy of Rethink, Rediscover, Renew.”