“The more I work, the more energised I feel. And I personally feel that the best time for a woman who loves to work is always after 55, when she is over with her worldly duties, has settled her children and can give her best time to something that she enjoys and loves to do.
So for me at the age of 57, it just is a beginning for me,” says Noida-based home entrepreneur Bindu Chopra, who founded Ahad, a brand which features about 30 varieties of hand crafted soaps, a range of other organic beauty products, candles, studio pottery among others elements of home decor.
In a conversation with The Morning Standard she reveals what led to start her journey into the sustainable. “A woman is like the flower that has to be nurtured well. Ahad, is also about self-love. Too often, I would go and window shop and get back with the desire to possess a dresser full of aromatic skin care products, candles on tables, and greens. I had given enough years in looking after a home but do something that churned out my creativity.
There was nothing better to dive myself into just that!” According to her the clients had a rolling time during the National lockdown. “We bonded more than ever. I held quizzes, lucky draw, we shared our pictures of the families and grew stronger as the ahad family, than mere the client relationship. Ahad was back in action with its Gratitude Sale week in July, which I felt my clients deserved for having waited to see the products go back on shelves to buy.” she says.
She sheds light on the sustainable aspect of the brand, ranging from manufacturing to packaging. According to her, “Nothing beats home-made products. Ahad believes in less to zero packaging. The soaps are almost bare! And clients love the new concoctions that we bring out every three months. There is 100 per cent customer loyalty.
The soaps are done by my partner friend. We spend hours on discussing, trying it out, to bringing out samples for the clients before we go in for bigger quantities. This has been our style of work since almost 4.5 years now.” Chopra gives the lowdown into her expansion plans. “Gradually, the brand is moving more towards the ethnic home decor range.
Covid-19 gave me time to plan the Rakhsha range and execute. We have added home accessories like the rustic dhuna, traditional urilies, candles to Ahad very recently and shall continue adding more,” she adds. Products can be bought from her Instagram handle @ ahadsoapboutique
Sustainability is on a all-time high
A variety of items keeps the entrepreneur motivated and challenges her creativity to bring out sustainability aspect to the featured innovated products at her store