Abhishek Kothari is an entrepreneur dealing in home furnishings - sofa tapestry, curtains, bed-linen, wallpapers etc. He also deals in wooden floors.

Born and brought up in Udaipur, Abhishek started his furnishings showroom in Ashwini Bazar about 15 years ago with the name Decent Floors and Furnishings. His family had a background of having readymade garments shops-members of his family owned and still own many garments shops in Udaipur. But he was more inclined towards starting a business in the fabric line. His younger brother’s father-in-law is a manufacturer of curtains. Due to his inspiration and support Abhishek started his furnishings business.

Reaching out to the customers

Abhishek began his business in a different and new way.

I did not wait for the customer to come to my shop, and rather reached to him or her proactively.

Instead of waiting for the customer to turn up at his shop, he reached the niche customers at their homes and offices and fulfilled their demands. He also contacted the architects and interior designers at their offices, showed them the catalogues and secured orders from them. All this was tough initially, but it was because of such hard work that he has reached where he is in the business today.

Understanding the customer is his success mantra

Abhishek’s success mantra is that to establish a good business you must fully and thoroughly understand the needs and demands of your customers.

Understanding the needs of your customer is important to succeed in your business.

He says that what quality product does the customer want and what is the customer’s budget, you must grasp this fully. Then you must adhere to timelines, prompt delivery, product quality and competitive rates. He claims that his firm has maintained all these up till now and promises to maintain the same standard in future.

No setbacks till now

Abhishek says that he has not faced any big setback in his business till date. He is also confident that if a setback happens in future, he along with his brother, will definitely be able to overcome it.

Sacrificed family time to focus on business

Talking about sacrifices which he has had to make, he concedes that, in the initial years, he and his brother concentrated too much on establishing their business sacrificing family time.

We had to sacrifice being with our families in order to focus on our business.

They opened their showroom 365 days, and so they could not find much time to spend with their family or kids. They could not take out their kids to melas or festivals. But, he feels content that due to all this initial hard work they have reached a high point in their business career.

Parents and brother as core strengths

Abhishek credits his father and mother for being his core strength. He also is full of praise for his brother who he says worked in Eureka Forbes before entering into business. He was adjudged India’s best salesman by the company for four years consecutively. Abhishek says his brother has been the core strength of their business venture. He also is in awe of his mother who has stood shoulder to shoulder with his father since he started his garments business 45 years ago.

My brother worked for some time in Eureka Forbes and was adjudged All India Best salesman, and when he joined our business, we did wonders.

Sells all kinds of furnishings

Abhishek says that he is dealing mainly in home furnishings which include curtains, sofa cloth, bedsheets and bed-linen, wallpapers, wooden floors, motorized curtains, blinds and anything in home furnishings. He has always stocked goods of all top brands of India under one roof of his shop and catered to whatever has been the demands of his customers. His firm mainly deals with corporate houses, hospitals etc and with customers with big houses or bungalows

No shortcuts in business

Abhishek’s message for new entrepreneurs entering this business is to remember that there are no shortcuts in business.

There are no shortcuts in business. You will have to build your business with your diligence and hard work.

He advises young entrants that you must value your customers’ feedback and suggestions. You must visit them again and again to secure an order without losing patience and always be eager to resolve their complaints.

Cricket is his passion in free time

Abhishek’s idea of fun is playing cricket. He says he loves playing cricket a lot and does so whenever he finds time. He also likes to spend time with his family and takes them out every Sunday.