Startup Story – How Ferns and Petals became India’s largest flower and gift retailer

INDEX:

1. Vikaas Gutgutia – The Founder

2. The birth of Ferns and Petals

3. The Break-even Point

4. The success of Ferns and Petals

The Founder

Vikaas Gutgutia is the proud owner of Ferns and Petals. Starting this business was just a dream in the beginning. Still, crossing all the hurdles and ignoring the disapproval of relatives and friends, Vikaas Gutgutia kept true to his vision and started his company Ferns and Petals in 1994. This company is now very successful and has a retail chain of 80 stores throughout India. Let’s dive into the inspiring story of Vikaas Gutgutia.

The Birth of Ferns and Petals

Gutgutia comes from a Marwari family from a small village in Bihar. After he completed schooling in the town, Gutgutia moved to Kolkata for higher studies. His father and uncle had started a flower business in the city. His uncle’s floral shop became a learning ground for him. After college hours, Gutgutia used to help his uncle in the shop every day. 

His uncle’s shop was the only air-conditioned floral shop in the whole of Kolkata. The concept of bouquets and floral designs introduced to Kolkata from this shop. 

After finishing high school, Gutgutia moved to Delhi. He found his inspiration and the entrepreneurship skills lying dormant within him. He mentioned in an interview that he was not overly ambitious and had never even dreamt of becoming an entrepreneur. It was just that he took the opportunity he got and worked it out.

At that time, there were stand-alone shops or delivery modules in the flower delivery business. Gutgutia opened the first Ferns and Petals shop from the 2.5 lakh he borrowed from his friend. Initially, there were only four employees in this shop, and it did not see any profits as the street and footpath florists dominated the floral industries at that time. 

He was a bit demotivated as he realized that the whole business needs to be built from scratch. 

But, in the end, he developed an end to end business process. He handpicked the right seeds, took care of proper cultivation, searched and hired reliable vendors, managed to rent a large storage facility, and finally, a timely delivery. This was a vast process, and Gutgutia struggled to find ends meet from time to time. He mentioned in an interview that the profits from this company were seen only after 2001.

The Break-even Point

After a while, despite its initial success, Gutgutia’s small shop was sealed by the government of Delhi on the grounds of no authorization. 

This devastates Gutgutia, and he eventually himself in the position of any other footpath florist. Despite this unfortunate series of events, he realized that he still had his old customers. So, Gutgutia bought a cordless phone and carried it around with him all day. Whenever a client used to come, they contacted him through this phone. At the same time, Gutgutia explored new opportunities by visiting banquet halls and enquiring about their floral needs. This landed him a contract with Taj Palace Hotel in 1997. 

After the opening of 15 more shops gradually and seven tough years, the company finally saw the light as profits started to roll in. The brand name finally established, and Ferns and Petals started getting more orders from banquet halls. The primary income was from wedding ceremonies and floral requirements for it. This was in 2001, and the profits began to increase gradually every year. 

Gutgutia mentioned that the company’s success is because of the advancement of technology. Ferns and Petals entered the new era of digital marketing and online purchase. This was one of the best things that happened to the company as it received a lot of orders. The Ferns and Petals website started in 2002 and extended across 93 Indian cities. In its 23 years of operation, Ferns and Petals remained in the top position of the floral sector. This company inspired many other websites and platforms like Florista.

The success of Ferns and Petals

Recently, Gutgutia mentioned that the floral company Ferns and Petals would start delivering worldwide, and this operation was a success. Around two years back, this company successfully launched its services in other countries. It was an instant hit as the website started receiving a large number of orders and even in bulk. The company later decided to extend its services beyond flowers. Hence, they began delivering cakes, gifts, and many more. This was one of the best decisions taken as many people started ordering gifts for their loved ones and cakes for birthdays. Ferns and Petals see a lot of orders and profits when it nears Valentine’s day as many people order cakes and flowers worldwide to celebrate with their loved ones. The company delivers in the US, UK, Germany, UAE, Australia and many other countries. 

Hence, it can be concluded by mentioning that Vikaas Gutgutia’s effort and dedication was not in vain and, on the contrary, resulted in considerable success in the floral industry.