Enterprise: Bharat Enterprise

Founder: Kusum Jajoo

Year it was founded: 2003

Industry: Fashion & Fashion Accessories

Location: Mumbai, Maharashtra 

Succeeding as an export business is no easy task. The choppy waters that comprise the global economy require consummate skill to navigate. Kusum Jajoo has been running Bharat Enterprise for 15 years. She exports textiles and readymade garments around the world to Dubai, U.K, countries in Africa, Malaysia and Sri Lanka among other countries. Over the years she has overcome many challenges including language barriers, identifying buyers in foreign countries and logistics. Under Kusum’s leadership Bharat Enterprise has obtained ‘One-Star Certification’ as an export house by the Government of India. Her big business dream is to scale up and achieve ‘Five-Star Certification’ in time. This is a distinction granted to the largest export houses in India.

In conversation with GlobalLinker (GL) Kusum Jajoo (Kusum) shares the journey of Bharat Enterprise.

GL: Tell us about your export business.

Kusum: Bharat Enterprise is a 15-year-old enterprise. We are an export company and our product range includes textiles and readymade garments. We are recognised by the government of India as a ‘One Star’ Export House. We export to different countries like Dubai, U.K, Africa, Malaysia, Sri Lanka and Myanmar.

The foundation for starting an export business has been laid down very nicely by the Indian government. I found the export-import procedures simple when I was starting out and as I have continued my business journey.

GL: How did you identify your export products?

Kusum: Coming from a country where people like to dress in beautiful colours, I always wished to bring our culture to the world. Given the abundance of textile manufacturing in our country, I never had to go too far to select products for export.

I always believed in providing the best products at reasonable prices. The idea was never to target a particular segment of society. We always wanted to be mainstream in our appeal.

GL: What has been the key to expansion in your business journey?

Kusum: Once I began exporting, expansion was always on the cards. People started believing in our brand and the quality of service that we provided. One thing led to another and through hard work and perseverance, our company soon was registered as One Star Export House - an achievement of note and a mark of recognition from the government.

I believe that long-term business relationships are important in the international trading market. Good contacts can be hard to find, so it is prudent to develop good relationships.

Once we garner feedback from our customers, we improve our products and come up with a variety of ideas which have benefited our business and our customers worldwide.

For us, our client has always been treated as part of our family and we are always transparent in our dealings. We follow industry best practices in this regard and don’t compromise on quality.

GL: What challenges have you faced in establishing your business?

Kusum: I have made mistakes, created blunders, incurred losses. All this is a learning curve which helped me reach where I am.

Many challenges were faced while establishing the business such as a difficulty in finding overseas customers, payment methods, language barriers, geography and logistics. The thirst to excel pushes the entrepreneur to greater heights and thus I have been able to overcome all challenges.

GL: What is your big business dream?

Kusum: Our big business dream is to become a 5-star Export house. This is a distinction awarded by the government for exporters with business exceeding INR 5,000 crore (USD~720 million).

GL: What is your message to aspiring entrepreneurs?

Kusum: My message to aspiring entrepreneurs is to make honesty and transparency a business ethic.

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