It was a bright, sunny afternoon in the city of Hyderabad. The businesswomen’s expo was humming with announcements, and vendors were organising their stalls while trying to attract visitors and potential customers. This was second year of a businesswomen’s expo at Hyderabad, which had been funded and supported by state agencies. Mrs. Rama Patlolla was not sure if enough people would stop by the booth of her startup, Ft.you. Her app was aimed at women who wanted to take better control of their fashion choices. Rama’s goal was to find paying subscribers.
At the expo, fewer than 100 customers signed up. It became evident to Rama that they did not have any form of digital marketing strategy in place, significantly complicating the customer acquisition process. Despite having some presence on social media, it failed to garner substantial followers. Given the product they offered and the value they provided, it was still essential to have a good social media presence and a carefully designed digital marketing strategy, notwithstanding the need to solve operational problems.
Setting the Stage
Before entering the realm of fashion and business, Rama served as a Vice President of software operation at Wells Fargo. While content with her job, she still wanted to create something of her own. In 2013, as she explored her options, she chose to collaborate with a few colleagues to develop an idea for a grocery delivery e-commerce platform. Unfortunately, the project stalled. Meanwhile, she joined another software engineering firm as a team leader. She managed it effectively, gaining extensive experience in overseeing large and diverse teams. This experience not only boosted her confidence but also fuelled her motivation to venture out on her own.
She ultimately made the decision to become her own employer and joined We Hub, India's first state-led incubator for women entrepreneurs. With a vision to provide women from diverse socio-economic backgrounds, demographics, and business scales with opportunities for entrepreneurship and economic empowerment, We Hub proved to be instrumental. While it offered invaluable assistance in establishing business relationships with various vendors, manufacturers, and stitching experts, it primarily focused on providing networking opportunities as a startup incubator. However, the founders, including Rama, had to independently cultivate market access.
During her time at We Hub, Rama explored image processing but soon recognized that the entry barriers were excessively high. Consequently, she reverted to her original interest—a more feasible yet competitive option: e-commerce. Similar to many startup founders, the concept of Ft.you originated from the personal experiences of both the founders, Rama and Saraswathi, as they were having their garments tailored, including both traditional Indian attire and contemporary fashion. It is noteworthy that in India, selecting fabrics and opting for personalized tailoring remains commonplace especially for females. This practice is also prevalent among males, though they constitute a smaller segment, though most of the tailors are males.