In a free-wheeling conversation with TMM, Vikaas Gutgutia, founder, Ferns N Petals (FNP) talked about the secret 3Ps of his life and the recent collaboration of FNP with KWAN as a marriage of knowledge with marketing.
How did multiple businesses of FNP really happen? Is this space you always wanted to be in? Talk about your passion and how content you are with the present time.
I will say it’s a blend of hard work, passion, dedication and a pinch of luck that has made FNP a leader in the market. I always wanted to do something innovative and creative and then one incident gave me all the reasons to take that risk. It was my passion for my work that guided me all these years. I feel content at present because I managed to follow my heart and create a setup that is now looked up as an inspiration and benchmark too.
Today, the e-commerce market has taken over the power of the physical market. And FNP is the leading player in the world of online flowers and gifting. Talk about your vision for this segment.
When we started the online gifting section, the trend was not even there. The vision was to provide fresh flowers and gifts at the doorstep and create memories. The physical market has its own charm and trusts me, it will never fade away. As a visionary, I had been very clear with the things I wished for and the way all the verticals have grown over a period of time I feel blessed and at the same time, it is like a responsibility to give better than before.
FNP is the largest player in the world in the retail segment of flowers. Talk about the challenges of the sector.
The biggest challenge and USP of the sector is the nature of the products we deal in. Flowers are very fragile in nature and that is the best challenge to handle. But, with time we have learned the art and that’s the reason we are a leader.
Talk about the competitive market for FNP in India.
It is very fragmented in different cities where the local players are trying to match our pace, but overall, we are still the leaders and we are pushing every day to make it even bigger.
What is your crisis management strategy as a professional?
I guess since the very beginning of the company my vision had been to look at possibilities in every adversity and this is what I teach my employees too. Also, I always ask others to learn from the mistakes and use the opportunities as a tool to grow, because this is what I had been doing all these years.
Are you a risk taker or a full-proof planner as a professional?
(Laughs) Well, I don’t think there is anything called full-proof in any business. a risk is always an integral part of any business. Having said that, one thing that is inevitable is a passion for what you do. When you are passionate about your work, you push boundaries and that is where the success lies.
How do you see the recent collaboration of FNP with KWAN? What all services will be provided as an entertainment solution?
We feel that the entertainment sector in our country is completely unorganized. This collaboration is actually a marriage of knowledge with marketing that will help the two established brands with expertise in their sector to work together and shape up the entertainment sector that caters to every strata of the Indian society.
Any guidelines you would like to advise to the young entrepreneurs?
The magic lies in the 3 Ps and I had been following all these years. First of all, you need to be passionate about what you wish to pursue and then practice makes your expertise in the sector. Once both these are in place, persistence is the key that leads your way in the competitive world. Also, being true to yourself works as a topping and makes the road to success easy to travel and conquer.
What are your future plans for the company?
Our vision is to expand all the verticals and also step towards starting FNP Homes, a total interiors and textural solution that will be about luxury interiors of homes, a venture that will give customers, architects, interior designers and home decorators not only a wide choice of options but also the experience that can be curated. We are also planning to get into the food business, as food and catering is an integral part of the catering world. So, these two new ventures are in the pipeline and we will be announcing the details very soon.
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