ICONIC WOMAN - MAYA VARMA

Maya aya Varma - Cofounder, Chief Brand & Product Officer Of JOKER & WITCH AND TEEJH, Multitasker Maya is an accessory designer from NIFT Delhi, over 13+ years working across design, retail & e-commerce, her obsession with jewellery began when as a kid she would make jewellery and bags out of broken beads, stones and discarded cardboard. Jewellery for her is not just a piece of adornment but rather an important element of self-expression. She strongly believes that every day, every mood deserves a jewellery of its own. This edition she shares her Pathway to success with Perfect Woman.

- Karisma T

How was your startup business journey? 

Joker & Witch started in 2015, from our 2-bedroom flat where we spent many late nights packing & processing hundreds of orders by ourselves. As newlyweds, we had quit our comfortable jobs and being first-generation entrepreneurs, we started the business with a capital of mere 2 lakh Rupees. The initial years saw many ups and downs, making it an extremely rigorous, hands on and challenging experience. Both of us handling everything from figuring out product manufacturers to managing e-commerce marketplace channels, from photography and content creation to setting up our website from scratch, from understanding intricacies of finance and taxation to packing & dispatching orders by ourselves. These memories become gold if we fast forward to today remembering all the milestones we crossed in our journey till date. From attaining an accelerated growth of 200% in last three years, growing from a team of 3 to a team of 94, partnering with GlobalBees brands and being awarded the Most Admired D2C brand of the year 2023 (Accessories & Lifestyle) , we’ve come a long way from where we started. 

What were the challenges you faced while setting up the brand?