Most individuals chase stability in their professional careers. However, there are a select few who are courageous enough to leave behind the comforts of working in a familial organization to venture out on the much precarious entrepreneurial path. The story of Zeal Shah is no different. The young entrepreneur founded Bare Body Essentials, a personal care brand in 2020. To do so Zeal left behind the comfort zone of her family business that has been running successfully for more than a century. She followed her passion to foray into the competitive world of startups and D2C and thus launched her brand successfully.

Living up to her namesake, Zeal is a passionate business leader who believes in being a thorough team player. She draws from her education background in pharma and prior experience in Ayurveda to take her brand to greater heights. Zeal also takes inspiration from her father Siddharth Shah who is the Director at Unjha Pharmacy. Having closely watched him successfully running his business for over 40 years while balancing his profession, family as well as personal growth has influenced Zeal’s leadership journey immensely. In a candid conversation with the Women Entrepreneur India magazine team Zeal speaks about her brand’s philosophy, her role within the organization and the challenges she has had to overcome to carve a niche in the Indian manufacturing space.

Take us through your early educational journey and prior industry experience that you bring to the table.

I did my Bachelors in Pharmacy from LJ Institute of Pharmacy, and then went on to do my MBA from University of Bath in UK. Post that I joined the family business of manufacturing and marketing of Ayurvedic Medicines at Unjha Pharmacy where I headed the research and manufacturing departments. With my education in pharmacy and experience in ayurveda, I was involved with launching many herbal solutions that were best suited for the modern lifestyle.

What motivated you to establish Bare Body Essentials? Tell us about the underlying idea behind the venture and some of its most unique features.

The modern lifestyle requires very different solutions than what has been in the market for generations. Even though people are now making more conscious, clean, and natural lifestyle choices when it comes to health, wellness and skin care, their lives have also become more hectic and stressful.

These changing lifestyles also demand a change in the solutions offered. With Bare Body Essentials we are trying to fill the gap between the Millennials and the GenZ. Both the sets of generations are now more aware and conscious about their concerns and choices. They now realize the need for self-care and self-love and at the same time also need easy to use and faster solutions for the same.

So, we wanted to fill the gap between balancing their choices with the lifestyle demands. As a result, Bare Body Essentials was established as a brand that resonates with the needs of modern individuals. We provide products that care for every concern of one’s body.

What are the various responsibilities you shoulder as the Director of Bare Body Essentials?

In my role at the company, I closely overview and handle end-to-end operations and workings of the brand. We are a start up with a small team and every part of the brand is just as important as the other. I believe I am a team player. I have always worked alongside my team, and strongly believe that success doesn’t come from one person but comes from a team working relentlessly towards one single goal. My primary focus areas are new product development with my team of dermatologists and scientists. The core idea of the brand is to provide the right solutions that work.

So far, the brand has been recognized and awarded with All India Business & Community Award for Business Excellence, Top 100 D2C brands by Green Honchos and the fastest Growing D2C Brand by Franchise India.

"Beginning the journey in The man’s world did not Come easy, but it did keep Getting easier with time. I did not allow that to Demotivate me, and while i Have been a good listener, It was also important To make sure that i was Heard"

Enumerate the various challenges you face as a leader in the manufacturing space. How do you overcome the roadblocks that you face?

While the world is becoming more accepting of women in a leadership position, it was not the same case 10 years ago. I had to face several authority issues when I began in the manufacturing world. Beginning the journey in man’s world did not come easy, but it did keep getting easier with time. I did not allow that to demotivate me, and while I have been a good listener, it was also important to make sure that I was heard.

The only way to move ahead was to keep going and that is what I did. I used to be the only woman in a room full of men at any meetings and conventions, but it feels great to see the proportion changing over years with more and more women entering the space of manufacturing as well as business.

What has been your success mantra? Drawing from your experience as a business leader, what would your advice be to young women and girls who also aspire to become business leaders and entrepreneurs in the future?

My only success mantra is to keep going and keep doing. There are a lot of ups and downs and successes and failures through any entrepreneurial journey, and you just take all those learning and keep moving ahead.

You Do You! It’s always the right time and the right place for what drives you! Don’t give anyone else permission to define who you are or what you can do!

Zeal Shah, Director,  Bare Body Essentials

An experienced leader in the Indian pharmaceutical manufacturing industry, Zeal Shah turned entrepreneur with her brand Bare Body Essentials in 2020. Armed with a Bachelors in Pharmacy from LJ Institute of Pharmacy, and an MBA from University of Bath in UK, she is building a clean and conscious brand for the modern Indian consumer.