Making her Presence Felt

Sheela realised her dream of being an entrepreneur with V-Star. Today, her company exports 20% of its products to Gulf countries and is beginning to make its presence felt across Europe and Australia.

Sisir Pradhan | March 2016 Issue | The Dollar Business

Sheela Kochouseph Promoter, V-Guard Industries and Founder, V-Star

When Sheela Kochouseph tied the knot with Kochouseph Chittilappilly, it was at a time when he was trying to make a mark in the field of electrical equipment manufacturing. That was 40 years back. Today, together, they run a group (V-Guard Group) that has diversified into many segments, which includes two listed companies: V-Guard Industries and Wonderla Holidays Ltd. While the electrical product and equipment manufacturing arm, V-Guard Industries, remains the flagship brand, the Group has also made its presence felt in the amusement park segment through the Wonderla brand. The total market cap of V-Guard Industries is about Rs.2,500 crore, and as one of the promoters of the company, Sheela holds 11.08% of total share (FY2015). Similarly, Wonderla Holidays has a market cap of about Rs.1,900 crore, in which she holds 12.47% of total share. But then, the success of the Group has not let her sit on the laurels of her illustrious husband. She took the challenge to make the Group’s foray into the readymade garments segment under the brand name V-Star. She realised that there's a good market for affordable, quality garments. Initially, when she set up the company in 1995, it was a women’s apparel brand, but later the company started to manufacture innerwear and garments for all segments. The company already exports to the Gulf countries, and has also initiated efforts to make its presence felt in the European and Australian markets.

On January 20, 2011, V-Star Creations hit the headlines of national newspapers when the company took a strong stand against nokku kooli – a practice of paying trade unions to ensure hassle-free functioning – which heralded the beginning of a change in work culture in the state. Gradually, the administration started initiatives to curb trade unions. The Cochin-based company is one of the few business houses in Kerala which has earned its fortune from the domestic market, which is unlike many other companies from the state that have grown primarily due to earnings from the Gulf region. She realised the market potential for quality innerwear much before international brands, and under Sheela's leadership, V-Star has become a popular ready-to-wear apparel brand. With its stylish spread of fashion and lifestyle products, V-Star is now a leading lifestyle brand in India and the Middle East.

"Every woman should be financially independent" – that's an aspect of women empowerment that she feels shouldn't be ignored.

TDB: Kerala is not considered an ideal place for labour-intensive business. In the initial years, when you were setting up your business, did this thought come to your mind? What were some of the major hurdles that you faced?

Sheela Kochouseph (SK): ​In the initial stage, it was quite difficult to keep the business operations of V-Star running smoothly because of unnecessary labour-related matters, and we spent too much time to overcome the same. Fortunately, now it’s showing signs of improvement.

TDB: What made you take up entrepreneurship? And to what do you attribute your success?

SK: Even when I was very young, I always dreamt of being an independent woman with my own business, and doing my bit for the community. When I got married and settled, this was always there at the back of my mind.

Once I noticed that the clothes that were available in the market were of poor quality, and were not scientifically cut or aesthetically made, I started thinking, “Why couldn’t we manufacture garments that were brighter and softer like imported fabric? Why couldn’t we make clothes that fit perfectly?” The raw material was readily available in our country. Only the right machinery and technology had to be introduced.

And I decided, “I will start from the basics – right-fitting clothes, with the look and feel of international quality material.”That’s how I ventured into V-Star, and then moved on to innerwear and other comfortable lounge-wear for men, women and kids.

A lot of intensive research, planning and hard work has gone into this venture. After all these years, even today, I find time to personally monitor each department. Thankfully, I have the best team of employees to support me.

TDB: Have you experienced any changes in the business environment of the state, as compared to when you started out?

SK: In the initial stage, business environment was not very favourable. Fortunately, the situation has improved a lot now.

TDB: Please share some of the most challenging moments for your business and how did you overcome them?

SK: The market was quite tough initially, and we had to face challenges from products which were brought from Mumbai or Delhi. Later our customers recognised our products on the basis of quality and trust. And now we have reached a level of branding which international products claim.

TDB: Chittilappilly-family promoted companies are into many sectors. What has been your role in the growth and expansion of the Group? How important is the overseas market for the growth of the company?

SK: In the initial stage, V-Guard Group didn’t have a major presence in the garment industry and market. I have filled that gap by starting V-Star. We are already exporting V-Star to the GCC countries and we have set the ball rolling to make our presence felt in the European and Australian markets as well. We export 20% of our products and are planning to increase this number in the future.

TDB: What was your reaction when your company received its first export order?

SK: It was a very small order, and I was thrilled.

TDB: You have ventured into some of the highly competitive segments, both in the domestic and overseas markets. How do you deal with competition?

SK: I believe the best quality products with proper ad campaigns can compete in any market across the globe with any brand, even though it may take some time. Our priority is to cater to the demands of our customers and so far we have succeeded in doing that. The exceptional quality of V-Star products has made it a brand name synonymous with comfort, and people from different walks of life consider the brand as their very own fashion statement.

TDB: What are your expansion plans?

SK: We have already increased our production capacity to meet the growing demand. We have an excellent distribution network with sincere and committed dealers. Still, to take it a step closer to the customer, we have established our exclusive brand outlets (EBOs). A few more EBOs will be opened shortly in all the major towns across the country. We are ready to proclaim our presence in the North Indian states very soon. V-Star is all set for lateral growth too. New ideas are in the pipeline, and very soon other trendsetting, youthful lifestyle products will grace the shelves at the EBOs.

TDB: What would be your advice to all those, especially women, who want to take a plunge into entrepreneurship in general, and exports and imports in particular?

SK: Every woman should be financially independent, and only then she can get respect from her family and society. I have not found any challenges only because I am a woman. I think it is the attitude what matters. I blame husbands who always protect their wife like a mother hen. Train them to be independent from day one if you love her. Because if she has the fate to live alone, she has to survive. Don’t programme her to be dependent on others, let it be her father, brother, husband, or son or anybody else. This is my success mantra.

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