Aditya Gupta’s parents started Sharda Exports by making carpets at their home in Meerut in 1983. Today, the business exports to 85 countries and has also launched its eCommerce business..

Mountaineer, TEDx speaker and Founder of The Rug Republic, Aditya Gupta, a professional from the field of business and manufacturing scaled Mount Everest in 2019 at the age of 50 years.

In this interview with PeakLife, Aditya shares his professional journey and success story and much more.

What was the whole idea behind The Rug Republic and how did it all commence?

TRR’s origin can be traced to the year 1983 when my parents, J.K. Gupta and Meenakshi Gupta started a small carpet making operation in Meerut, a small town 60 km north of Delhi. My brother Ashish Gupta and I took it global once we came on board 8 years later. Little did we knew that the unit which parents had set up in their garage with 6 weavers, will one day turn into an industry leader, directly or indirectly supporting around 5,000 families, and supplying rugs to more than 90 countries.

Everything does not really have a romantic story; or rather not every love story starts like a poem! The idea behind starting The Rug Republic was born out the idea of providing retailers faster lead times, lower MOQs and ready to go styles. These two are classic difficulties for buyers in the usual export model. Our aim is to bring the beauty of contemporary Indian Handmade rugs to every country in the world and we believe TRR’s model is one way to achieve that.

 

How did the passion for mountaineering get you?

The initial interest in outdoors and nature trips was ignited in my college days at IIT Roorkee, I joined our activity club named Himalayan Explorers Club (HEC) and a love affair for life was born.

In 1987, I went to Pindari Glacier as my first expedition and since then there has been no looking back. In 1991, I did a course in mountaineering at Nehru Institute of Mountaineering, Uttarkashi, and going on serious expeditions became something of keen interest for me.

In some sense, the final frontier of this hobby is to climb Mount Everest. Every mountaineer is charmed by Everest and at some point, but we often assume that we can’t climb it in reality because it is too complicated and dangerous. In 2008-09, during my Brahmaputra rafting expedition, a campfire conversation around trying to climb the Everest happened, and I thought to myself, ‘Why not?’ So, I first tried climbing Everest in 2014 but due to a major avalanche which killed 16 people, I had to return without the mission being accomplished.

Adventure has a tremendous positive impact on me – physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually.

Could you describe your association with CRY and why only CRY?

Being in the handmade rugs business has kept us connected to the cause of children’s welfare. We have donated to CRY and several others from time to time. These times are such that there is a heightened need for resources for this most vulnerable set – India’s children. All profits from the sale of the book ‘7 lessons from Everest’ will be donated to CRY and are aimed towards helping thousands of children across CRY projects in India.

To ensure wellbeing of Covid affected children across all ages and socio-economic backgrounds. whether directly or indirectly. There are also other CRY projects about preventing young girls from getting into prostitution for instance that these funds support. We are trying to raise about 1cr rupees for CRY and have done about 70 lacs so far.

 

How did you come up with the name for your company?

It is a brand which has products for all tastes and price points. Just like a “Republic”. The Rug Republic is a Republic of fashionable homes. It is not a snooty brand only for high priced rugs.

It offers exceptional value for money are all price points because different areas of a home have different applications and needs for rugs and accessories. We played with various names but settled for this one.

Our name is loved by our buyers around the globe and communicates what it stands for – style and substance for all. Class, we believe is matter of taste, not price.

Could you tell us about the culture in your organisation and how did you establish it?

We believe in being “Reliable, Responsible and Creative”. Reliability does not come by just wishing for it. It comes by rigors of discipline on processes and consistency. Being “responsible” today is not just about customer service and product quality.

It is a about environmental and social responsibility. It is about looking at things via the prism of responsibility towards sustainability and well being of all stake holders – workers to owners to clients. Creativity comes from experimenting and exposure.

It is not just about talent, it is about trials without presumptions. Our work culture fosters the above traits we offer to our clients. We have a very strong program of incentives for good results and we have a profit-sharing program with 45 of our key role players.

Do you believe there is some sort of pattern or formula to becoming a successful entrepreneur?

No, “formula,” I think. It is an attitude. It is about resilience, problem solving and tenacity of purpose. It is about boundless energy to work hard in the face of challenges. It is about emotional intelligence to connect with people up and down the value chain.

If you had to suggest 5 must read books during the pandemic, what would they be?

1. Atomic Habits by James Clear

2. Being Mortal by Dr.Atul Gawande

3. Thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahnemann

4. Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer

5. 21Lessons for the 21st Century, by Yuval Noah Harari

 

What key activities would you recommend entrepreneurs to invest their time in?

Self-improvement is an ongoing process. Joining courses of interest, reading, or listening to content which help us in understanding ourselves as well as key business aspects which apply to their business. Personal wellbeing is of course paramount. Exercise. Travel. But eventually, it is to each their own!

Any advice you would give for our budding entrepreneurs?

Let me borrow from my “7 Lessons from Everest”

Using the “power of focus” while “expecting to deal with the unexpected” and moving “one step at a time” while being “friends with fear” can help you achieve anything. Everest is just a metaphor for anything challenging that one decides to achieve. The principles are the same. If an ordinary person like me can climb Everest anyone can do anything- that’s the biggest learning.