PEAKLIFE gets in conversation with Chaitanya Davda, Co-Founder, Vocal for Local – a social commerce mobile app enabling entrepreneurs to scale their home businesses.
A social commerce platform empowering home entrepreneurs to scale their businesses, Vocal for Local caters to sellers across three main categories of homemade and handmade products namely Food, Handicrafts and Beauty and Wellness.
Before Vocal For Local, the market for home entrepreneurs was fragmented, unorganised and without great visibility, resulting in them being unable to grow beyond a point. With their aim “Home Hongey Kaamyaab”, Vocal for Local strives to bring their voices forward,
In candid conversation with co-founder Chaitanya Davda, PEAKLIFE explores the brand’s conception, visions, and his entrepreneurial journey.
1. What was the whole idea behind launching VFL? And how did the idea for this business come about?
We were itching to start something of our own together. Sometime towards the end of July 2020, Mihir Turakhia (now my partner and the co-founder of Vocal for Local, VFL) approached me with the idea of launching a platform for home businesses across multiple categories. There existed a huge gap in the market for the home entrepreneurs to showcase their talents. The pandemic accelerated and amplified the business idea and plan and thus began our entrepreneurial journey.
2. How did you come up with the name for your company? Can you tell us about your best selling product and services?
We played around with a few names but nothing quite stuck like “Vocal For Local”. It was a phrase being used widely by the Government and Media so we felt it resonated with the public. Also, in a sense our mobile app is doing exactly that – we are giving a voice (Vocal) to Home Entrepreneurs (Local) to enable them to scale their businesses, ideas and dreams.
We have sellers across 3 categories – Food, Handicrafts and Beauty and Wellness products. In the few months since launching the app, we have seen most orders in the Food category. A few of the popular items have been Healthy Wraps, Dips and Sauces, Artisanal Chocolates and Desserts etc. all made by home chefs.
3. Please share your experience in setting up the ‘VFL’?
It has truly been a rollercoaster ride! Ups, downs, and everything happened so quickly! We were lucky to have chosen a good and capable agency to design and develop the app. We also carved out clear roles for both of us so that we could get into the market as fast as possible. We incorporated the company exactly a year ago and in this period we have successfully built, tested, and launched the app for both Android and Apple. We also got on board three hard working women to help with Seller Onboarding and Customer Service and some experienced consultants to help with Social Media, Marketing, and other key integrations. We now have over 8000 downloads and 250+ sellers with more than 2500 products listed on the app. This is only the beginning and we hope to grow bigger, faster, and stronger!
4. According to you, what are the key factors that make a great entrepreneur?
Fire in the belly and the will to make your idea/business plan work. Patience is another virtue as you will encounter several stumbling blocks and naysayers along your entrepreneurial journey but you just need to stay focussed, chin up and strive forward.
5. Who do you consider an inspiration when it comes to being an entrepreneur in the Social Commerce space?
We take inspiration from various personalities and brands in new age businesses – Jack Ma (Alibaba), Instagram, Koo, Flipkart, Zomato, Swiggy, Dream11 etc.
6. Could you tell us more about VFL’s products and services and how it is different from what the competitors offer? What products can we see and where can we buy them from?
We enable every household to have an additional source of income by providing access to new customers beyond their immediate location. Our app is a unique platform for users to discover and support home businesses and we aim to give a seamless user experience through the entire process.
Our differentiators include:
1. Exclusive platform for Home Businesses – On our platform, Home Entrepreneurs only compete with each other and not with Commercial Establishments.
2. Multiple Categories – We go beyond Food to include Handicrafts and Beauty & Wellness products.
3. Seller Friendly – Fair Commercial Structure, Visibility & delivery across the city
and Pre-orders and time slots to name a few.
4. Flexibility – For Sellers for their inventory and product management and for customers with pre-orders and time slot choices.
5. Asset light business model
6. Easy to use App UI/UX
On the app you can find an assortment of handmade and homemade products in the three categories which are all made with love, heart and dreams of our sellers.
7. If you had to suggest 5 must read marketing books during the pandemic, what would they be?
Pour Your Heart Into It – Howard Schultz, Imagining India – Nandan Nilekani, Harsh Realities – Harsh Mariwala, This Is Marketing – Seth Godin, Crushing It – Gary Vaynerchuck.
8. Any advice you would give for our budding entrepreneurs in the Social Commerce space?
If you have an idea, don’t be afraid to pursue it. Be prepared for all sorts of challenges but don’t give up, don’t lose hope, and don’t be shy to ask for help and guidance. Build your business with a team that shares your values and goals and surrounds yourself with positive people and influences.
