Hey happy fellas!
I am Tejaswi Rentachintala, the founder of Cup Of Nostalgia and I am gonna hijack the blog for today. (sorry Manaswini! 😂)
Today, Cup Of Nostalgia turns 1 so, Yay!
I cannot believe how much has changed in a year. Let’s go back in time to the start of something great.
You see, I have always been a very curious kid. I wanted to learn everything that caught my eye. Whether it be classical dance or throwball or digital art or medicine or doing business. And once I was into it, I always put my heart into it, to excel.
One fine day, during the quarantine in 2020, I just wondered as to why not start my own business. I knew I always wanted to start a business while pursuing my medical career and this seemed like the perfect time. I have been told I had excellent leadership qualities, so I was confident about running a business. I wanted to sell something that can make people feel cozy. Cozy while embracing the memories. Feeling warm while being nostalgic. I love creating digital art, so I decided to make stickers that can bring back memories. That way I could have my own business and also put my skills out for the world to appreciate them. Just the thought of making something all on my own with my very own hands made me feel strong and independent. It felt like there wasn't anything that I couldn't do. I didn't have much support in the beginning but I didn't have to worry because I believed I was enough and if I were in trouble I knew they had my back, my superheroes, mom, and dad. I knew I could always count on them. That was the start of the greatest thing that ever happened to me. CUP OF NOSTALGIA (literal goosebumps! 😬)
Well, I had a name for the business and I knew what I wanted to sell but that's it. I didn't know anything else. The production, management, accounts, taxing, marketing. I didn't know a thing about all this. I learned everything through the internet. Internet was my business coach. I sat and researched everything from a to z about business. Once I had my data, and my plan was all drawn out, I set out on the journey. I knew it was a long hard way ahead but I had no intentions to stop.
I started with stickers like lavender days, quarantine days, hygge stickers, and blues but I wanted to expand the business. I started turning the wheels in my head, thinking what else would make people feel cozy and it hit me. Scented candles. I mean, nothing felt cozier than relaxing in the warmth of a candle surrounded by the most unique aroma. I always loved different fragrances. I already did a course in candle-making back in my intermediate. (told you! I was a curious kid and candle-making caught my eye). So I experimented with scents and made all the different and unique fragrances that are available today at Cup Of Nostalgia. I taught candle-making to my workers and just like that, scented candles were on the shelf along with my stickers. It didn't stop there, soon we had a number of new products like notebooks, diaries, journals, wall art, medical notebooks, and medical posters for my fellow medicos, notepads and so many more.
It wasn't easy. I was young and new into this business circle. There were people out there trying to take advantage of the fact that I was new and had zero experience. I was losing money trying to find vendors and dealers for raw materials so I decided to procure the raw materials myself and that was a turning point. Slowly, I started learning how to talk and deal with things in business. I started standing up for myself and that was a life-changer. So everything that we sell at Cup Of Nostalgia today is made by us, right from scratch.
People always asked me how was I able to manage my medical career and my business. I won’t lie. It was hard but I believed that if we set our priorities straight, we will find the time. I had zero support from the outside. People questioned my abilities. But my heart always said, " don't underestimate how wildly capable you are." That kept me going.
As I was walking by that rocky road, I had Nithya along with me. She was a designer and a pillar to me during the beginning of the business. As I was the only one on the team she took care of a lot of things along with designing. But soon Nithya had to leave. she is missed. Later, I found Venkat. He was a designer at Cup Of Nostalgia but to me, he was my backbone. He was my first team member after Nithya. I found him at a time when I really needed someone. Being the only one on the team was hard. I used to work from 5 am to midnight. Right from labor work to fine work, I did everything on my own. I wasn't tired, because I loved the work but I used to be stressed constantly. My parents were my stress busters. Venkat came and took a little responsibility off my shoulder.
Soon my team started growing. It started with just me and now people are working in different departments like production, designers, artists, manufacturing, marketing, packaging, photography, and content writer. (I still can’t believe I have different units. I feel so proud 😭)
It takes one to start a thing, but it takes a village to make it great and I have got mine.
So let's get to know a little about the team.
First of all, Me! -I am the CEO and founder of Cup Of Nostalgia. I am curious, I am ambitious and this business is my baby. I make sure everything goes smoothly and our products make you feel cozy and warm.
Then comes my parents, Sukmeet Kaur and Vasantha Kumar. They have been my pillars since the beginning. Mom works harder than me. She manages the manufactured products in the warehouse at home. I want to open a studio and warehouse soon but until then, I can lay back and my mom will take care of it. When I am away at college, she takes over everything. It helps me out a lot.
We have Paranoxia Agency, they are the marketing team, working day and night, making marketing strategies, researching, and doing everything to enhance the marketing and I must tell, they are doing a great job.
Vaibhav Tyagi, the team member turned into a best friend. This guy is the best artist I have ever seen and I am glad that he is on the team.
Manaswini Velidi, the content writer. She writes blogs, product descriptions, etc. for Cup Of Nostalgia. She is a senior at college turned into my teammate and she is really good. (I have got to brag a little, after all, I hijacked her blog😂)
Sai, the manager. The best thing is she might not be much educated, but she has the greatest potential. She is a 10th pass out but she has immense capabilities beyond your imagination. She is very promising.
Mr.Prasad and Mr.Venkat Rao are the manufacturing heads. They take care of the manufacturing of the products. They are really helpful.
Zainab and Sanjay. They are my loves. They are the chief designers on the team, and they have been my support forever. And I need not tell, we can all see that they are the best in their work.
Jovab Geofery. He is the man behind those beautiful pictures and videos you see on the website and the Instagram handle. He puts a lot of effort into his work.
Sridevi is in the packaging team and Kumari is the packaging assistant. They are responsible for packing your parcels with as much love as they can. They do it flawlessly.
Delhivery - our shipping partner who is responsible for making those little packages of happiness reach your doorstep safely.
You guys are the best team I could have ever asked for. Behind the scenes, these people work very hard and put in a lot of in making this a success. So pat yourself on the back guys, you deserve it. 🤎
I would also like to thank;
Aditya from Nicoli.
Yogi from Verendah.
Deepak Krishna from Kava Café.
Praveen from 90's Café.
Thank you for hosting my offline counters😇
And thank you, all you happy fellas for the immense support you have given us. The thought that I could bring a smile to your face with my products gives me bliss every single day. 🤗
It started with just me but, today,
we have more than 25 members working for Cup Of Nostalgia
More than 2000 customers
More than 1000 subscribers to the newsletter
4 offline counters
Uncountable orders over the year
A 5 rating and great reviews from you fellas.
I couldn't be happier. 🥳
So this is the story of my dream come true. I hope to see more anniversaries of Cup Of Nostalgia and spread joy to more happy fellas like you.
Until next time.
Keep loving yourself. 🤎
Tejaswi Rentachintala
CEO and Founder
Team CON