Dhruti Mehta studied law, and worked as a lawyer for ten years. It was then that she realised that her life’s purpose lay beyond the corporate world, and she began exploring her own business skills.
Her last job made her think about the purpose of her life. She says, “It made me realise that I would never be happy, whatever the job until I had found my real calling. So, I took a break from my job and did a course at NMIMS as I was the first in my family to start my own business. I knew I was heading towards an unsteady and unsecured income with a lot of risk factor. But I knew that this is what I had to do.”
She initially ventured into providing construction equipments. But the market was orthodox and she did not consider that her skills would hold potential with the nature of clients.
Meanwhile, she already was inclined towards novel experiences. Along with her husband, she would visit a 100-acre vineyard or go for city helicopter rides. It was when she was reconsidering her next entrepreneurial venture that a friend suggested the idea of experiential gifts.
Dhruti says, “People need gifts that create memories. Products are stashed away and become old. But when you gift them experiences, they stay forever. With this idea, I began Love Doodle, which provides experiential gifts.”
Love Doodle began in Jan 2016. Dhruti knew that it would be relevant in a time when people are bored with conventional products, and have the disposition to try something new. She says, “The response has been decent compared to the novelty involved in it. When you gift someone an experience, you are definitely bound to be wary that it should not turn into a disaster. So, we have included testimonials and videos on our platform. When people see that it has been successful with others, they also want to try it for their loved ones.”
Dhruti found it a perfect way to combine her passion for adventure with her business skills. Love Doodle now provides 50 experiences around Mumbai itself. She says, “We are revamping now to include an e-commerce model. As we began with bootstrap, we can only grow by stages. I have been part of networking and women entrepreneurial groups to promote Love Doodle.”
She now plans to take it to a corporate level. She also hopes to make Love Doodle into a private limited company, where they will try providing experiential gifting to second-tier cities. She says, “There the people have resources, but limited choices. So I want to explore the scope for Love Doodle there.”
Despite the initial hiccups, Dhruti Mehta has now found a purpose in her life, that perfectly combines her passion with entrepreneurial instinct.
