Begun with Rs 20,000 school darlings turned couple construct a Rs 3.75 crore turnover business in two years

Agra-based couple Ashutosh Gautam and Cash Walia, both matured 33, sent off a vehicle frill online business in September 2019 with their reserve funds of Rs 20,000. In no less than two years the business has developed dramatically, and the image YourKarts has become known for scents arrived in various shapes and aromas

Agra-based couple Ashutosh Gautam and Money Walia, both aged 33, launched car accessories online business in September 2019 with their savings of Rs 20,000. Within two years the business has grown exponentially, and the brand Your Karts has become known for its perfumes that come in a variety of shapes and fragrances

Ashutosh, an automobile engineer, worked at a Honda Motors retail outlet in Agra for about eight years before quitting his job in December 2019 to focus on his business. He began to buy and sell cars through OLX when he was doing his B.Tech in automobile engineering at Hindustan College of Engineering and Technology in Agra between 2008 and 2012. He met Money Walia in college, where she was doing her B.Tech in Electronics & Instrumentation Engineering in the same batch. 

We became partners in love, then partners in life, and now we are partners in a successful startup, says Money Walia, as she traces their journey from their college days. In their first-ever interaction with the media, Money Walia tells The Weekend Leader how they developed their online business during the pandemic and how Ashutosh developed the special fragrances with the help of traditional perfume makers from Kannauj and Unnao in Uttar Pradesh.

I met Ashutosh in college, where we got to know each other. Ashutosh found a job at a Hondo Motors showroom as a service engineer soon after finishing his graduation. He went to Greater Noida for a three-month training and then joined the company, where he worked till December 2019. I worked there till December 2019 before quitting the job to join our startup. Our entrepreneurial journey started in September 2019 when Ashutosh started a Facebook page by the name of Speed Auto Parts to sell car accessories, which later was renamed Your karts.

We started with our savings of Rs 20,000 to buy some car accessories from Kashmere Gate in Delhi, which is a well-known place known for car spare parts and listed them for sale. The products we purchased included dashboard decoration items, perfumes, door guards, and seat covers In July 2020, Ashutosh created an Amazon seller's account and listed car dashboard items. Soon we listed more products including car headlights, taillights, perfumes, and other accessories. In the course of time, we realized that there was a lot of demand for car perfumes, and it was the most sold product from our collection.

Our customers also gave us feedback about the products. They said the fragrance of the perfumes did not last long and there was also demand more varieties. Ashutosh goes through the customer feedback personally. Seeing the demand for perfumes, we decided to focus on the product. Ashutosh visited China in November 2021 and by December 2021 we're starting importing fancy perfume cartridges from China. Ashutosh also did in-depth research on perfumes. 

We decided to partner with perfume makers in Kannauj and Unnao (in Uttar Pradesh). Ashutosh visited these places and identified the people for making the fragrances. We now have our own people in these places, who make the best-selling sandalwood, denim, charcoal, and floral perfumes for us. We have a 1,500 sq ft warehouse in Noida, where about 25 people are working. The Noida office caters mainly to our B2B business.

In Agra, we have around 20 employees, and they take care of the online market. Ashutosh and I help each other in managing home and work. Your Karts comes with a mission to make India’s best car accessories for consumers worldwide. Ashutosh and I always believe that ‘Life is all about you and your dreams.

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