Raghunandan Saraf grew a traditional furniture business into a successful online marketplace, InSaraf, with a turnover of Rs 340 crore. He hails from Sardarshahar, Rajasthan, a town of just 50,000 people.
Hailing from the small town of Sardarshahar, Rajasthan, which has a population of just 50,000, Raghunandan Saraf has transformed a traditional family-run furniture business into a successful online marketplace, InSaraf, achieving a turnover of Rs 340 crore. Raghunandan, a visionary second-generation entrepreneur, leveraged the potential of digital commerce to expand Saraf Furniture. This brand started as a modest workshop and showroom trading Sheesham wood locally 40 years ago.
Established by Raghunandan’s father and uncles as a family business, Saraf Furniture initially catered to regional buyers across India and started exporting in 1998.
They managed the business from a small shop in Sardarshahar, which is still operational today. With a modest investment of just Rs 50,000, Raghunandan used most of this money to set up the website and for other related expenses to start the online venture in 2014.
Raghunandan reflects on the early challenges, "We had the resources, we had the product ready and it was affordable as well. Despite his father’s initial reservations about online business, Raghunandan convinced him about the business model and clearly explained to him the expected returns.
"By the grace of God, we started this business just at the right time and at the right place and have never looked back since then," he says. InSaraf Furniture is a manufacturer of Sheesham wood furniture and offers a diverse selection of home décor and furnishings.
The major product categories include furniture, lighting, rugs, and carpets. Rugs and carpets were added in 2019,” says Raghunandan. They also sell wooden beds, bedside tables, bar cabinets, sideboards, kitchen cabinets, sofa sets, coffee tables, desks, bookshelves, boxes, consoles, tables, dressers, garden furniture, home temples, mirrors, TV units, and wardrobes.
Additionally, InSaraf has established four experience centers in Bangalore, Hyderabad, Surat, and Delhi, allowing customers to experience the products in person. However, Raghunandan's journey wasn't smooth sailing from the start, particularly because Sardarshahar, being a small town, lacked a proper logistics setup.
“They agreed to manage our logistics just 3-4 months before the launch of the website. Another significant challenge was assembling the right team to handle online orders, and sales, and ensure the safe and timely dispatch of furniture. When the website was launched, Raghunandan started with about 2500 SKUs, and now the site boasts around 6000 pieces, ranging from decor to kitchen items to furniture.
Beds are the best-selling product on their website. The most affordable item is a kitchen decor piece priced at Rs. 999, while the most expensive is a bed that costs around Rs. 5 lakh. “The initial phase was all about endurance, staying focused on our vision, investing in technology, employing better marketing strategies, and streamlining business processes to scale up a successful e-commerce platform. ”
They design and manufacture their entire range of furniture at their facilities in Sardarshahar. All dispatch and delivery operations are centralized in Sardarshahar, from where products are sent out to their four sub-warehouses located in Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Surat, and Delhi. InSaraf operates on two main business models. The first is the Direct-to-Consumer (D2C) model, where they sell furniture directly to customers through their website. The second model is Business-to-Business (B2B), through which they supply furniture to hotels and resorts. Raghunandan, now aged 38, attended a local school in Sardarshahar until Class 6.
He then did his B. Com at Shri Ram College of Commerce, Delhi, and followed it up with an MBA in Global Business Operations, which he finished in 2009. Reflecting on his upbringing, Raghunandan says, “We used to live in a big joint family with my uncles and cousins.
It was a typical village style growing up as Sardarshahar is a very small place. Raghunandan continues to cherish his roots and familial bonds, living in a joint family setup with his parents and cousins in Sardarshahar. Despite Raghunandan’s busy schedule, he manages to find the time to play table tennis daily at home or at a local club.
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