Shubhangi was in the Fifth year of Law School when she started her first small business, formerly known as ‘Something by Raapchik Raccoon’. She started the business for the same reason everyone starts a handmade products business, ‘appreciation (read money)’.
Incubees: Tell us about yourself and your journey as an entrepreneur.
Shubhangi: Knits by Raccoon, my business was established in 2019 when ‘small business’ wasn’t even a term. It was only during COVID that this term got popular and made me realize that what I was doing wasn’t just a ‘hobby’, it was a way to earn extra money and also financial stability in the future.
I experimented a lot with the business model. Along with age and practicality, and the change in beliefs, my business matured and evolved.
Incubees: What motivated you to start an e-commerce business? How did you come up with this name for your start-up?
Shubhangi: As I said, I started this page for appreciation. I had and have so much creativity and I thought it was best to channelize it. My business name came from my username. It was something by Raapchik Raccoon initially for the first year. It was too long a name to carry on, so I changed it to Knits By Raccoon in 2020.
I should add here, changing the name to a shorter one made my life easier, and tag prints cheaper *wink wink*. Keeping a shorter name also helped people remember it.
Incubees: How do you market your business?
Shubhangi: My business is purely based on Instagram. For the first three years, I did not have the money to advertise the business the traditional way. So it was just a lot of stories on my personal account and the business page. I also reached out to the followers of my followers and asked them to check out my page.
I also had very kind clients, seniors and juniors from my Alma Mater, Army Institute of Law, who constantly gave me shout-outs and made sure the world knew about me.
I gathered the money and courage to advertise a few months ago which worked out immensely for me. I was swamped with orders and it was fun to work on them.
Incubees: What makes ‘Knits by raccoon’ unique from other e-commerce start-ups?
Shubhangi: I have had a sweater that my grandma made for my brother 5 years ago that I took. It hasn’t faded or worn out over the years. Who doesn’t love a handmade sweater that keeps you warm throughout generations? My handmade sweaters take 2 months to make and they last a generation. By generation I mean, you’re probably going to wear them throughout your life and pass it on to the next gen.
Well, when I started it, I wanted the world to be a better place. I was young and wanted to help everyone. So, I hired someone from a local village who needed money for her daughters’ stationery, who was giving her boards.
I have a team of grannies which makes my page unique. So when someone orders from me, they order authentic handmade with love sweaters from the hands of talented grannies.
Incubees: Tell us about the knitting process through the machine and handmade.
Shubhangi: A machine-made sweater is obviously cheap and moderately warm. If you have had the chance of owning a handmade sweater, you will know that it is definitely warmer than the ones you bought off a Retail Shelf. How?
The reason for handmade sweaters being warm is not just the love, it is the fiber. When we are knitting the sweaters, the fiber/wool goes through so much back-and-forth action that it fluffs up. The loose fiber on the sweater helps in insulating better than a machine-made sweater which is “cleaned” for a neat look.
Incubees: Tell us about your first-time knitting experience.
Shubhangi: I was in 6th class when my grandma gave me her knitting needles to make myself a headband. I gave little thought to it until I was in college and I realized that knitting a sweater was cheaper than buying one, plus I get to customize it. So, my journey began. I knit my mother a 2-meter muffler which took what felt like forever to finish. After that, it was my friend’s grandma and YouTube that got me to knit a Neon Pink sweater (which I have a hard time wearing).
To know more, visit: https://www.instagram.com/knits.by.raccoon/
