Today, the role of a woman is not just restricted to being a daughter, wife, or a mother. With the will to break the stereotypical thought process, numerous women are stepping up to achieve professional milestones across various industries. Numerous women have set examples for other women to follow and one such woman leader is Janaki Kirloskar. Aiming to revolutionize the dining experience, Janaki Kirloskar is providing luxurious tableware to her clients with her brand Kika Tableware. Coming from a background of engineers, Janaki completed her bachelor’s in engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute in the US. For twelve years, she participated in her family's business, and after a long break, she followed her passion and became an entrepreneur by establishing Kika Tableware.

Women Entrepreneur Magazine recently engaged in a one-on-one interaction with Janaki Kirloskar. Let’s hear from her.

Tell us about your educational background and professional experience.

Business is in my blood, because I come from a family with a 130-year history in the industry. I remember the family's business-related topics dominating the dinner table discussions starting when I was quite young. My Industrial Engineering degree is from Worcester Polytechnic Institute in the US. I naturally took the next step of joining the family business and spent the following twelve years working for my father's engineering company. I loved working for the family business, but I felt that I needed to step out to create something of my own.

What are the important features of your expertise as an entrepreneur? What was the underlying idea behind the inception of Kika Tableware?

As an entrepreneur, I've always thought it's crucial to ask for assistance when you don't know something. When I arrive at work, I always leave my ego at the door, and am always open to learning from the people I meet and interact with. By soliciting assistance from my team, I learn more about their areas of expertise, we work together more effectively, and eventually I develop deeper, more reliable bonds with my team.

Starting my own business venture, I decided to bring my creativity & designs to the dining table in the form of crockery. At the time the brand was created, the market in India was either premium high-end crockery or more mainstream brands. Kika joined this market and carved out a niche for itself with its contemporary-styled dinnerware that exudes luxury because of the 24k gold or platinum embellishments. I used the web extensively to learn and became familiar with the fundamentals of aesthetics and design, and discovered how tableware is made and decorated.

As the founder of Kika Tableware, what are your responsibilities? How do you overcome the challenges related to your role?

As a leader, I focus to think about, to imagine, and to define short-term, medium-term, and long-term goals for where I want this company to go. I still play a big part in the creative side of things and love working with the design and development teams for all of our new products. I constantly evaluate areas for improvement and new opportunities for the company's growth based on our performance from the previous year.

Being the CEO of this company, I often find it hard to unwind and switch off. I frequently have ideas around two o’clock in the morning, wake up, and jot them down before beginning to work on them the next day. Over the years though, I’ve become better at managing my work-life balance and have discovered that setting time limits is important because overworking hinders one's ability to perform well.

 "Growing a business requires keeping up with market changes, as well as real-time trends, and continuously improving through innovation and dynamic behavior"

What is your success mantra in achieving various professional milestones?

The primary milestone that I have accomplished is to increase our product's consumer base. The main thing that motivates me and my team to keep doing what we do is our consumers, so we make every effort to take their feedback into account while developing our brand.

The fact that I was able to build a team of individuals who are dedicated, flexible, and make working so much fun is my second largest accomplishment. They have been able to witness my passion for creating this brand, and it is incredibly humbling for me to know that they support me in realizing my ambition.

What advice would you like to give young girls and women aspiring to be future leaders in your domain?

The three pieces of advice I would provide to the future generation of women are to learn as many languages as possible, study whatever you choose, travel the world, and have a variety of experiences. Secondly, every woman has a unique journey and timeline, the most important thing is to enjoy every stage and event and give it your all; so don’t worry about how old you are when you start or job or when you find love or a partner and want to settle down. Lastly, it's crucial to block off an hour every day to relax, go for a stroll with a buddy, practice yoga, or engage in meditation.

Janaki Kirloskar, CEO & Founder, Kika Tableware

To bring luxury to the dining table, Janaki Kirloskar is showcasing her innate leadership skills by offering top-notch and unique tableware to her clients.