As per American author Wilferd Arlan Peterson, “A home should be a stockade, a refuge from the flaming arrows of anxiety, tension, and sorrow.” On her pursuit to create homes for people who need creative, meaningful and aesthetic abodes which simultaneously reflect their mindset, ideology, and personality, Gagandeep Thukral has been successful in carving her identity as an eminent veteran of traditional art and a prominent woman leader of décor space. Born into a family of businessmen, Gagandeep’s childhood was highly influenced by the actions of her late father Late. S. Surjit Singh Thukral, who was an avid businessman himself and this phenomenon along with her mother Kanwalbir Kaur’s encouragement played a major role in her inclination towards entrepreneurship. Owing to Gagandeep’s past endeavors with renowned banks of India, her passion for the Home & Decor segment grew while she started interacting with people at a global level and came to know about their quest for unique, handcrafted & designer home products & accessories bearing the essence of Indian heritage & traditions. To continue and contribute to her undying love for unmatched Indian yet global collectives, Gagandeep founded Royal Deco Furnishing in 2014, bringing artisanal Indian home decor and accessories directly to consumers. In this entire journey, her mother, her brothers Harsimar and Pawandeep, and Damandeep from her close knit circle have stood like strong pillars by her and this whole idea of Royal Deco Furnishing.

Gagandeep engages in an exclusive interaction with the Women Entrepreneur magazine.

Tell us about your expertise in the home & decor industry. Throw some light on the uniqueness of your products.

I will admit to not having any prior experience before plunging into the home décor industry as an entrepreneur but at the same time, I didn’t shy away from researching and educating myself on the diverse textiles, world cultures as well as the distinguished Indian culture. As I started honing my skills on traditional art and its apt amalgamation across modern homes, I modeled Royal Deco Furnishing as a premium podium delivering products that are elegant, timeless, premium, and concentrated.

Made for modern yet classic homes our products carry a lot of artisanal value. Focusing a lot on designing and then the detailing part, we embalm the tradition, culture, and heritage of India across our products. With our unique design philosophy of being aesthetically appealing, we want our customers to take pride in whatever products they're purchasing from us. Also, we do customization of our products and till now, we have been receiving very good responses on this from across the globe.

How do you keep yourself well aligned with the periodic revolutions occurring within the décor industry and the technological advancements?

Although we seek inspiration from timeless traditions and world cultures, we also understand that we need to match up with the pace of changing dynamics of the market. Delving deep into our products, design, and research, I can aver that technology plays a vital role in our journey. Remaining aligned with the evolving industry trends which highly determine the taste of our customers as well as the evolutions of our artisans. So, I would call that technology has been the impetus for keeping us aligned with the periodic revolutions occurring across our way. As we started our journey with online presence first, technology has been very supportive for us in reaching a good customer base across the world and now for future endeavors, we are also thinking of entering into the brick-and-mortar stores with a laid focus on omnichannel presence. We envision to take Royal Deco Furnishing to incredible heights while empowering women and underprivileged people with potential employment opportunities.

“With our unique design philosophy of being aesthetically appealing, we want our customers to take pride in whatever products they're purchasing from us”

How do you manage to maintain a work-life balance?

Yes, managing work and personal life are very important. So, there are certain things that I get involved with whenever I'm free. I love connecting with my friends, spending time with my family, and then playing around with my cockatiel bird and my Golden Retriever. Both of them have shown me how beautiful and unconditionally loving animals and birds can be.

Being a creator by nature, I love to explore ways to create and lay foundations for new things. I also like reading about the success journeys of other entrepreneurs and their brands, which, helps invite certain successful ideas to me. For outdoor activities, For outdoor activities, I like going for a leisure walk which indeed fulfills 2 purpose of fitness as well as some ‘Me Time’. So, these are certain activities that I keep myself engrossed in whenever I am free.

As a successful business leader, what would your advice be to young women and girls aspiring to become business leaders and entrepreneurs in the future?

Entrepreneurship and leadership come with various challenges, and they are always not external but are sometimes internal as well. And if the leader is a female, then the person is definitely going to come across various sets of challenges. So, to every girl or woman who aspires to be a budding entrepreneur or an upcoming leader, I would say that no matter whatever crosses your way, do not get bogged down by those challenges. Rather, face them head-on. I think every challenge teaches us something. So, instead of putting a full stop to our learning, we have to stay strong and take ownership of learning. The mantra lies in staying true to your instincts, following your dreams, taking onus, have a clear vision and 'never stop learning'.

Final Words: I am truly thankful to all our customers and our business partners for their association with us. It is because of all of them that Brand 'Royal Deco Furnishing' is reaching new heights and achieving new milestones.

Gangandeepthukral, Founder And CEO, Royal Deco Furnishing

An English graduate from Punjab University, Chandigarh and an MBA from Amity University, Noida, Gagandeep holds more than 16 years of leadership role combining her experience across the banking domain as well as in home & decor industry. Under her seamless guidance and diligence, today Royal Deco Furnishing has evolved as a committed brand with a keen focus on bringing unique, Indian & quality products to its consistently upsurging family of customers.