No kidding! This is serious business: Ruchita Chadda of The Goodie Bag

It's a perfect example of necessity becoming the mother of entrepreneurship, where the entrepreneurs are also incidentally mothers.  Krina Muchchalla, Bhairavi Shah and Ruchita Malhotra Chadda were not happy with the selection of educational aids and informative games available in the market for children. So, they set out to procuring their own, and in the process realised that there are many more parents who thought just like them. Sensing the an untapped market, they decided to fill the gap with The Goodie Bag, one stop shop for games and toys from all over the world, which cater to the educational as well as fun needs of children. They started with taking these products to various schools in Mumbai and have received a good response.

At The Goodie Bag, Krina handles all aspects of Sales and Marketing, Bhairavi interacts with schools and also takes care of operations and logistics and Ruchita is in charge of finding the games that make it to their catalogue and also looks after The Goodie Bag’s online presence. SheThePeople.TV caught up with Ruchita Malhotra Chadda to understand what drives these three moms in the business.

The Goodie Bag idea:  Gifting kids 'knowledge games'

We are three moms and we are gamers. When our kids were young we tried looking for games that were interesting and added to their skills while allowing them to have fun. However, it was difficult to decipher this as retail only showed us closed and sealed boxes. Once we opened the games at home they often didn’t meet our requirements or were just not good quality. So we started looking for games and toys which were high quality and also definitely contributed to the skills that a child could acquire. Many friends appreciated the games we sourced for our own kids which lead to the idea of ‘The Goodie Bag’.

Our every toys and game are tested for quality and ability to engage a child. After all the tests if we are satisfied on all the ways, then only we select the toys or games to go out catalogue.

Curating Educational games for kids: The Goodie Bag

In events or in office, we do free exhibitions. Parents are free to open, explore and play the games we carry. Unlike retail we allow parents and children to not only open our boxes and also play our games before they decide to buy or not buy a game. And that's our USP. We are open day and night  for Customers’ queries even after they have bought the games.

The toys and games that we create help child build academic excellence and enhance learning effortlessly. The games are saviour as learning Language skills (both English and regional languages), Math skills and number sense, Spatial and Logical thinking, Strategy building and concentration skills and our latest addition – Science and scientific Enquiry. Our offer to parents is simple – these toys and games are not only good for your child’s fun moments but also for knowledge.

Any entrepreneur needs to be passionate and persistent

Family was the initial funding

We got funding from family and we bootstrapped in the beginning.

Also read: Moms Mean Business: Rupali and her mother Neelam set up ChocLe

Creating a market was the challenge

We started working from home and it was a challenge to create a market. We went to lots of exhibitions initially, till we could find an office that serves as a retail space and a warehouse. We also found it difficult to get an online presence, not being technical people ourselves.

Responsibilities were huge because being working moms and handling both the sides became a little tough. But with Krina as a dedicated mom and desperate to search good toys and games, Bhairavi with her background in design and her work experience in USA, and my curiosity to find right toys for my children, to understand what they were learning led all of us overcome all the challenges faced initially.

An entrepreneur needs to be persistent

Any entrepreneur needs to be passionate and persistent. Without either of these it’s difficult to go through the daily ups and downs of the business.

Fun as well as educational: The Games curated at The Goodie Bag

Keep an eye on money spent and money earned

The digital boom has empowered women entrepreneurs in India

Women have been an active part of the Indian work force since long. The digital boom has done two things – brought women into the limelight and also allowed them to work more flexible timings.

Also read: She’s a model CEO, in more ways than one: Devita Saraf’s next big move

Advice for fellow entrepreneurs

We believe that passion is the most important element of a business but passion can only take you so far. Starting with a plan is important as well. Keep an eye on money spent and money earned! After all it’s a business and not a hobby!