Sagarika Kaimal's journey from an Architect to a Wedding Planner

Sagarika Kaimal is the Co-Founder of a Bespoke and Luxury Events company - Mint & Mogra. As a designer bred in London with Indian roots, her main goal is to successfully incorporate western aesthetics with Indian heritage. In terms of business, she aspires to make her company the number one weddings consultants both in London and Mumbai.

From a 9 - 5 Job to Taking Risks:

After graduating from Oxford School Of Architecture, working as an architectural designer in a 9 to 5 job I realized that my creativity simply wasn't cut out for the limitations of a corporate life. I enjoy the intense process of concept to execution and running my own wedding and events company allows me to expand my creative process and encourages me to think out of the box. I've always been a risk-taker - whether that was moving from London to Mumbai or switching professional hats from an architect to an event designer. Being an entrepreneur allows me to take these risks and decisions for myself without relying on someone else.

Biggest Challenge:

The transition from an architectural designer to an events designer wasn't as smooth as one would expect. Although they both heavily rely on a creative and design approach - the timelines and execution process for each is completely different. The execution timeline for setting up a wedding venue is extremely tight because you literally have a day or sometimes just a few hours before the bride and groom walk in! There are a lot more spontaneous decisions one has to make whilst executing an event - I seem to have adapted to this method and to be fair I've been enjoying it too!

Starting Small is Advantageous:

As a designer, I feel like it's extremely important to have the opportunity to get to know your clients' taste in décor and aesthetics. Being a small company gave us an opportunity to get to know our clients' likes and dislikes in depth which also allowed me to successfully execute their events in immense detail. Weddings are extremely sentimental and personal occasions - as a designer for a bespoke and luxury brand, I've been extremely lucky to have spent some incredible times with our clients - they're now all a part of our small Mint and Mogra family!

The Pandemic and Mint & Mogra:

The pandemic has been a challenging yet a great time for us to get all our backend and paperwork in place. I feel that it is extremely important for small businesses to keep a check on how they file and maintain their paperwork. As a company, we've stayed in touch with our team members and hosted multiple team building activities using various online platforms. We've also hosted Instagram live 'Unwind Sessions' where musicians, chefs and artists from all around the world could showcase their talents and entertain our viewers - it was our opportunity to give back to the community that helps us build our small business.

A Message to Aspiring Entrepreneurs:

1. Never compare yourself to your competitors - ensure you have a list of your own goals you want to achieve
2. Do not undersell yourself just because you're a "small" business, if you have a great idea - pitch it!
3. Take one day at a time, enjoy the process and journey of building a small business. To be honest the journey will always be more fun than the end result.