It’s my first day on the job but I wish I was not so nervous. It’s just a leather factory and I have a degree in fashion and leather. The other new girl, what’s her name…..Puneet, seems so confident.

I am glad Vandana has come on this marketing trip. Germans really are
sticklers for figures and Vandana has got all the figures on her fingertips….

I am not sure if I should have let Puneet convince me into leaving Apollo and join Bhartiya. Apollo was just getting ready to enter the major leagues and I was quite comfortable there. Bhartiya is such a large company it will be easy to get lost.

Another great meeting… With All Saints business we have doubled
business for Bhartiya International again, and maybe it’s time to do something for ourselves.

I am done building businesses for other people. That is two companies that Vandana and I built from….I am going to talk to her about taking the plunge and starting our own marketing agency. She has just had a baby and I think this might be the right time. Much as I love you little Veer, you are going to help me emotionally blackmail your mom into leaving her job.

Converting the garage into a home office for our new business was a great
idea. Not only do we save money, but I can spend more time with Veer.

Smearing my face with marinara sauce, sitting in the warm afternoon sun, in front of the magnificent Duomo….la Dolce Vita! Too bad mamma and aunty Puneet don’t seem happy. They really should try this sauce. But what do I know? I have been on this planet for exactly 92 days…

That meeting did not go too well either. Oh well, another one bites the dust. Back to the cold calling and writing introductory emails!

We finally landed our first client and it’s a doozie…All Saints has revolutionized modern high street with its urban leather apparel. We spent years building up Apollo International to be a premier leather apparel manufacturer,  and now it is one of our primary suppliers. I guess the wheel has come full circle.

With All Saints, Braun Buffel and Mint Velvet in leather and TED, Warehouse and Cecil in apparel as our clients we are really growing fast. It is exhilarating but also a little scary. I think it is time to move out of the garage.

LIDL is the third-largest retailer in the world.. $100 billion in sales….11,550 stores….And, we will be responsible for all their sourcing from India and Sri Lanka which is 5% of their worldwide purchasing, which means… Do I carry over the 5??? Help, Vandana!

We are fortunate that we have such a good QA team in place now. With just 50 people we are able to handle 250 products ranging from home textiles to hard goods. With our buyers in Europe and our factories all over India and Sri Lanka, I am so glad Puneet can handle all this
travelling. She really does it so efficiently.

If I go to Germany next week then I can make it for the Beer fest. But that mean Sri Lanka gets pushed back by 2 weeks and I will miss the best beach weather. Decisions! Decisions!

Our clients depend on us. We can’t let them down. Veer has run off again without finishing his homework. Wait till I get my hands on that boy…

My mom and Aunty Puneet will be very excited if you join Meyraki’s growing family. Of course it means, mom will have less time to make me do my homework. But don’t worry, I will spend that time practicing bar spins on my BMX. I sure hope you will be part of this story in the future…