With so many food options and varieties in India, people have always been spoilt with choices when it comes to eating.
But because of this ignorance, every two in three people in India are unhealthy, or on the verge of getting some or the other disease. Health is (for most of the time) taken for granted unless the doctor advices otherwise.
And this major gap is what Vandana Luthra observed back in 1989 when she opened her first wellness center in New Delhi.
To enlighten you, even more, her brand is called the VLCC which is one of the biggest names in the health and fashion industries nowadays.
However, the journey from being a mother to being a Padma Shri recipient could be a cake walk for sure.
Vandana was strict and rigidly firm to start her venture on her own terms.
On a plus point, her husband supported her vision and offered financial aids for her venture. But as we said- she was rigid and firm. So she (out of her sheer sense of conviction) took a bank loan instead.
Back in a time when entrepreneurship was mere one Silicon Valley synonym, Vandana had already started to establish her own empire here in India.
That naturally makes Vandana one of the pioneers of entrepreneurs in India.
VLCC started gaining popularity very fast due to its unique concept and excellent customer treatment.
Customer satisfaction was our top most priority. I was a businesswoman and could only be satisfied if my customers were getting out of my vicinity with a smile on their faces.
Vandana always knew that she wanted to establish her company as a clinic and not some glamorous hotspot for teenagers or brooding models.
So to make her venture more functional and credible, she started to interact with more doctors to better her services, which worked even for her.
This effort resulted positively and VLCC started bringing in more than 60% of work from the doctors.
The main constraint that Vandana then faced was to manage the growing finance in its initial stage.
As the concept was new, investors had a hard time backing it up.
Moreover, a woman doing something single-handedly seemed just like an extension of her hobby and not a full-fledged business model.
But that did not stop Vandana from building VLCC to what it is today.
Vandana recalls:
The idea of VLCC was implanted in my mind as a kid when I saw my mother inviting children from nearby slums to watch TV and have refreshments. They really had bad skin. And even poor health.
She had then decided to add some beauty factor to it as most of the country was much less concerned about their health and it was needed to be addressed.
So what we see today of the VLCC being not just a beauty salon but also a center where one can get their skin treated and nourished by experts.
Vandana was awarded the Padma Shri, Women Entrepreneur Award, and Rajeev Gandhi Women Achiever’s Award for her extraordinary contribution to healthcare and beauty industry.
She says:
My employees as my biggest strength and ensures their well-being.
She also takes constant feedback from her employees and customers to make VLCC a more comfortable place for them to interact and work or get worked upon.
Vandana’s story is the perfect description of what a woman can really achieve when given with some love, care, and support.
