Vandana Luthra has been a success even before successful women were well enough in the public eye. Not only did she pave the way for womenpreneurs to realize that it was perfectly alright to take charge of their own lives, but she demonstrated with her actions, what a splendid success they could be.
When Vandana founded VLCC Health Care Ltd. in 1987, little did she know that she would go on to preside over the Beauty & Wellness Sector Skill & Council (B&WSSC) as its Chairperson in 2014.
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Among successful women and mompreneurs, Vandana Luthra of Vandana Luthra Curves & Curls (VLCC) is a household name for the business empire she built solely on her own merit and the goodwill of her family.
Notable milestones along with the growth trajectory of VLCC
What started off as a fledgling health and wellness centre in the Safdarjung Enclave of New Delhi, VLCC recently declared a gross annual revenue of $91.1 million.
The initial investment by Vandana stood on the shoulders of a bank loan of INR 3,00,000 which was paid off in just eight months since the launch of the company. VLCC initially offered diet & exercise-based weight management programmes alongside scientifically advanced hair and skin treatments that were practically unheard of in this part of the world.
Among successful women and mompreneurs, Vandana Luthra of Vandana Luthra Curves & Curls (VLCC) is a household name for the business empire she built solely on her own merit and the goodwill of her family. VLCC stands tall as one of India’s prestigious beauty and well-being administration enterprises. The customer base expanded over the years and touched a massive 5 million odd people who have shown trust in the brand, time and again.
The company encompassed skincare, weight loss and nutrition under one roof which turned out to be its USP over time. Most popular products that it had under its wing were the weight loss packages which sold like hot cakes. VLCC received the go-ahead for a 400 crore IPO in 2016 where 37.67 lakh equity shares were offered up.
By 2017, VLCC was holding 10% of the Indian beauty and wellness organised market.
Challenges faced by Vandana as a womanpreneur
When Vandana set foot in the entrepreneurial world, it was an aggressively male-dominated market. Back in the days, women held on to jobs and didn’t look at building careers. They also had a very diminished perspective of their own capabilities and understanding. The society too failed to acknowledge that woman leadership was a possibility.
Preparing for the Plunge
As any successful entrepreneur would agree, be it male or female, there are defining moments in one’s learning curve and work experience which act like the foundations on which the start-up can thrive.
These moments for Vandana arrived during her travels across the UK, Germany and France where she picked up the necessary skills for building a beauty and wellness business in India.
What’s in it for me?
VLCC’s start-up story highlights the importance of skill development and education especially in a niche market, where help may not be upfront and waiting. While it may not be strictly true that women and wellness go hand in hand, the biggest lesson for women and mompreneurs is the importance of transferring valuable knowledge in a popular industry like wellness. Adequate training, self-belief and awareness of the self as well as of societal stereotypes will go a long way in taking a small wellness clinic to being a global phenomenon.
