Small Business Spotlight: SprucedUp
Small Business
During this time (and always!) it is so important to support local and the small business in our communities. Plus it’s great for the economy too! We are constantly inspired by the ambition and resilience of small business founders. We feel that the risks that they take lead to innovation and help in moving the world forward.
Inspired by these entrepreneurs and their stories, we recently chatted with Garima Gupta & Prerana Deshmukh – owners of SprucedUp, about being entrepreneurs, running a small business while also running a family, and how they’ve adapted to the changes that Covid-19 has brought to their business.
What is your business about and why did you start it?
SprucedUp is a platform aiming to promote the recycling and reuse of kid’s items. At SprucedUp we make every effort to ensure we restore your old treasures by meticulously cleaning them, packaging them with love and delivering them to your doorstep free of cost to ensure adoption of used items in a safe and organized manner.
As parents we lovingly buy new toys and books for our kids which they outgrow within no time. During a survey it was established that an average child typically loses interest in a toy within just 36 days while 8% of the kids in less than an hour. When we put this information in context of the amount of plastic used in these toys we can quickly realize the large carbon footprint we as parents are unintentionally leaving behind. Eco-friendly alternatives while buying toys are very limited.
Hence one thing we can all do is to commit ourselves to reuse and hence reduce the waste. A toy that one child as outgrown could be a next new thing for another child. This way we increase the shelf life of these toys while also saving money with great deals on these items. And the best part of all of this is that we can involve our little ones in reusing, thus making them practice an important lesson in creating an eco-friendly future!
What do you love about your business?
SprucedUp brings together kids and our passion to build a sustainable future, both very dear to our hearts. While promoting to reuse toys and books we are able to have a simple but meaningful conversations about reducing waste and recycling with kids. We see this in action every day at our home with our kids as well as through the reviews of our customers!
How do you manage your time between running a business and a family?
Since we started SprucedUp earlier this year, it has been pretty much like adding another member to our families. There are many sleepless nights, tiring days, lots of pending work but we love and cherish every moment of it. We have learnt to organize ourselves and prioritize to make things work efficiently. We also try to involve our kids by giving them small tasks like sorting, labeling etc. Our support system in our friends, family and help comes a long way in keeping us up and running and we are truly grateful to them!
How has Covid-19 affected your business and how have you adapted?
The pandemic has been challenging for individuals as well as businesses in more ways than one. Since we started our business in the middle of the pandemic, we have been very cautious about safety and cleanliness of all our items. In these times, new businesses have to cross the additional hurdle of building trust. While ensuring safe operational practices and we take this very seriously. We are also very grateful to be in a country like UAE. The government actions have helped us navigate this pandemic very smoothly and thus created an environment where new ideas can flourish.
As the second wave of COVID pandemic has hit certain countries badly, especially India, SprucedUp has decided to donate the entire amount from the sales between May 15th to May 31st 2021 to this fundraiser to help support the efforts in a small way possible.
Any piece of advice to other small businesses owners or anyone wanting to start their own business?
Our advice to other aspiring startups would be to take the plunge and go for it! Commit yourself to it and you will emerge with rich experience on the other end irrespective of the outcome! In the process we are sure you will touch the lives of many people and make a difference with an idea so close to your heart!
Find out more about SprucedUp and be sure to follow them on Instagram!
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