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Business with a deep sense of purpose
The company, which now exports rugs all over the world, was started by Nand Kishore Chaudhary in 1978 with 2 looms and 9 weavers. The organization is made up of a network of weavers and a supply-chain of employees that includes product concept, design, production and delivery. The network of weavers, which includes tribal women, has now grown to over 40,000 artisans working on 7000 looms in 600 villages across 6 states in India. So how does the company maintain its network of artisans who work independently in remote pockets of the country across vast geographies?
NKC has been often referred to as the Gandhi of the carpet industry for his dedication to improve the lives behind carpet weaving. He was born into a Marwari family in a small town Churu in Rajasthan. Not interested in the traditional family shoe-making business, he cast his eye on the carpet industry as he was drawn to carpets. He turned down a bank job to achieve his dream of improving the lives of the underprivileged people in the villages in a constructive manner and he started the carpet business with weavers from the 'chamar' caste, regarded as untouchables.
The company has been defined by its social responsible ethos from the start and the goal was to empower women and rural communities in India to lead financially empowered lives. Prior to the company's presence, the artisans used to be exploited by the middlemen who paid them a pittance for their work. By cutting out the middlemen, the company brought income to weavers directly and put them in touch with global customers. The company ensured timely wages to the artisans and showed that their artistic skill was appreciated through fair remuneration.
A Foundation that touches their lives
The company maintains the vast network of artisans by building strong social ties through its foundation. The company has an active education and social foundation to improve the lives of its employees and weavers who continue to live in rural communities. The Jaipur Rugs Foundation works to enhance skills and design aesthetics of artisans so that they can move from being wage earners to becoming entrepreneurs. The foundation also gives weavers access to health services and literacy programmes.
Along with its social development focus, the company also continues to research on how to improve product development and include technology into the rug industry. By ensuring the supply chain maintained by its employees is modern, it allows the company to compete with other traditional carpet makers from around the world and still retain its core of hand-knotted rugs. The company studies global trends and local patterns to ensure that its rugs retain their originality but also complement modern tastes.
Richly deserved recognition
The company's success has been studied in many business publications and its business model has even been studied by the prestigious Harvard Business Review. In 2013, the company was awarded the prestigious ToI Social Impact Award - corporate category - an award that Chaudhary received from President Pranab Mukherjee.
What makes this company so successful?
What makes the company so successful is just one thing - the way the promoters engage with their team.
A lot of effort goes into instilling "pride in work" among the women weavers. They are extensively trained, they are clearly shown how superior quality output can be directly linked to higher remuneration for themselves, they are shown how maintaining committed deadlines is a win-win for the company and each weaver and they are shown how clients appreciate quality work and reject sub-standard output. Chaudhary and his wife Radhika are extremely hands-on, despite the mammoth size of the team. Every weaver feels empowered to speak freely with "Bhaisaab" and "Behenji" on any matter that comes to their mind. "Bhaisaab" never shouts at them for their mistakes - he gently explains and counsels them. That's the culture that the senior weavers have adopted with new recruits. What ensues is a culture of mutual respect and complete empowerment - a great combination that ensures that every weaver willingly lives the company's mission every day. Keeping communication lines open allows Chaudhary to tap into fresh ideas from thousands of motivated weavers - which helps the company stay ahead in a competitive market place. While keeping communication lines very open, Chaudhary at the same time actively discourages gossip and idle chatter, as it reduces productivity. At the core of Jaipur Rug Company, is a winning team of responsible and motivated weavers spread across different states, working independently, whose lives have been transformed by one man - their "bhaisaab".
A perfect 5 on 5 on the Think BIG pillars of success
Think BIG epouses 5 pillars of success that are vital for any entrepreneur to think and grow BIG:
Articulate a clear vision Upskill yourself and your team Build a motivated team that shares your vision Create robust processes to enable scalability Focus on execution
Jaipur Rug Company scores a perfect 5 on 5 on all these pillars: little wonder it's become such a huge success. You can create magic if you create a winning team. And you don't create a winning team by simply assembling top quality talent. You create a winning team by forging a motivated unit that believes in the overarching mission articulated by an inspirational captain.
Content is created by Wealth Forum and must not be construed as an opinion by Reliance Mutual Fund.
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