What comes to your mind when I say 'Banana'? - For me, it's mostly a rich chocolate banana smoothie.
I never imagined I'd associate banana with paper and stationary. Yep! You're not mistaken.
I was so surprised and impressed to learn of such a delicious way to use stationary. I'd known Keshsa, long before her lovely brain child 'Ikksha' and it didn't come as a surprise to me that she would start a brand based on eco-friendly products, but banana fibre was definitely new to me.
As someone who absolutely loves, adores and hoards stationary, especially journals, I fell in love with her work instantly. In this conversation, we learn a bit about Ikksha and the lovely Keshsa.
Q - Hi, please tell us a little about yourself
Hi, My name is Keshsa Vasant. I am a Digital Marketer by the day and a hustler and Mandala/dot painting artist by the night. I am the founder of Ikksha, an eco-conscious stationery brand making writing materials from plant fibers. My ultimate dream in life is to start a petting zoo.
Q – Was it your dream to become and artist/an entrepreneur?
People would always look up to my father because he was running a very successful IT company. My heart was always filled with pride every time someone appreciated the dedication, hard work and perseverance my father had for his business and for everything he has achieved. Naturally, everyone around me always asked if I would be an entrepreneur like him but I would politely decline and say “I want to be a vet. I love animals and hope to give back to these wonderful fur friends of ours in anyway I can” But I guess, the apple doesn’t fall too far from the tree huh. From dreaming to be a vet to starting business, my dreams have come a long way.
I was raised around family members who were entrepreneurs. I have seen people start their business from ground up, grow them and eventually sell them. This helped my dream evolve and give me direction on what I wanted to do in the future.
Q – Please tell us a little about Ikksha
Ikksha was started with the aim to provide eco-friendly options to the stationery lover in us. Thus, we created writing supplies from BANANA PAPER. Wondering why banana paper? The production of banana paper when compared to wood paper has minimal impact on the environment since it does not use process chemicals and uses less energy during the production. Making the banana paper live longer, biodegradable and recyclable.
Keeping this in mind, we made Ikksha au natural. To compliment the natural properties of the banana paper I used natural dyes, soy ink, coconut button bookmarks and banana fibre fastener to make the collection flawlessly natural. Not only are our journals pretty but they have pockets and pen holder loops to make it functional.
Q – How did you come up with the name?
Iksha means “Sight” in Sanskrit. When I was looking to start the stationery line, I wanted to have an Indian name for the brand. The idea behind wanting an Indian name was that when the brand went global, I would have the opportunity to share the rich culture of India. India is rich in history, designs and patterns with deep scientific meaning and Ikksha would be my platform to showcase it to the world.I am Proud to be an Indian.
Journaling has many scientific benefits and one of it being it gives clarity to the mind. When people write down their thoughts, their mind clears and it gives them a certain direction and a vision to see life in a different way. Thus writing gives you a sight into the direction of life you can choose to take, in other words it gives you Ikksha.
Q – Please tell us about your milestone journey, the hurdles etc?
Ikksha has come a long way since it started. As an entrepreneur, there were several hurdles I had to overcome both mentally and externally in the initial days.
To mention a few, as a young, small product brand it was very important for me was to gain the trust of the vendors before gaining the trust of the customers. It took time to build this relationship but this was very important since this would define the quality of products that I would offer. Apart from vendor relations, the other challenge was to build a team that aligned with my vision for the brand. The team makes or breaks the brand and so it was important I hire the right team.
Mentally, as an entrepreneur self-doubt is inevitable, at least in the beginning. There were many days were I was demotivated and highly discouraged with what I was doing when something went wrong. But fortunately for me, I have the best team and some of the most amazing support systems around me that helped me during my lowest times. This helped me get back on my feet the next day.
Milestones - Ikksha is now retailing in over 10 retailers around the globe and is growing.
Q – How is “Ikksha” different from other brands available?
Ikksha creates writing materials from 100% plant based materials. We use plant based fibers from cover to paper. Our entire current collection is made from Banana fibers. Apart from the paper, we use soy ink and avoid the use of chemicals in any form. Banana fibre is more sustainable
We also wanted to make this basic everyday essential functional and so have added pockets, button fastener and pen loops in each book.
Q – How would you describe your journey with Ikksha so far?
Like all small business, Ikksha’s journey has been adventurous with a lot of ups and downs. However, at the end of the day I would say it has been a good journey so far. All the hard work and determination does pay off someday. There are times when I wish I could have done more but then there is today where I can do everything I could have done
Q – What were some of the good and not so good advice that you received when you got started?
Good Advise - Don’t make important decision when you are emotional. Don’t make any decision when you are happy, angry or sad, these might lead to decisions that you might regret in the future.
Bad Advise - Be a 100% ready before you launch. The truth is you will never be a 100% ready ever. A business evolves with time, feedback and refinement. Unless you put yourself or the brand out there you will never know what is wrong or what is right.
Q - If someone inspired by your story wanted a piece of advice from you what would you tell them?
When there are times of self-doubt, think about the reason why you started the business in the first place. If you have a strong reason why you started the business, every doubt in the mind will go away.
Second: There will be times which will demotivate you and pull your spirits down, don’t shy away from those feeling but embrace them. While embracing them, make note of why you are feeling them and understand how to handle them better in the future.
Q – What are your future plans for Ikksha?
I am hoping to launch more designs and stationery styles with banana fibers and other plant based fibers such as hemp, cactus, tea leaves etc. I am also hoping to take the brand global.
Q - Do you believe in Dreams?
Of course! Dreams is our way of imagining what our inner subconscious wants. Believe in them and it will turn to reality. You need to dream to even accomplish things.
“To accomplish great things, we must not only act, but also dream; not only plan, but also believe”
- Antole France
Q – Any further comments?
Start journaling, it does help!
Social Media/Website links
Website: www.Ikksha.com
Facebook/Instagram: @ikksha.in
