Being the daughter of entrepreneur Ramesh Chauhan, chairman, Parle Bisleri Alisha Chauhan Kundanmal preferred to pave a new route, distinctly away from the family business. As a health freak, her natural choice was to explore the world of health and fitne
Being the daughter of entrepreneur Ramesh Chauhan, chairman, Parle Bisleri Alisha Chauhan Kundanmal preferred to pave a new route, distinctly away from the family business. As a health freak, her natural choice was to explore the world of health and fitness and the result was V3 Fitness that she founded in 2003. This charismatic business woman shares her expedition to success with TFW
TFW: What actually inspired you to venture into the health & fitness business? What kind of support did you receive from your father after diversifying in this business?
Alisha Chauhan Kundanmal (ACK): In India, the organized health & fitness industry is still in its nascent stage and growing steadily. My business background and passion for fitness coincided with the requirement in this industry. Thus, I got a new idea to start a fitness centre. Our concept of fitness emphasizes more on improving the quality of lives of the practitioners, thereby providing our customers access to a variety of modes of keeping physically fit.
As a supportive father, he persuaded me to have faith in the fact that if one does whatever needs to be done in life, whole-heartedly and with complete dedication, gradually everything else will follow.
TFW: What are the challenges you faced at the initial stage? Being a woman do you feel any constraint as an entrepreneur?
ACK: There are a lot of areas in this business where ideal situations are not always the best situations commercially, and the best situations commercially are not always made for an ideal set up. The first thing that you must understand is that you have to find a balance where you get the most from giving the most. Being a woman, I might have felt a constraint as an entrepreneur had it been instilled in me from the start that I was unable to run a successful business because I was anatomically different from my male counterpart. But, that was never the case since this barrier was never in my mind. Had such a situation come my way, I probably would have just overlooked it and categorized it as one of the many barriers that one comes across in running any business. You have to find solutions and move on and not just stack up all the problems.
TFW: When did you start following the franchise route for expansion? How much investment and area are required for opening a franchised fitness centre?
ACK: We have just recently decided to follow the franchise route for expansion. I do believe that it is the best model to follow for rapid expansion plans. The franchisees need to have the capability to invest a minimum of Rs 80 lakh and the area requirement is approximately 5000 sq.ft.
TFW: Who are your target customers?
ACK: I think every person who gives even a little importance to health is our target customer. The general age group that comes to us is between 18 and 55.
TFW: What is your advice for future women entrepreneurs?
ACK: Don`t take `NO` as an answer. I believe, where there is a will there is a way. You just have to believe in yourself and in your product and the services that you offer.
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