“Being a woman and an entrepreneur itself is a challenge in Indian society”: Diksha Jodhani

“Being a woman and an entrepreneur itself is a challenge in Indian society”: Diksha Jodhani

Familio was born-a brand built on the pillars of trust, transparency, and innovation.

Diksha Jodhani

Mumbai: Familio is more than just a skincare brand—it's a testament to its unwavering commitment to redefining the standards of family skincare. Driven by a deep-seated passion for children and a relentless pursuit of excellence, Familio is a one-stop destination for families seeking safe, natural, and cruelty-free skincare solutions for every age group.

The brand's journey began with a simple yet profound realization—parents were often left grappling with the dilemma of finding suitable skincare products for their little ones. With a background in finance and a keen understanding of market dynamics, Diksha identified this gap as an opportunity to make a meaningful impact. Thus, Familio was born—a brand built on the pillars of trust, transparency, and innovation.

Familio CEO & founder Diksha Jodhani, possesses a fusion of business brilliance and profound empathy for children's well-being. With a master's degree in Finance and a tenure in tax consultancy, her journey from corporate corridors to entrepreneurial heights was triggered by a moving moment in a supermarket aisle. Witnessing a mother's struggle to find suitable skincare for her teenage daughter sparked a revelation – a gaping void in the market for trustworthy, age-appropriate products. Determined to bridge this gap, she embarked on a mission to redefine family skincare, envisioning a brand rooted in safety, quality, and compassion.

Indiantelevision.com had the opportunity to engage with Jodhani, who generously divulged significant insights into her brand and offered valuable perspectives on the skincare industry.

Edited excerpts

On sharing some pivotal moment in the supermarket aisle that inspired you to start Familio

It started when I went to the supermarket to buy hair shampoo for my little niece and was surprised about the fact that there is no specific brand for children above the age of five. And parents in India are highly dependent on commercials brands or still using those baby soaps till years.  Familio India was born out of the need for trustable products for babies, preschoolers, and teens, which are often unavailable in the market. We aim to provide derma tested, natural, cruelty-free products for every age group and to be a one-stop shop for all family skin care needs.

On balancing your background in finance with your passion for children’s well-being in leading your brand

Honestly, when you work in one field for example Finance, you become a master of one. But when you are an entrepreneur, you have to be the jack of all.  It’s not enough to be good in one area, you need to know each and every core part of business and lead it in the right direction else your time and money both go to waste. My finance experience helps me a lot in understanding the financial part of my work but it isn’t sufficient to lead an organization. While leading the brand, I learn each and every day. I go out of my comfort zone to learn marketing and other skills. We also learn interpersonal skills while dealing with people. Familio gives me the opportunity just not to grow the brand itself but me as a person too. Balancing is hard, but my passion and determination overpowers it.

On the specific challenges you encounter when first establishing your brand, and how did you overcome them

Being a woman and an entrepreneur itself is a challenge in Indian society as we as Indians are not accustomed to see women leading organizations and making something of their own. That was the first challenge and the hardest one. While establishing a brand, there are so many self doubts and confusion in taking the major decisions which will shape your brand in the long run. Having the clarity of mind and right research really helps you to save yourself from a lot of troubles while entering a new field. Secondly, a focused mind and strong determination can be two deciding factors while you have to go through the process. If you have technical knowledge of your industry, you have brownie points, else you need to start from the scratch and work harder than other people.

On ensuring that your products are not only safe and natural but also effective for different age groups

First and foremost, we decide what we will put into our end product. The right natural and safe ingredients ensure the product is absolutely safe for children. For better proofing, we get our formulations tested from certified labs to ensure the safety measures are cross checked twice before launching any product in the market.

On ⁠your thoughts on the skincare, beauty, and personal care product category accounted for over 30 per cent of advertisements that violated the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) code last year

Advertising is quite a biased concept. Brands have to test the advertisement which suits the likeability of a larger audience. It’s a very thin line violating the standards that’s why it becomes easier. But fairly, brands know the policies very well but the execution is very difficult on a day to day basis. In due course of time, Indian brands will become more responsible.

On future innovations can we expect from Familio to continue redefining family skincare

Familio India will be working on the prenatal and postnatal moms as its more neglected area. There are very few brands which provide effective products. And there are a lot of needs of mothers which are not addressed by Indian brands yet. So, hopefully, at the end of the year, we will be ready with our new category.