She doodles alright, except she doodles with bangles! Meet Karishma Benjamin, 25, mom and entrepreneur. Going to the beginning, she says: “I was working at an NGO and quit because I was going to have a baby. Sitting idle at home was not an option. Quitting was not easy but I had to and starting my own business with a toddler was certainly difficult. In a way, it’s my daughter, Ahana, who turned my life around. My family, especially my husband, has been extremely supportive of what I’m doing.”
Working with glass bangles was something her mother taught her to do. Karishma says: “My first products were tea-light holders which I made for my family in the U.S. It seemed like a perfect gift because it was charming, ethnic and was also of a perfect size to carry. That was actually a test run. I got a very good response and then thought to myself, ‘why not make a business of it’.”
Bangle Doodle has been and still is a one-woman show since it was set up in June 2013, so Karishma handles everything from designing and production to marketing her products.
One look at her work and it’s not hard to see that her bangle doodles are unique. With every item made entirely out of glass bangles, Karishma says all products can be customised. With the focus on creating home décor products, she has launched nine different ranges from tea light holders, sun catchers and dream catchers to lamps, wall lamps, window, and wall décor.
Karishma says: “The biggest challenge in this business is to keep the brand and all the products fresh in the minds of customers. Handmade products by a start-up face competition from larger stores so it’s always good to come across people who appreciate art and the hard work behind it. On another level, balancing family and work gets a little hard at times.”
In the days to come, Karishma plans “to involve underprivileged women in the production at Bangle Doodle, and empower them as individuals.”
