In an exclusive Interview with Insights Success magazine, Ms. Komal Agarwal – Marketing Director, Pebble India, sums her professional journey while giving a brief about the current market scenario.
IS: Brief us about your journey since the beginning of your career.
Komal: After completion of Electronics Engineering from NTU Singapore, a successful stint in the Investment Banking sector with JP Morgan, and Management Studies from IIM Calcutta, I decided to venture into my own Business – Pebble, a brand of Mobile Accessories, in 2013. Pebble was started in a small office with a team size of 5, which has today grown to 60+ people and a state-of-the-art Pebble Corporate Tower. Today the Brand boasts of over 100+ SKUs in India and Middle-East, with 10000+ Retail Partners and 10 Million+ satisfied ‘Pebblers’ globally.
The journey with Pebble has been an extremely steep learning curve in literally every aspect of the business from product development, people management, and brand-building till personally managing post-sales customer service calls.
IS: What was your source of motivation? Or, who is your role model or the person that inspires you? Have your family played a significant role in scripting your success voyage?
Komal: My father has always been my biggest source of motivation and a role model. Watching him give his 100% to every venture that he has been a part of, facing all possible challenges head-on with an unbelievably calm and clear mind, and his extreme perseverance have been an immense source of inspiration.
Yes, my parents have played the most vital role in my journey from the start. Be it readily sending me abroad for higher studies because of the exposure that I would get (which was tough for them considering I’m an only child), always encouraging me to be independent and strong mentally, being right by my side through all challenges – both personal and professional, and being a constant guide in helping me take difficult decisions. Overall, they have always prioritized my education, personal development and professional growth over any societal norms that are commonly faced by women in India.
IS: Kindly tell us about the challenges you faced to withstand the complexities of the industry.
Komal: One of the challenges faced was to place a high quality product in a market that has an extremely price sensitive mindset and cluttered with cheap options. Secondly, dealing with channel partners has been a challenge as well. A lot of the regional channel partners are experienced and know the business inside out but are generally from a traditional school of thought. They are a bit patriarchal at times and need to be brought around to seeing me as a businesswoman and not just a ‘young girl with a fancy degree’. Lastly, another constant challenge is to ensure freshness of products in terms of design and innovation as the tech industry is going through constant upgrades due to which an overall life-cycle of a product is reducing constantly.
IS: Apart from stirring high-end professional profiles, who is Komal Agarwal in personal life?
Komal: I am calm but relatively strong-willed and open-minded. Love to sit back on weekends with an interesting book and a cup of coffee; Fond of travelling to offbeat places and immersing myself in the local culture. Friends would describe me as an avocado-lover, binge-watcher and someone who is obsessed with everything technology!
IS: Brief us about the industry scenario from your perspective.
Komal: The mobile accessories market in India is extremely lucrative. It is expected to be around INR 15000 Cr in the current year and is growing at around 10.5% annually. This growth can be owed to many factors. Primarily, with the increase in smartphone penetration in the country, the consumption of media on smartphones has also increased significantly. Due to this there is a growing demand for more battery thus need for power banks, and also need for more audio products such as Earphones, headphones and Speakers to enjoy the media content better.
The only concern is that the majority of this market is highly unorganized and cluttered at the moment, with plenty of small private labels and unbranded sellers offering low quality products without any clear warranties. Fortunately, the consumer mindset is now shifting from being only price sensitive to quality consciousness and reliability. The consumer has started to realise the benefit of purchasing a long-lasting product in one go instead of getting into the hassle of purchasing a cheaper product multiple times due to limited life of the product. This is why Pebble that focuses predominantly on quality and service has been able to grow significantly and maintain its reliable brand positioning in this industry.
IS: Where do you see yourself in the near future? Tell us about your future goals.
Komal: In the near future, I see myself growing Pebble to significant heights and ensuring the personal and professional growth of every individual in my team. As a future goal, I would like to play a significant part in helping boost the educational and health concerns of our society in whichever way possible.
IS: What would you advise to the budding entrepreneurs?
Komal: If we keep waiting for the perfect opportunity, the perfect idea, the perfect people, we may never be able to move ahead with anything, and by the time we do, it might be too late. Entrepreneurship is a continuous learning process and it’s more important to improve and adapt along the way.
Komal Agarwal – An Invigorating Frontrunner
