Ahmedabad-based Shortcircuit.in adds a personal touch to all merchandise

Most entrepreneurs have a streak of madness along with the zeal to succeed. For a startup, the name Shortcircuit, says it all. Co-founded by Richa Johri along with her husband Vipul, Shortcircuit exclusively focuses on the idea of corporate and retail gifting by adding a personal touch to the products. A diploma holder in Fashion Technology, Richa had a stint with Yamaha motors in the apparel division of the company as its head.

Sharing her motivation on what prompted her to start Shortcircuit, Richa shares, “Weird things attract me a lot and I always had an instinct to start something of my own. We make products targeting a niche market because for every product we make, we add some personal touch. For example, our caricature goods are all handmade.”

Started in August 2012, Shortcircuit, in addition to selling products on its site, has also affiliated with many online stores like Craftsvilla, hifistore, indibazaar, chinkytown etc. Speaking about the product line and affiliations, Richa says, “We have made products keeping in mind some of the basic characteristics of human nature. For instance, most people have a tendency to say they will reach their destination in another five minutes. When in actuality, it is always going to take longer that. Keeping that in mind, I have made a ‘Bus 5 minute’ clock. The scales of every five minutes have been marked with the numeral ‘5’. Our products also have an international exposure through affiliation with etsy.com, an online brand store.”

Based out of Ahmedabad, Shortcircuit has joined hands with local stores for display and sale of their products. A bootstrapped venture started with a sum of Rs 2 lakhs, it has managed to break even. They target around $ 1.5 million revenues in the next three years. Shortcircuit is a team of seven, Richa is the creative head while her husband looks after the financial and legal matters of the company. Sharing her market strategy, Richa says, “We have not hired any marketing professionals. However, we bank on word-of-mouth publicity. Before I started, I had carried out a thorough research on the kind of products people preferred. I spoke to college students and people in the creative industry to get an idea of the products that will attract them.” She spent another four months after that to get the right footing, before launching Shortcircuit.

Shortcircuit is in no hurry to expand. While Mumbai and Delhi are important markets, Richa wants to wait till they have a wide inventory and products to suit all categories. “We are in no hurry to make huge profits, but would rather be known as a company who makes and sells some of the best stuff of its own kind,” says Richa.