Section 36
Chinu Kala
Rubans Accessories · Mumbai (early years); business based in Bengaluru
- ₹300
- Money she left home with
- About ₹40 crore
- Turnover (as reported) · 2022
The story
Chinu Kala left home at 15 with the clothes she wore and ₹300. In Mumbai she sold knives and coaster sets door to door, earning ₹20-30 a day, and at times lived on the streets and railway platforms.
She took odd jobs, including as a waitress. Her break came with a telemarketing job at Tata Communications, where she met her husband, Amit Kala. In 2008 she started a corporate merchandising business and learned from brand managers that a brand lasts longer than any sales number.
Taking part in a beauty pageant in 2007 showed her how much the right accessory mattered. In 2014 she started Rubans from a tiny kiosk, selling fashion jewellery. During the pandemic she moved strongly online. In 2022 the Free Press Journal reported a turnover of about ₹40 crore for her bootstrapped business.
Timeline
- 2004Marries Amit Kala, whom she met at Tata Communications.
- 2007Selected for the Gladrags Mrs India pageant, where she sees the power of accessories.
- 2008Starts a corporate merchandising business.
- 2014Starts Rubans Accessories from a small kiosk.
- 2022Turnover of about ₹40 crore reported.