'I had a well-paying job as a banker. I was due for a promotion. Instead of waiting, I quit,' says Pallavi Ved, recallingthe moment she decided to become a chocolatier.
"What is life without indulgence?" Pallavi Ved, for whom this sentiment couldn't be more fitting, asks Rediff's Mayur Sanap.
As the founder of a boutique chocolate brand, she lives and breathes the art of sweet treats.
Her successful pivot began when she made the bold decision to leave a well-paying banking job and a career in which she had invested several years because she wanted to do something "creative and fulfilling".
A family holiday to Switzerland, and a touch of serendipity, sparked the realisation that it was time to redraw her professional map.
The decision, she says, was personally daunting. But it worked out for her. Today, Pallavi is a proud success story. She leads Mumbai-based Velvet Fine Chocolates, a brand dedicated to crafting artisanal chocolates and baked goods.
Her leap not only transformed her professionally, it brought her emotional satisfaction as well.
She is particularly proud of the strong, predominantly-women workforce she has nurtured since the brand's inception in 2011.
'I wanted to do something out of the box'
I had always been creative. As human beings though, we tend to go the traditional route.
My parents wanted me to pursue an MBA and then get a steady job so that's what I did. I was placed as soon as I finished my MBA from the Narsee Monjee College of Commerce and Economics (in Juhu, northwest Mumbai).
I worked for nearly 10 years. I was happy with my corporate job, but my creative calling lay elsewhere. I always wanted to do something out of the box.
'I quit my job...'
During a holiday to Switzerland, we visited a chocolate shop called Sprungli.
In India, the only brands we knew were Cadbury, Kit Kat and, to a certain extent, Ferrero Rocher; chocolate had not evolved so much in India.
The moment I walked into the Sprungli shop, I realised what chocolate could be... and how the world consumes it.
Chocolate is artisanal. As a creative person, I was totally attracted to that and wanted to explore what I could do with it. But I was working. So I started reading up and doing my research. I started understanding the whole process through which chocolate is made.
I was expecting a child. I had a well-paying job. I was also due for a promotion. But, instead of waiting, I quit.
My boss was like, 'What are you doing? You can't quit now!'
I said, 'Sir, I agree but if I keep mulling about it, it will never happen.' I had decided to chase my calling.
'We started from a home kitchen'
There were very few courses available (about making chocolate) in 2011. In contrast, there is so much you can learn today. I learnt whatever I could.
We started from a home kitchen. We would take small orders. Bikra and Bhavna, who remain part of my team, would come home and help me.
At that time, the only way to publicise one's business was through JustDial. Once we listed our business there, we started getting orders -- sometimes for 100 boxes; sometimes for 200. It was enough to kickstart our business.
'My family was sceptical'
My family was totally against it, especially my mother. But I just ignored them (smiles).
Everybody was surprised, actually. Nobody has ever done anything like this in our family.
If I were a housewife, it would have been okay. But I was set in my job and then suddenly I quit. That surprised everyone. They were really sceptical. Nobody knew this unknown world, right? You have to start somewhere so I did; but I started small.
While I did this independently, my husband didn't stop me from doing anything.
India is a patriarchal society but my husband is not that kind of a person. He just let me be. He is a big support even today.
'I made a lot of mistakes...'
I'm not a chef and that was my biggest challenge; I had to learn everything from scratch.
It would have been much easier for me if I had already worked in kitchens professionally.
The second challenge was understanding how to structure and run a business, recruiting the right staff... I made a lot of mistakes when it came to hiring people.
In my earlier career, everything was different. Moving from a structured environment to an unstructured environment, that itself was a big challenge. Here, everything is unstructured.
'I am not a chocolate person'
I am not a chocolate person as such.
Yes, I love chocolate but there are people who indulge in chocolate and have it every day. I am not that person.
As a kid, I was fond of Cadbury's Dairy Milk. My father would get those small bars.
When I went to Switzerland, which was much later, that's when I had real chocolate. The kind of chocolate you get in Europe is totally different from what is available here.
'My team has been with me through my journey...'
I'm not a feminist but I have always been clear that I wanted to have women in my team.
We now have about 25 people with us. They have been with me through my journey. They are like my partners.
They have faced all the ups and downs with me; we have learnt and progressed.
Earlier, they were housewives or doing odd jobs. Today, they are loyal to me because I have been able to hand-hold them.Even if there's a late night or a last minute order, they are all willing to execute it.
They have been with me for so many years that we are friends now.
WATCH: Pallavi Ved talks about her extraordinary journey.
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