They say, experiences are the best teachers, and Malika Datt Sadani’s—founder-CEO of The Moms Co.—arrival into the world of entrepreneurship was marked by a personal trigger.
Nine years ago, when Sadani was pregnant with her first child, Myraah, she began paying greater attention to the skincare products incorporated into her routines. At that point, she was based in London, and finding alternatives to fall back on wasn’t an uphill task. However, that changed when the Sadanis moved to Gurgaon, and she was pregnant with her second baby (Syna, six). “We were met with a clear gap as there were limited options for expectant moms and babies. This industry was largely underserviced,” says Sadani, who was a banker before she turned entrepreneur.
An interaction with other mothers revealed that they were struggling with similar challenges. In an attempt to resolve this point of pain, she launched The Moms Co. alongside husband Mohit Sadani in 2017—one of the first skincare brands in India centred on the health and safety of new mothers and their babies.
The first step was to cater to pregnant moms, as that was the immediate concern of many. The team began with a range of pregnancy care products, and moved on to create baby care along with products that solved concerns that new moms face-- pigmentation, postpartum hair fall, and more.
Today, most view it as a success story, but three years ago, getting people to align with their vision was the team’s primary challenge. But, their modus operandi was clear —listen to the customer and acknowledge every feedback. “The mom and baby care segment is one where it is difficult to earn the trust of the mother. To overcome the hurdle, we believe in transparency, be it the processes we follow or ingredients we use. We’ve been honest with the mom, and, overtime, she has trusted us as a partner in her motherhood journey,” explains Sadani.
Mum’s the word
A hands-on mother, Sadani strives hard to strike the balance between personal and professional, and over the years, has found her way around it. “I have learnt that it is vital to define my priorities and to ask for help, shamelessly! Women take on a lot on themselves and hesitate to ask for help. I went through my own phase of doubting myself as a mom when I started off as an entrepreneur because I was able to spend very little time with my daughters. Then, I began writing down why I think I am a good mom. This served as an important validation,” she says.
Sadani’s is a marriage of equals wherein she and her husband believe in sharing every responsibility, be it in the work space or parenting their daughters. “At the end of the day, it’s important to respect each other and focus on helping one another achieve the goals we’ve set,” the entrepreneur states.
Currently, like most of the workforce, Sadani is working from home and adapting to the #NewNormal. How have things changed? “Well, I continue to begin my day with exercise and spending time with my daughters. However, unlike pre-COVID, there is no getting them ready for school and then dropping them off. They are attending classes online so we have breakfast together before all of us get on with our day.”
The first task of Sadani’s work day is to go through her calendar as she blocks slots for all that she needs to do. “When I started off as an entrepreneur, I was confident that I will remember everything and could do without writing things down. But, evidently, I was wrong. As our teams grew, it became difficult to keep a tab and I took to calendaring important meetings, projects, and even time off. During work from home, I am chalking time for lunch, spending time with kids, and helping them with homework. With everyone working remotely, this gives my team clarity on when I will be available and when they can reach out to me,” she explains.
When not working, she listens to music, spends time with children and binge-watches shows on OTTs, and is hopeful of better times in the coming months. “You know what the biggest lesson I have learnt from my journey is? It’s all about perspective. So I choose to focus on the positive, and take one day at a time,” she signs off.