When we are old and failing, it is the memories of the childhood which can be summoned most clearly.

–  Dan Simmons

Childhood is the most amazing experience of our lives. We cherish those carefree moments of nothingness and delight. It’s a special phase that is not just enjoyed by us but also those around us, be it parents, siblings, close relatives or anyone else who is close to our hearts. A child is the reason for those pearly white smiles even after a long tiring day.

These happy moments are cherished lifelong by most but unfortunately the child remains an exception. As happy as he is when living these days, the memories fade away as the years go by. Even as parents, not every little memory can be stored in your memory bank as some naughty ones slip away.

Little1, an online platform, is exclusively for parents who wish to capture each memory to be relived not just by them but also by their little prince or princess. Little1 provides a multitude of features such as Baby Record Book, Family Tree, Milestone Calendar, Growth Chart and Dental Tracker to preserve each big and small moment of your baby’s life. Its secure sharing provides privacy of your little one’s details which can be shared only with near and dear ones.

Startoholics met up with the Co-Founder of Little1, Mr. Parasar Ghosh and here’s what he had to share with us.

Tell us a bit about your background and the path that led you towards Little 1.

All the co-founders were having comfortable corporate profiles before we decided to pursue our dream of setting up Little1. It was the personal parenting experience of one of our co-founders that paved way in conceiving Little1. That was in 2012 and since then there has been no looking back for us as we took one step at a time to execute our plans.

How long did it take to put together Little1?

Since April 2012 we have been working on the prototype. We released our private beta on 14th Nov 2012 (an apt day) and moved on to the public beta stage on 31^st Jan 2013.

We are now live since 21^st Aug 2013.

How difficult has the journey been? Any stories you would like to share?

The whole story in itself is worth living a 100 times again. Every day is a new day and full of learning… Difficult to pinpoint a single story.

How do you plan to monetize Little1? Do you have any tie-ups?

We have multiple channels to monetize Little1.

The listing business, the print version of the baby record book & margins on our gift & goodies store are the main streams of revenues. Our idea is to generate revenue from the Listing business (B2B) and keep offering the features of the site to members (B2C) absolutely FREE as it is now.

How different is Little1 from its competitors?

While there are a few sites that operate in the space, our combination of products & features make us unique. The publicly available data on our website’s visitors, Facebook fans & their engagement, time spent on site and ranking validates our claim to be India’s one of most loved parenting platforms.

What is next in line for Little1?

One step at a time is what we believe in. Like a baby, we are discovering ourselves every day.

How do you plan to promote Little1?

We have been extremely particular with our spending on marketing as we wanted quality & not quantity. The online ads are targeted through Google Adwords on relevant sites that cater to young / new parents and on Facebook and we have filtered our ads to reach only the right audience.

Mothers are our key segment and we keep looking at sources & avenue to reach them.

What is the hardest aspect about this job?

Knowing about the customer’s mindset without being in front of them is the hardest part of any online business.

Five years down the line, where do you visualize Little 1?

A name synonymous with parenting.

What has been the one important lesson you’ve learned in this journey?

Take small but firm steps. You will be happy to see how far you have travelled when you look back in times to come.

Lastly, one piece of advice to our budding start-up entrepreneurs.

If there is an idea in your mind, it is worth going all out and making it a reality.  Dreams do come true.

Do visit Little1 if you wish to cherish some resplendent memories forever and let us know about your views on this startup!

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In an exclusive interview, the founders of ToyKraft shared with us a few words about this out of the box startup.

 To anyone who’s never come across ‘ToyKraft’, how would you describe it?

ToyKraft is a company filled with creativity; it has 200 original and successful toy products, strong back-end research team and a road map of more exciting toys and games to follow in the near future.

 How involved are you with fundraising?

The funding basically comes from promoters, close associates and also a debt facility with the bankers.

What is the biggest hurdle you have faced or are still facing?

The biggest hurdle faced is lack of infrastructural support needed for diversified manufacturing in toys and lack of knowledge of parents to choose toys for their child as light, sound and motion are still favourite attributes.

Has ‘ToyKraft’ got the feedback and growth you expected since launch?

Growth has been impressive considering the current industry scenario and in the face of growing international competition. But, we had projected a higher growth for this time span. The feedback that we have received has been higher than our expectation.

Who do you see as your target audience?

Although toys are meant for children between 3 to 14 years, our main target audience at this stage is the young adult or the parents.

How do you differentiate from your competitors?

We feel that the word competition in toys is almost non-existent. It is a bitter fact that the toy manufacturing Industry in India is peanut compared to the world market. Our competition in the same toy categories at the current stage thrives on borrowed ideas or piracy. This works OK in Tier 3 and 4 towns which are currently not our targets.

Have you had any failures and what did you learn from them?

With the advent of competition from International toy companies, about 4 years ago we had tied up with 3 such companies to represent them in India. Initially the products did well and we increased our focus into imports. The Indian market at the top of the pyramid got saturated faster than we thought and the toys did not sell in the same numbers in subsequent years. At this stage we decided to get out of imports as our profits got blocked in inventory.

Where do you see ‘ToyKraft’ after 5 years?

We look at the brand optimistically as being No. 1 Indian manufacturer of indigenously developed toys both in India and in exports.

How important is the role of Social Media for success of any startup?

Well logically, very important. Especially if the target group is young adults or parents. Social Media is one of the most important touch points to reach out and it runs on ‘content’ and makes quick feedback possible at lower costs.

What are your plans for promoting ‘ToyKraft’?

ToyKraft as a brand aims to become a fun companion for children. Play is best ‘demonstrated’. So, we always have believed in connecting with our customers through workshops. Recently, we are also collaborating with college festivals. We are also associated with IIT’s Mood Indigo 2013 where we will be hosting the CHECOLO Gaming Competition.

Do you have any tie-ups?

We launch games for Hindustan Times, Tara Jewellers and few popular games of American and European game designers. We hold licenses to manufacture and market two party games by PATCH games USA. Apart from this we even work with a French game designer ‘Roberto Fraga’. The latest game that we have launched is called SABurbia for SAB TV.

What more do you wish to include to take ‘ToyKraft’ to the next level?

Today as we stand at 200 products, we target to expand & diversify our range further with around 150 products in next 3 years. As far as next level is concerned we will focus on additional manufacturing capacities that meet international norms. We have successfully implemented ERP system which has helped us with the production during our growth stage.

In this age where toys are vital part of one’s life ToyKraft provides exciting opportunities for kids’ learning and even enhances child’s imagination and progress.

Do visit their website! ToyKraft

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