Lights, birds, animal-shaped pots, water bodies, hangings, danglers – you name it and there they are, waiting to be appreciated by people who matter. Earthly Creations is redefining the way gardening is thought and done in India, coupled with inducing a paradigm shift in which gifting and giveaways are affected.
“Love an animal, gift a plant – Now and always! I was resolute of inducing a paradigm shift – not cosmetic or rotational but a revolution that changes the basis – one that redefines the totality all over again and that’s when Earthly Creations – a path redefining initiative – was initiated by me; the one that transformed the garden into an expression of awesome beauty”, says Earthly Creations Founder Harpreet Ahluwalia.
One can indulge into an eye-catching stock of all the “earthly creations” from garden pots, aqua bodies in animal and bird shapes to danglers and garden decorations in terracotta, wood, metal and resin in over 800 astounding shapes, with Ahluwalia.
Excerpts from an exclusive interaction with Harpreet Ahluwalia of Earthly Creations:
Background of Promoter
I hold a post graduate certification in business management, with majors in Marketing/ Finance. A University topper, gold medalist in post graduation, I did my majors in economics. I’m an alumni of Life Skills Woman Entrepreneurship Initiative 2016 by Wal Mart and also 10,000 Woman Leadership and Management Program( ISB and Gold Man Sachs) Class 2013.
Today I stand as an expert in gardening and environmental space- designer for Terracotta garden accessories and decorations. I am a first generation entrepreneur, who is credited for running two businesses successfully – Alluring Fantasies (Arts and Artifacts), and Earthly Creations (Terracotta Garden decorations).
The initial period- the challenges & the ecstasy of quick wins!
Creating a paradigm shift required a passion and perseverance and the innate capacity and resilience to overcome the odds. Indebted, that I had an avalanche of them. First challenge was to find potters who were willing to experiment and move away from their traditional mindset of making ‘Matkas’ – then was contemporizing the designs, adherence to quality and delivery by parameters, educating the users that gardening isn’t limited to planting of roses, lying of grass and creating hedges, et al.
Nothing was a quick win, but if one imbibes a talent code, coupled with the art of thinking clearly and imbibing the discipline of execution, winning is a subset. I was fortunate to complete the initials in 12 months from the concept to finality stage.
The journey so far!
We have created over 800 concepts in various animal shaped pots, water bodies, bird houses, bird feeders, where in each creation establishes a synergy between utility, aesthetics and value.
Earthly Creations kick started in 2000 with an exhibition in a mela, and now I am a regular participant in over 40 apex exhibitions pan India, with over 800 authentic creations being a part of the offering. Over 100,000 creations have been showcased in over 50 cities in India and in over 10 countries globally.
The future, as you see, 3 years from now in terms of scope & scale of your business enterprise
Don’t sweat the small stuff, as all stuff is small. My vision is to create an institute of excellence, which is a confluence of all traditional art in India, and also helping 100 families of potters, by creating opportunities for them to lead a life of fulfillment and contribution.
For me, a thought is more important than a person because focused thinking coupled with a discipline of execution, can move mountains too.
My goals in the next three years are to increase profits and profitability, imbibe a process of wealth creation rather than wealth consolidation, improve measurement of staff and customers’ loyalty, suggestions and complaints to improve recruitment and retention and provide impeccable customer service, and increase the range to over 3000 artifacts.
Key moments of reckoning in business life
The key moments of reckoning would be-
• Awarded BSE- Rotary SME Award for Excellence as a Woman Entrepreneur of substance 2013
• Bestowed the Apex Achiever 2006, award by Kalpatru Woman’s Forum in Arts and Crafts
• Founder member of Pranic Society of Noida
• Invited as a Garden Expert in Good Morning India – NDTV Breakfast Show
• Executive Member of Noida Chrysanthemum Society
• Co Chairman of expert subcommittee – HRD, at Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry
The feelings on getting the first big order / contract for your company
Feeling of completeness, ecstasy and fulfillment – more so that what I envisioned for creating a meaningful life for potters, who incidentally were leading a deprived existence coupled with the dying of our traditional art, was reviving and was on the path of creating excellence. It is my first step towards ‘Make in India’, ‘Skill India’ and nation building.
As of now, I still have many more miles to go, before I sleep.
