Purplle Founder on ‘Beauty for Bharat’, Taking on Nykaa, Making Acquisitions Work, and More

To build a business, you should always have your feet on the ground and eyes on the stars.

A mindset Manish Taneja has carried from the narrow lanes of Faridabad to build a ₹10,000 Cr beauty giant.

In this episode, Shantanu sits down with Manish Taneja (CEO & MD of Purplle.com) for a raw conversation about the unseen side of entrepreneurship.

Growing up in Tier 2 India, Manish never had the blueprint but just a dream to build big. And in 13 years, he turned that fascination into Purplle, a brand that has redefined beauty in India.

From taking bold bets on acquiring big brands like Faces Canada and Carmesi to choosing long-term value over viral trends, this is a story of perseverance, principles, and playing the long game.

Key takeaways from the episode:

- Why it’s crucial to not chase trends but build with purpose.

- What are the mistakes every founder often makes in the beauty space?

- What is the role of AI in shaping the future of brand building?

- If you’re still playing it safe, you’re probably holding yourself back.

Hope this episode inspires you to go “all in” with your idea! And if you’d like to join our next conversation live, sign up here: https://forms.gle/yF6Rzr9NRheKRoV98

Navigate the episode

00:00 Coming Up

01:25 Introduction

01:50 Backstory of Purplle and their initial challenges

10:57 Business Cash Flow and Employee Growth at Purplle

13:25 Market Evolution and Capital Raising Milestones

21:00 Role of Investors and Purplle’s First Product to many more

27:10 Strategic Brand Acquisitions and Reshaping the market

30:51 Effectiveness of Data Usage and Geographic Customer Targeting

34:40 Revenue Margins and Sales Channel Insights

36:30 The Impact of Offline and Quick Commerce on Sales

39:16 Growth of the Beauty and Personal Care Industry

44:13 Innovation, New Product Categories, and Avoiding Trend-Chasing

49:45 The Role of AI in Brand Building

54:58 Understanding Market Dynamics and Capital Flow

1:02:02 Industry Evolution and the Power of Content Creation

1:05:03 A 13-Year Journey of Investor Relations and Key Success Stories

1:09:24 Manish’s Perspective on Building Startups

1:17:40 Closing Thoughts