The Science Behind Building Beauty Brands | Anurag Kedia (Pilgrim)

"What does it really take to build a D2C brand from zero in today's market?"

This episode unpacks the challenging yet rewarding journey of building a D2C brand with Anurag Kedia. Go beyond the headlines and learn about the grit, strategic decisions, and relentless execution required to take an idea like Pilgrim from concept to reality.

Anurag Kedia is the Co-Founder of the D2C beauty brand Pilgrim. With over 20 years of rich experience spanning marketing, strategy, and entrepreneurship, Anurag is an alumnus of prestigious institutions like IIM Ahmedabad and IIT Bombay. His track record includes achievements like scaling e-commerce businesses with 100% year-on-year growth, tripling customer bases, and significantly reducing customer acquisition costs in his previous leadership roles.

Key Insights from the Conversation (Based on likely topics):

• The Grit Required: Navigating the founder's journey from zero to one.
• Building Pilgrim: Translating vision into a tangible D2C reality.
• Finding Product-Market Fit in the competitive beauty landscape.
• Key Levers: Marketing and operational strategies for scaling D2C.
• Building Moats: Creating sustainable advantages in D2C.
• Lessons from a diverse career journey across multiple sectors.

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction: Anurag Kedia & The Pilgrim Story

01:41 Growing Up & Early Influences in Bilaspur

04:48 IIT Bombay & IIM Ahmedabad Journey

10:31 First Venture: Ideation & Founding Four Fountains Spa

13:51 Funding & Building the Spa Business

24:02 Scaling & Exiting Four Fountains

30:19 The 'Why' Behind Starting Pilgrim

44:50 Finding a Co-Founder & Building the Team

50:01 Raising Funds: Angels & Fireside Ventures

59:03 Launching Pilgrim Amidst Lockdown & Rapid Growth

1:04:10 Pilgrim's Strategy: Global Beauty & Niche Focus

1:26:33 Anurag's Advice: Marathon, Not Sprint

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