If you do not have dreams, you might think life is not worth living! Well, people could have different opinions, but one person who indeed agrees with what we have said is Adil Qadri. He did not let his lack of education or not having access to resources in metro cities in Bilimora, Gujarat, hold him back. He had what was most important: passion, resilience, and zeal to grow. What started as a mere dream in 2019 has turned into so much more now, and with the support he has gotten, sky’s the limit.
Adil Qadri started his perfume venture in his name 5 years ago, and his story just captivated everyone in Shark Tank’s third season. Qadri requested Rs 1 crore from sharks in exchange for 0.5% equity. Offer did not excite the majority of sharks, but it did interest Sugar Cosmetics’ founder, Vineeta Singh. She offered Rs 1 crore for 1% equity, valuing the business at Rs 100 crore.
Adil’s journey was not easy. He had to overcome a lot of challenges to reach where he is. Let us take a look at his journey.
Overcoming Health and Educational Hurdles
Adil has struggled with asthma. At one point, when he was in fifth grade, it got so bad that he had to leave school. From 2005 to 2012, he tried to learn new things so he’d have a good knowledge base. In 2014, a relative introduced him to SEO, which sparked his interest in digital marketing. He worked on several D2C websites, but he hadn’t tasted success yet.
How Did Family Legacy Turn Into a New Beginning
It was Adil’s father who inspired him to delve into the world of fragrance. He worked in a perfume shop for 25 years, where the lack of standardisation of process affected the fragrance quality negatively.
This inspired Adil to launch his own brand in 2019 and offer good-quality, standardised perfumes to everyone. The startup founder truly credits his hometown for his venture and for teaching him various important things that he comes in handy in running the business.
A Flourishing Perfume Business
Adil Qadri as a brand focuses on providing premium quality products. The brand receives as many as 3000 orders a day. He has sold around 1 million units till now.
His brand is also one of the top sellers on Amazon and Flipkart. 95% of his customers are men. Adil is a proud business owner and declares himself as the industry good, saying, “Every industry has a goon, and I am the goon of this industry.”
Financial Growth of Adil Qadri
The brand is primarily available online. The average selling price is Rs 800. As with every business, Adil Qadri has not been without challenges too, but what has kept the shop going is zeal to grow.
The startup’s revenue has seen tremendous growth: Rs 5.3 crore in 2020-21, nearly doubling to Rs 10 crore in 2021-22, and again to Rs 20.7 crore in 2022-23. For 2023-24, the company aims to reach Rs 80-90 crore, expanding its business substantially.
Adil enjoys a gross margin of around 70%, and this was the key factor that motivated Vineeta to invest in his brand. Adil Qadri has not taken out many loans so far and just has a loan of Rs 6 Cr that he took from two NBFCs. What acted as a turn-off for many fans was Adil’s thought of taking more loans to repay his previous loans.
Adil Qadri’s story acts as motivation for anyone who wishes to achieve big things in life. After all, all you need is passion and resilience to make it all come true.
