Being a Mompreneur Is Challenging and Taxing: Pallavi Utagi

Meet Pallavi Utagi, a mother who turned entrepreneur after struggling with baby care issues. She is the founder and CEO of SuperBottoms which makes cloth diapers for kids. In an exclusive interview with Reshmi AR (Sakshi Post), Pallavi Utagi talks about the idea behind her successful venture.

An entrepreneur needs to be one step ahead to become a Mompreneur. Your comments?

I do believe that being a mompreneur is comparably challenging and taxing. However, seeing the kind of change that SuperBottoms is bringing about motivates me to continue. There have been moments when I've had to make the difficult choice to put my work above my time with Kabir and vice versa.

Since this is a baby product, there's a lot of risk as feedback need not be encouraging all the time. What gave you the confidence to take the plunge?

When my son, Kabir was developing frequent rashes as a reaction to regular diapers, I began looking for a better diaper. No one does better research than a worried mom they say! I wanted something that was not as inconvenient as a langot, and not as harmful for skin and the planet as a disposable diaper. The need for a high-performance, reusable, cloth diaper appeared and thus began the journey of SuperBottoms!

Diaper brands are dime a dozen, what inspired you to come up with the idea of creating cloth diapers?

My husband and I were both worried about our son's well-being and the effects that using disposable diapers would have on the environment. So I started looking for a solution, leading to my discovery of international cloth diaper brands. Contrary to the cloth nappies used by Indian mothers for their children for decades, cloth diapers promise no-spill and dryness for the infant. I loved the cloth diapers I got from abroad and soon I had the idea to launch my own brand of cloth diapers.

I found that while American products were great, they weren't entirely appropriate for babies in India. Indian mothers are particular about diapers keeping their babies dry, and American companies don't particularly prioritise dryness, which is a problem. Indian babies are often smaller in size as well. Additionally, the Indian market favours quirky designs and bright colours. Having worked in the pharmaceutical industry, first with Strides Arcolab and later Piramal Healthcare, I was competent to develop the product.

As a mother, I was aware of what was available, what my child—and children throughout the nation—needed and deserved. Since then, SuperBottoms is bridging the gap while standing by its mission of becoming a valued and trusted parenting partner that develops sustainable, high-quality products.

You worked as a techie in Infosys and then switched to a Pharma. Why did you make that switch?

After receiving my BE, I spent two years working as a software developer for Infosys. I joined a Bangalore-based pharmaceutical business in 2009 to help them create their India brand division since I was interested in the topic of brand building. I also came to understand that brand building extends far beyond marketing to include things like supply, operations, and more. I currently have roughly 11 years of brand management expertise, and I have previously managed and launched sensitive products in the female care sector.

How does your brand promote responsible business in terms of keeping it sustainable and ensuring zero waste living?

SuperBottoms is upcycling the excess fabric left over after making their popular line of sustainable baby basics in an effort to become the pinnacle of sustainability. This effectively reduces production waste by 15% to 30% annually. SuperBuddies, safe, sensory toys are produced from recycled polyfill and repurposed cloth. More than 1 million tonnes of textile waste, according to research estimates, are dumped in landfills in India alone. They are made using a healthy supply chain fueled by considerate disposal.

SuperBottoms adheres to sustainability at every stage, even in "non-customer-facing" procedures like employing packaging made of entirely biodegradable corn paper.

Each SuperBottoms diaper is suitable for a growing baby for three long years! At SuperBottoms, absolutely nothing is disposed of in landfills. These cute toys, as well as keychains and coin pouches, are made from recycled materials. We use corn paper rather than using plastic for packaging or delivery. For us, sustainability is more than just a buzzword; it's how we run our brand. For new-age parents, SuperBottoms is their go-to partner on the path to conscious and joyful parenting, guiding them as they choose better lifestyle options for their children through uncompromising and sustainable product lines intended to make a better world.

Tell us about your customer base

So far, we have amassed a 20 Lakh-strong customer base.

What's your USP?

SuperBottoms is more than simply a product; it's a quick, inexpensive, and available fix for every family. It is a parenting partner determined to find answers while respecting the values of high-quality innovation, conscious parenting, and sustainability at its core. These are in-action commitments that are delivered, seen, and felt rather than merely hollow marketing words. Be it by providing the world's simplest ever cloth diaper or the gender, race, color, neutral conduct, SuperBottoms walks the talk.

At SuperBottoms, we go the extra mile to build a hand-held experience for customers in addition to creating products. After realising that professional call centre settings were "too professional", we established a team of 40 mothers who work out of 27 different places in India and oversee over 2000 consumers every day. SuperBottoms also takes pride in having India's first mom-sellers network, affectionately known as Mitr, who are active in even the remotest regions of the nation and who share their passion of cloth diapers with others.

Additionally, we adhere to sustainability at every stage, even in "non-customer-facing" procedures, as making deliberate, thoughtful decisions is a part of our culture. The same SuperBottoms diaper can fit for three years! To ensure that absolutely nothing is wasted, we are going above and above. allowing for an effective reduction of production waste of 15% to 30% annually. In India, we are the only CPSIA-certified brand. We take pride in conducting extensive research to better comprehend the needs of parents and create products that are the simplest and safest to use. We are able to create items that last a long time and develop with the infant thanks to R&D. This allowed us to construct the world's most straightforward cloth diaper, which is currently being patented. We also developed the first potty training pants in India after understanding the demands of parents. All of our Bumwear products are one size fits all, made of 100% organic cotton, washable, and reusable.

Was there an instance of you making changes to your product based on customer feedback?

Our Dry Feel Langot was developed after consumer need. We observed that parents were resorting to langots for diaper free time, that got wet every time the baby peed and caused pee puddles and the beds to get wet. We developed Dry Feel Langot to tackle these issues. This also stemmed from observing our consumers using our soaker pads to their normal langots and using it for more absorbency. Post this observation we created the Dry Feel Langot.

Our ParentTribe has more than 74k members and continues to grow. At every level, the Tribe provides us with insights and criticism. We feel that because our team is made up exclusively of mothers who were first consumers of the brand before becoming employees, we are able to connect with our customers on a deeper level.

According to a Praxis survey, SuperBottoms' NPS rating is above 75%. Being above 0 is considered "good," therefore this is a significant accomplishment for us. It implies that there is a higher likelihood of audience loyalty. Any number over 20 is regarded as "favourable." The NPS system's creator, Bain & Co., claims that anything over 50 is good and anything above 75% is world-class. It is undoubtedly a very proud learning experience for us, and we would attribute this to our team, which continuously considers customer feedback and innovates based on it, as well as to our product team, which works tirelessly on supreme design and product quality that is CPSIA tested and UNO diaper design, which is currently under patent.

Mistakes are common while setting up a business. Tell us about yours and how it affected the product and then your comeback

I made a lot of assumptions about the market when we launched our first diapers back in 2014 and did not put in the needed rigour. It caused a lot of heartburn and inspired copycats. Lesson learnt - differentiate or perish.

One of the biggest challenges has always been about educating parents about cloth diapering and its benefits. Also, post-purchase usage and troubleshooting. All of this, without having a physical presence in stores and with a digitally native business was the key challenge. SuperBottoms initially got on board a call-center setup which was too ‘professional’, and we realized parents were not really happy with the interactions. We then conceptualized the ‘momsconnect team’ which is a team of mothers, who have been their customers, working out of their homes!

This team today handles 800+ queries a day in the most professional yet empathetic manner and today, our customer service is one of the most important pillars of SuperBottoms’ success.

What's your message to aspiring entrepreneurs?

It's the little things that count in the end, so put in the effort and go the additional mile even if you believe no one will notice. You must have a customer-first mentality in whatever you do. There will be many ups and downs during the path, and mistakes are a given. Be disciplined and learn from your shortcomings.

Additionally, ask for assistance if you need it. Today's start-up ecosystem is incredibly helpful for anyone who is sincere about getting things done.

Who do you look up to in the business world? How did the person inspire you?

Seth Godin  - he builds brands with stories and approaches marketing with common sense, which is unusual.

How do you balance work and home?

My husband and my family have been and continue to be the biggest cheerleaders of my journey as an entrepreneur. We believe in equal parenting and take equal partnership in household tasks. 

Also Read: From Mommy to Social Media Influencer, Reetika Gupta Shares Her Journey