Armed with an Undergrad degree in Human Resources and a master’s degree from the prestigious Xavier University in Mass communication, Smriti Sweta Das has always believed in the concept of there being no substitute for hard work and she has charted a way to forth Odisha as a beauty and wellness destination through a chain of Innovative, elegant and exclusive salons. A pioneer when it comes to exclusive beauty indulgence has introduced the concept of a Bridal lounge in Bhubaneswar.
Smriti Sweta Das founded Ecobelleza (www.theecobelleza.com) when she was 23 with an investment of 32 lakhs. Currently, Smriti Sweta Das is 26 and the business’s present turnover is 2 crores. Ecobelleza was founded in 2020 and she has a group of unisex salons. Smriti Sweta Das has an exclusive Bridal lounge that’s the biggest and first of its type along with the regular salon, that gives all the brides and grooms a unique and holistic experience from makeup and nails art, to an exclusive photoshoot zone.
Her love for beauty and fashion and the urge to make all beautiful women feel more confident about their inner beauty by enhancing their physical attributes, as the tagline of her brand suggests, “Working Beauty From The Inside Out.” Smriti Sweta Das looks up to her father as he is extremely passionate about everything he does. The belief and confidence and the importance of hard work are extremely vital for entrepreneurship which she has learnt from him.
As an entrepreneur, Smriti Sweta Das has faced various struggles and the only learning she wants is to express that as entrepreneurs people should learn to see positivity no matter how bad the situation is. Smriti started her business at a young age and she has always had faith in God, which makes her believe that she is a spiritual being and that spiritual guides give her the strength to overcome every situation. From opening 1 outlet to 10 outlets across the country, Smriti Sweta Das has had a tough journey, yet every step has been incredible.
The key essentials required to run the business were Human Resource Management as it played a key role in her business. Moreover, the initial capital was funded by her father in Smriti’s case and it was very difficult for her to convince him to invest in that kind of business. Another factor Smriti was concerned about was the retention of staff in the salon industry.
Smriti Sweta Das has always believed in self-grooming, hence, ever since her college days, she had experienced all major brands in Bhubaneswar and what struck her was to come up with a brand with no quality compromise suitable for all economic status quo of our society. Hence, she named her company Ecobelleza which is a combination of Economic and Belleza, a Spanish word which means beauty.
What makes Smriti Sweta Das unique as an entrepreneur is that she is quite empathetic as well as affectionate and that has helped her retain her staff, and it has also helped her grow her network alongside her connections that have worked in her favor for her brand management.
Her learnings have been to stay patient and optimistic. Focusing on how you can better yourself and positioning your brand in the right place is what she has learnt. She believes that your brand’s positioning is a reflection of your true self.
Smriti Sweta Das’s advice for budding entrepreneurs is to follow your heart, listen to yourself, believe your intuition and keep working hard.
Ecobelleza has won the Times Award for the Best Emerging Salon in Odisha.