11 Hard-won lessons from a successful first-time founder
Your lifejacket for the startup storm
You meet your friends over coffee and fries and talk about how employment is slowly draining the joy out of you. Inevitably, the conversation drifts to the dream of starting something of your own, possibly a brand, an agency, or maybe even a podcast. For a moment, you feel alive, imagining what you could build and then Monday comes, and you’re back at your desk (Are you terrified of becoming a freelancer?).
You probably even know someone who should be a founder—the friend who cooks so well they could run a cloud kitchen, the cousin who plans every family event like a pro, or the colleague who does digital marketing so brilliantly that you can’t understand why they’re not doing it for themselves. But ideas are easy to romanticise and even easier to dismiss: It’s not the right time, the market is saturated, who will believe in me?
In her bedroom, 20-year-old Arshia Kaur decided to start anyway. In 2020, during the lockdown, she applied a lip balm and realised it could be better. So she researched on the internet, ordered ingredients, and created her own lip gloss, a clear peppermint one. It was good enough that family and friends urged her to sell it. She made a few batches and started taking orders through Instagram DMs. She had no payment gateway, no website and used her personal UPI. That’s how Tint Cosmetics was born.
“I handled everything myself, from formulating and packing to shipping and customer communication. Sometimes I miss that. I would personally interact with all customers, who often gave me a lot of insights on what they liked or didn’t,” she says. Kaur believes that helped her understand their requirements better and was able to expand her range of products.
In 2021, after a year of steady growth, Kaur launched a website and more sales followed. When customers began asking about testing and safety standards, she didn’t wait. She spent a year securing FDA manufacturing licenses and product lab testing, especially because 80 per cent of Tint’s products are still made in-house. After that, she started selling her products on Amazon, Tira, Myntra, and Nykaa. Then came two major collaborations—with actress and founder of Nish Hair, Parul Gulati and tge popular Netflix series Emily in Paris starring Lily Collins—bringing Tint to a wider audience and making it a worthy contender in India’s growing beauty landscape.
Along the way and through much trial and error, Kaur has learnt everything there is to know about being a first-time founder. If you are someone who owns a small business or wishes to start one, here she shares all her trade secrets.
11 Tips if you’re dreaming of launching your own business
Don’t wait to feel ready
“One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is to just start. Don’t wait for the perfect time; it doesn’t exist. When I got the idea for Tint Cosmetics, I launched within a month. The human mind is wired to find flaws, so you’ll always think you can do it better. That’s where people get stuck. You have to do it even if you feel unprepared.”
Learn to be frugal
“Another big learning has been understanding the value of money. We’re completely bootstrapped, so managing cash flow has been crucial, making sure every rupee we spend brings value back to the business. I’ve learned to be frugal without compromising on quality. For example, even if I have a ₹10 lakh budget for a launch, I ask myself, do I really need to spend that much? If I am able to launch a product in half the budget or less, I do that. You need not go all out. Doing everything myself in the early days taught me exactly where it’s worth spending.”
Make time to decompress
“A year ago, I had zero time for myself, especially when it came to physical fitness—that’s changed now. I’ve become a fitness enthusiast, it’s my ‘me time’. I don’t consider sleeping or going to the spa as my time. For me, it’s one hour a day of movement—gym, yoga, anything that makes me feel stronger. It’s something I do purely for myself, not for the company or anyone else. When you’re a founder, it’s easy to blur the line between being a leader and being an employee who’s doing everything. But you have to delegate and carve out time for yourself, otherwise you’ll burn out.”
Be careful when working with friends
“My brother is my co-founder, and working with family has been great for me. It comes with its pros and cons, but there’s a level of trust that’s irreplaceable. You know that person will manage things with the same sense of ownership you do. I haven’t worked with friends, and personally, I prefer not to. I want to avoid risking the relationship if things go wrong.”
Don’t get stuck on something that’s not working out
“Every brand hits a plateau at some point. You can’t keep following the same playbook; consumers today are too smart. If they sense repetition, they lose interest. That’s when you need to pivot and evolve. My mentor taught me that early on: don’t be afraid to change direction. That’s why we’re now moving into offline spaces. We realised our customers crave that physical connection with the brand, something you can’t replicate online.”
Master the boring bits of the business
“The early days of making lip glosses and packing orders were fun. But as the brand grew, we had to focus on compliances, manufacturing, and marketplace listings. Documentation, testing, and approvals are not fun, but they’re essential. Over the past four years, I’ve learned a lot about the financial and legal aspects of running a business as well but having a reliable team of accountants and CAs makes a huge difference. Every founder should prioritise having strong legal and accounting support from day one.”
Attend networking events
“Networking has been one of the most transformative parts of this journey. I’ve met so many like-minded founders through events and communities like Leap Club (which sadly shut down). Still, it gave me a network of people who understand what I’m going through. Entrepreneurship can be lonely, and your regular friends might not always relate. Talking to other founders helps as we exchange advice, collaborate, and support each other.”
Hold on to the good employees
“Building a good work environment is crucial but not easy when you’re a first-time founder. Over the years, I’ve learned how to make my team feel valued, comfortable, and motivated. When employees feel seen, they perform better and that directly affects the brand. We have monthly check-ins to discuss their challenges, celebrate wins, and make sure they feel heard. Sometimes it’s as simple as publicly praising someone who did a great job. Small gestures go a long way.”
Set both long- and short-term goals
“It’s important to have both short-term and long-term goals. You need to know what you’re doing in the next three months as well as the next three years. If your big dream is to build a unicorn, that’s great but it’s the smaller milestones that get you there. Breaking down big goals into achievable steps helps you and your team stay focused and see tangible progress.”
Be shameless in finding mentors
“Finding mentors can feel intimidating, but you have to be proactive and shameless about asking for help. Tap into your existing network: parents, teachers, seniors, or even strangers on LinkedIn or Instagram. You’d be surprised how many people are willing to share advice if you just ask. And if you reach out to ten people, and even if one replies, it’s worth it.”
Take credit where it’s due
“Women, especially, tend to downplay our achievements. We’re quick to say, “Oh, it was a team effort,” or brush off compliments. Of course, being a team player matters. I owe a lot to my team but it’s equally important to acknowledge your own contribution. Give credit where it’s due, to yourself and to others. As women founders, we juggle a lot, and we need to stop discounting that.”
