Malaika Arora on her journey as an entrepreneur with The Label Life: 'Not a bed of roses'

The well-known actress Malaika Arora took the plunge to be an entrepreneur a few years back. Malaika Arora turned an entrepreneur with The Label Life, an “Elevated Essentials” brand that sells apparel styled by the Bollywood diva herself. Mint’s Sounak Mukhopadhyay spoke to her about her entrepreneurial journey, experiences and learnings. Here’s an excerpt from that conversation:

What was the pivotal moment that shifted your focus from the silver screen to the world of entrepreneurship?

Looking back, it is never that one clock strike that defines a moment. It was a series of events. But, it all started with The Label Life, it was just a bunch of us friends getting together and exploring an idea and living it every day, enjoying fashion and everyday hustle.

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A larger turning point came when my affinity towards yoga and my daily practice started getting noticed and there emerged an opportunity whereby, we could convert an attribute of my personality into a platform for bringing people together. If I were sitting on the fence, that was when I took the plunge. There hasn’t been any looking back.

Could you share the story about your risk with The Label Life that paid off unexpectedly?

I wouldn’t call it a risk - it was an instinct and friendship. It wasn’t difficult showing support to my dear friend and her belief in The Label Life (TLL). I have been a part of the TLL journey for years now and will continue to be so for as long as we can get together.

What's one myth about entrepreneurship that your journey with The Label Life has debunked?

Success doesn’t come easy. Every day is not the same. It is not a bed of roses. Consistency and hard work have no substitute. You have to do your bit every day.

How has your journey been at The Label Life - from launching a new-age internet company to finding investors?

Nothing short of exhilarating. It is a learning curve. I have learnt a lot from taking it on as an interesting project to the flourishing brand and business that it is today. And, we continue to aim higher and bigger.

What’s been your most rewarding moment as an entrepreneur that never made it to the headlines?

The experience and privilege of meeting with some great minds and business honchos and the enriching learning experience I got through is most rewarding.

That said, I am equally excited for the first-ever runway showcase of The Label Life at Godrej L’Affaire 2024. With ~60% of participation from women over the years for the soirée, as a Style Editor of the brand, I found a perfect synergy for showcasing our SS'24 collection at this experiential event.

Any specific suggestion from a fan or a customer that directly inspired a decision or design?

It happens all the time. I receive DMs from my consumers and fans. Those are further shared with my team which in turn translates it into living, breathing ideas and hand them back to the consumers.

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For one of my brands, we extended into cheesecakes and launched Indian mithai flavours for Diwali. And, moving on, we launched chocolates for Valentine’s Day. It was an outcome of social listening and the ideas translated into real offerings.