Enchanted Strokes – The Magic of Creativity

Every one of us has a talent, a hobby or a streak of creativity. But how many of us have the courage to take it one step forward and bring it out in the market and launch an enterprise based on it? We can only do this if we believe in our talents that they are good and should be shared with the world. Here is one such person who believes in her talents by launching ‘Enchanted Strokes’.

If you’re bored with the usual gifting and home décor items that just refuse to add the spark into your life, grab hold of one of the personalised Enchanted Strokes goodies today. We caught up with 22-year-old Delhi-based Mehak Bothra, the Founder of Enchanted Strokes about life and creativity. She is currently pursuing her Graduation in Fashion Retail and Management from Pearl Academy of Fashion.

After having interned for a month as a VM Internee under H G Retail Solutions Pvt. Ltd for Reebok and Leros, Mehak a self-employed Graphic Designer since April 2010 successfully runs Enchanted Strokes.

How did it all begin?

Mehak tells us, “The inspiration to start my own business venture was purely from my passion for designing. I wanted to start working as a freelance graphic designer when I was in my second year of college. Since I didn’t have enough experience, big designing firms were not very easy to get into reach. So, I figured why not do it myself? And so my thought turned into an action which today is called “Enchanted Strokes”.”

Investments and Branding

Initially, Mehak started with designing projects and gradually moved to customising all kinds of gifts. She had saved up almost Rs. 10,000 and with time she kept investing more in product sampling and marketing.

“When I figured that I wanted to launch my own brand, I started writing down everything I could relate my work too. According to me, every design of mine has something new in it and that is what makes every stroke unique. Thus came the brand name “Enchanted Strokes” which in itself means magical strokes and that is exactly what we want to tell our customers,” smiles Mehak.

Her sisters, Esha Bothra and Saloni Kothari also provided a helping hand during her brainstorming session to create a brand name, without which Mehak feels she couldn’t be able to finalise on such a beautiful brand name.

Challenges faced

Mehak admits, “The challenges we face are mainly from the competition who are selling the same products and at times finding good quality printers as we outsource our printing, and personally I don’t like to compromise on the quality for the price. But we have opted for the best solution to overcome this by keeping our prices lower than the market rates and aiming them at the right target market.” Mehak also feels that it ‘s a boon to be a research student, as it has helped her launch her products in the right market and towards the right age group.

First product & customer

Mehak recalls, “The first design order that we got was from a designer boutique –“Avaran”, who wanted to get their corporate identity redone and their corporate stationary designed. As for the customised gifts, the first order was of a customised wall clock from a very close friend of mine, Mahima Bahl.” Some of the regular clients at Enchanted Strokes are Ritam Designs, Supermount Fashion Designs Pvt. Ltd. and Hotel Swarn Towers – Bareilly. While some of our very promising customers are: Tania Dawer, Aman Soni, Nitya Garg, Aditi V Chopra and much more.

What makes Enchanted Strokes so unique?

“Our USP is that we make sure every moment counts and that our products are 100% customised. The products are unique firstly because they are all personalised and every design is different from the other. We love to take our customers’ inputs and try to replicate the image they have in their minds,” mentions Mehak.

Sourcing raw materials & creations

Mehak does all the designing in-house and the printing is outsourced from a number of printers. Enchanted Strokes doesn’t have just one printer, but have multiple options instead so that they don’t have to compromise on the quality and it works well as a stand-by option when a printer doesn’t turn up with the finished goods on time.

Mehak further adds, “Generally it takes about 3-4 days on an average to get a design ready, approved and printed. We follow a slightly different pattern. Once the order is placed and the customers send their pictures, we make the preliminary design and show them the sample; if they want any changes, they are made and then once the order has been approved we go ahead with the printing so that the customers don’t regret getting something made. This process is followed for every product from the smallest to the biggest item at Enchanted Strokes!”

Price range

The product range start from Rs 50 and goes up to Rs 3000 (approx), the pricing for few products is not fixed as it depends on the options the customers choose while getting them made; like customised magazines, newspapers and photo books.

“We do most of our promotions through social media sites like Facebook and Twitter. Besides that, we have put up few exhibitions, which have helped us in reaching out to the customers. Recently we were a sponsor at “Pearl Utsav”, Pearl Academy of Fashion’s College Fest” adds Mehak.

Order today

You have a choice of customised gifts right from customised newspapers, magazines, calendars, year planners, cushion covers, key chains, playing cards, clocks, frames, diaries, Mr. Lazy and Manchester United towels  – the works!

Enchanted Strokes takes outstation orders and the products are couriered to the addresses provided by the customer. You can place your orders through enchantedstrokes@gmail.com or call them at : +91 9999362672. You can also leave a message on their Facebook page.

The journey so far…

Before signing off Mehak tells us, “The journey so far has been amazing; Enchanted Strokes is so much more than what I had expected. When I started this business venture I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to create the aura of my work and spread it around so well. But slowly and steadily I have worked my way up through all the hardships that came. From 2010 to 2012 we have grown in size and in number. We started with just 5 products maybe but today we have 50 at least. The expansion has been steady and we are changing with the time.”

Collaborate with us:
Write to us at tanya@tanyamunshi.com if you’d like to get featured or collaborate with us at The Lifestyle Portal.