Thread by @FilterCoffeeHQ, Vikaas Gutgutia turned Ferns-n-Petal from a tiny flower dukaan in Dilli, to [...]

Vikaas Gutgutia turned Ferns-n-Petal from a tiny flower dukaan in Dilli, to one of the largest global suppliers of decorative flowers, booking ₹400 crores in annual revenues

Best part?

the idea came to him because he couldn’t find decent flowers for his date

Quick

Vikaas Gutgutia turned Ferns-n-Petal from a tiny flower dukaan in Dilli, to one of the largest global suppliers of decorative flowers, booking ₹400 crores in annual revenuesBest part?the idea came to him because he couldn’t find decent flowers for his dateQuick

2) Vikaas grew up in a typical middle-class home in Bihar, with little exposure to business

While finishing college in Kolkata, he regularly helped his uncle run a flower shop in his free time, mostly with sales and partnerships

3) Post college, the pressure to work and provide for family landed him in Mumbai

while his college girlfriend (now wife) relocated to Delhi.

While visiting her once on a birthday, Vikaas pre-ordered a bouquet of decorative flowers

what arrived was a complete disaster

4) "we had such better service in Kolkata" he thought

Pissed at the vendors, Vikaas tried looking them up

He learnt 6 roadside vendors controlled the entire flower market in Delhi, and none of them really cared about delivering an "experience"

5) Vikaas is left wondering — "can I bring the Kolkata-experience of selling flowers, in a nice AC shop, to Delhi?"

Impossible with just ₹5,000 rupees in the bank account.

So he chats with a friend from Delhi, brings him on as a partner with ₹2.5L, and plans to set shop

6) Barely months from his girlfriend's birthday incident in 1994 — Ferns n Petals is born

The store is glitzy and mostly sells decorative flower arrangements — very different from the street side competition.

6) Barely months from his girlfriend's birthday incident in 1994 — Ferns n Petals is bornThe store is glitzy and mostly sells decorative flower arrangements — very different from the street side competition.

7) Business however is soon jolted when the Municipality shuts them down for lack of proper authorization

giving up isn't an option.

Devastated but unstoppable Vikaas buys a cordless phone and starts conducting business right from the footpath next to other vendors

8) The sales training from Kolkata pays off.

Vikaas’ professionalism and fresh ideas become a HUGE differentiator

organized customers find his service more reliable

Taj Palace, one of the first big clients, places a ₹50 Lakh order—changing the company's trajectory

9) Meanwhile, Vikaas is pouring every penny into growth, opening new locations at lightening speed

To chase big margins, FnP focuses on the luxury segment—with partnerships with famous designers for floral setups

Business finally breaks even after 15 shops, 7 years in

10) Since then, growth barely skipped a beat. They began franchising outlets. In 2005, they invested in an online platform—one of the first vendors to do so.

Revenues exploded over the last 10 years

:

2009: ₹30 crores
2012: ₹145 crores
2016: ₹200 crores
2020: ~₹400 crores

11) Over time, FnP has rigorously expanded into adjacent verticals beyond flowers, including

— Wedding design
— Signature wedding hotels
— Retail gift shops and online gifting
— and even online funeral arrangements

12) Ferns n Petals today has 300 locations, across 120 cities in India and ships goods to 150+ countries

the retail empire is now dreaming of expanding beyond flowers, eyeing coffee shops, fast and packaged food, as well as beverages

13) Scaling up from that single store in 1994,

Vikaas has set an audacious target to top ₹1000 crores in revenues by 2023

and an IPO (which was originally set for 2020) is coming over the next 12-18 months!

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