Add Veda is an Ayurvedic and wellness products start-up
Please introduce yourself and your startup Add Veda to our readers!
I am Ankush Passi, the Founder and CEO of Add Veda. I was born and brought up in Ludhiana, Punjab (India) and shifted to New Delhi (India) for higher studies in the year 2006. I graduated from India’s one of the top colleges, SRCC in Delhi. I am also a former National Level Basketball Player and was the College and University Captain.
After completing my graduation, I joined my father, Dr. Jogesh Passi, who is an Ayurvedic doctor and has been researching, formulating and practicing Ayurveda for the last more than 3 decades. Growing up, I had always seen my father treating patients from around the country and other parts of the world. This motivated me to start Add Veda in the year 2016 which aims to treat people with illnesses and provide medicines and supplements that can help people lead a healthy life.
Add Veda is an Ayurvedic and wellness products start-up which aims to provide natural, chemical-free, healthy products for holistic wellness of individuals. Add Veda offers a wide range of Ayurvedic 40 plus proprietary medicines, classical formulations, supplements and cosmetic products, which are formulated under the expert guidance of Dr. Passi and manufactured in a strict quality-controlled environment at its production facility at Ludhiana, Punjab.
How did you get the idea of Add Veda?
Growing up, I watched my father, Dr. Jogesh Passi (G.A.M.S.) an Integrative Ayurveda expert who is well renowned for his ongoing research on Ayurveda and treatment of patients with chronic ailments from both India and abroad. He is also well known for development and innovation of unique herbal formulation which has tremendous successful results. My father, Dr. Passi’s knowledge treasure of Ayurveda and my own interest in all things herbal, is the inspiration behind Add Veda.
Why did you decide to start with Add Veda?
We are in the business of manufacturing Ayurveda products for more than three decades. I completed my graduation from SRCC, Delhi and post a considerable stint of experience working with an E-commerce startup, I joined my family business, which I always wanted to. Add Veda was built for the sole reason of providing everything which is natural and is for the people’s well-being. My father, Dr. Jogesh Passi’s experience in formulating and producing Ayurvedic medicines motivated us to start our own brand in the year 2016.
What is the vision behind Add Veda?
We are focused on scaling up in the domestic market currently but we have a vision of scaling the business to global markets and expanding the distribution to more countries, especially Europe and middle East where the awareness and demand for Ayurvedic products is on the rise. We want to make our brand ‘Add Veda’ a trustworthy name for purity, quality and result oriented products and last but not the least, in the process and journey of our pursuits we want to be responsible towards society and contribute towards the social causes we believe in.
How difficult was the start and which challenges you had to overcome?
Initial years of the launch in 2016, Add Veda products were sold through various digital platforms and prominent retail pharmacy chains in the capital of India, Delhi/NCR but retailing had challenges like Long payment cycles, margin issues and soon demonetization reform by the Indian Government forced Add Veda to pivot to a digital first approach. For the past few years, pro-digital strategy has paid rich dividends and we work on a balanced mix of B2C and B2B models.
Who is your target audience?
Our target audience includes all age groups as we have products for all categories like kid’s wellness, Men’s wellness, women and also elder population suffering from chronic ailments etc.
What is the USP of your startup?
Add Veda offers a wide portfolio of unique formulations of synergistically acting herbs with high potency that are used to treat Diabetes, muscle and joint pains, Autoimmune conditions, Men’s Sexual Wellness, Liver diseases and Chronic allergies, etc.
It also offers a range of Ayurvedic Single Herb supplements or Classical formulations known for their Holistic and Immune Health boosting benefits like Ashwagandha, Amla, Tulsi, Giloy, Curcumin, Spirulina and many more. Some of these medicinal herbs and classical formulations are acknowledged and recommended as scientifically studied immunity boosting and stress relief adjuvants in preventive and therapeutic Integrative care.
Can you describe your typical workday?
My day starts with a quick 5-10 mins meditation session, it helps me kick start the day with positivity and gratitude. I’m in office by 10 AM till around 7 PM, Monday till Friday. We keep weekends off for the team but as an entrepreneur our hustle continues every day, hence I don’t really live by the concept of weekends. I maintain a never ending To-do-list on the white board and spend the days working on things according to their priority. Post work, I either work out or play basketball, occasionally, I like to go for a recreational swim or a nice drive with my dog.
Where do you see yourself and your startup Add Veda in five years?
We are a relatively young company and growing organically year on year with considerable traction. I believe in “growth at all times, both professionally and personally”. We would be very happy if we keep growing, keep getting better than previous year and keep doing the right things!
What 3 tips would you give to founders?
I think, the most important question that an entrepreneur needs to introspect is the ‘why’ and ask yourself why are you in this business and you must find the right reasons to pursue it! Another important question to be asked Is if the business or your product/idea addressing a genuine need of the market and is it scalable?
Entrepreneurship is usually glorified but the truth is that you’ll probably face your hardest & toughest days in life trying to achieve your goals, so you must be ready to face the pressure because growth will come only outside of your comfort zone. The most valuable currency is emotional intelligence and strength, it will guide you and help you through the journey.
I personally draw a lot of parallel between sportsmanship and entrepreneurship. It helps if you act like a sportsman and run the business with nimbleness, perseverance, patience, hard work and keep moving forward irrespective of good days/bad days, win or loss. You must keep a healthy balance of focus on short term & long term, micro & macro goals.
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