Chahatt Khanna On Building Ammarzo: Why Celebrity Status Alone Can't Sustain a Business When actress-entrepreneur Chahatt decided to step into the world of business, she knew she didn't want her brand to ride only on her fame. Instead, she built Ammarzo, a luxury sleepwear brand, on the foundation of strategy, data, and product strength.
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Chahatt Khanna is one of the many actors who have stepped into the business world with their brand. When actress-entrepreneur Chahatt decided to step into the world of business, she knew she didn't want her brand to ride only on her fame. Instead, she built Ammarzo, a luxury sleepwear brand, on the foundation of strategy, data, and product strength.
Talking about the same, she said, "Celebrity-backed business will do well, not necessary. For a business to do well, there are business strategies. Just by selling your face, you can sell a film. You cannot sell a business when you have to get down to the market, penetrate, and sell the products."
For Khanna, the product had to speak louder than her name. "I don't want Ammarzo to be known as a celebrity-backed brand. I tell my team members, don't tell them who I am, don't tell them anything about me. I want Ammarzo to run because of the product. Definitely, a face will make a difference, but not for a long time. It will just give a boost in the starting stages, mostly for raising funds. After that, your product has to do the work."
Originally launched as a fast-fashion label, Ammarzo has since pivoted into a niche category. "Fashion is crowded. Ammarzo was a fashion brand, but now we have evolved in a very niche category - luxury sleepwear. We are probably the first brand of India in this space. There are players like Sweet Dreams, but they are not doing what we are doing. We have already selected our niche, and this space today is not crowded."
Like many first-time founders, Khanna admits she learned hard lessons along the way. "Spending like a big business while being a small business is not always right. When we were small, I spent a lot, and that was a learning curve. Don't spend like a big business when you are not one. If you are a big business and have funding, do spend - but always remember where you are coming from."
Khanna further emphasizes the role of instinct and numbers in her entrepreneurial journey. "Never take anybody's advice. Follow your gut, but mostly follow the data. Always be data-driven and do not take anybody's advice."
Her growth mindset is backed by continuous education. "I have done a lot of courses - I completed a distance course from Cambridge, my distance MBA from IIM, and recently a BTC course for entrepreneurship. I keep learning, I keep upgrading, and I think everyone should do that."
Business, however, isn't new to her family. "We were always a business family. My family has been in business for 100 years, and that old-school philosophy is still there with me."
She also stresses that Ammarzo is not overly reliant on social media. "We are not dependent on Instagram or social media. We have penetrated much more than that. Our sales mainly come from B2C, from smaller tier-2 and tier-3 cities, and e-commerce. Social media gives visibility, but not sales for us."
