Celebrity Life

In this instalment of Startup Life, Simran Mohinani of MOHLIA talks infinity roses, luxury gifting, and getting ahead of the designer florist-curve.

It’s the season of giving and gifting, making it an excellent time to chat with expert Simran Mohinani. She launched her floral company MOHLIA during the peak of the pandemic, when customers were rushing to find ways to connect with loved ones. With Mohinani's wide network, she was able to ensure that her cheerful, long-lasting floral arrangements reached recipients all over the world, and on time. The company has now evolved to include much more – here’s a look at this enterprising entrepreneur.

Name: Simran Mohinani
Profession: Founder and CEO of MOHLIA
Industry: Luxury Gifting
Company Size: 26 people
Startup Since: August 2020

When did you decide to launch your own company and why did you start it?

I launched my first company back in 2017, during my second year of University. I had just started my career as an author and was eager to start investing my first source of income into something wonderful, as I had always been told you should make your money work for you. I learned about the stock market and put quite a chunk of money into it. While reading about the companies I was choosing to invest in, I thought about how fun it would be to start something of my own. I always knew I wanted to be my own boss, so it was just a matter of time.

When I started MOHLIA, I already had two businesses and had written three books. But with this project, I immediately knew there was different energy associated with it. I got the idea of starting an infinity flower business because I had so many bouquets and arrangements dotted around my apartment in Boston and house in London, and once Covid hit, my space lacked so much without it. When I tried looking for alternatives here in Asia, there were none. We decided to bridge the gap between luxury and innovation in the flower industry by creating our own version of the product, whilst keeping things affordable and sustainable – here in Hong Kong. 

There are obviously a lot of designer florists in the region – how are you keeping ahead of the curve?

MOHLIA has grown out of being just another flower company. We are a luxury gifting and lifestyle business with so much to offer. We've collaborated with small, medium and large-scale businesses worldwide to make ourselves the one-stop gifting shop for any client, of any age around the world. We've created our own private label of extraordinary, sulfite-free, sustainable, Italian DOCG wines that pair beautifully with the other products on our site You can expect to find anything from candles to cookies, jewellery and more at MOHLIA. In terms of our flowers, we have our own twist on the classic flower arrangements, but now are venturing out into flower sculptures, wall art and even flower handbags, speakers and trunks.

What are the challenges in your industry?  

Like with any industry, we do face challenges, we've actually gotten into a legal battle at one point a few months ago with someone trying to duplicate our business concept, products and name! As a team, we face every new challenge with a level-head and the utmost support for each other and confidence in what we create.

What’s the best part of your job?

The best part of this business is... truly everything! I wake up excited to go to work every day, and I anticipate my to-do list, meetings and events. The most rewarding thing for me is being the connection between two loved ones, when we deliver a gift across the world from someone who wants it sent to their best friend, significant other, parent, sibling, colleague, it makes it all worth it. 

Describe a normal workday for you.

Any entrepreneur will tell you that there is no 'normal' workday. A typical day for me would include at least an hour of exercise, as much family time, time with my dog. Daily meditation, sage-ing my space, reading and catching up on TV in my downtime. There are constant calls in different time zones, meetings, touching base with my team, keeping track of orders and accounts, sometimes cool networking events, pop-ups, emails, lots of pre-planning for events, designing, talking to suppliers, the list goes on and never really ends.

Where did you study and did that inform your career?

I studied at Northeastern University in Boston and had the best four years of my life. I majored in entrepreneurship and innovation, minored in global fashion studies. I did two sets of six-month work experience; first, at an app company in London. The second, at the W hotel in Boston – which I think definitely helped with my people skills. I also did a study abroad in Sicily, where I toured Italy and actually discovered the vineyard that I work with now to produce my wines. Every professor, class and person I met or took on along my journey shaped me into the individual I am today and gave me the confidence, skills and drive to tackle the entrepreneurial world.

As a teen, was this your passion? 

As a teen my passion was everything, and I think that really helped me to create and imagine what I do today. I am a serial entrepreneur and author now, but I want to be so much more. I want to dip into F+B and conceptualize my own restaurants in the future, produce music and film with my love for visual arts, and help philanthropic causes particularly with animal conservation in the future.

What advice would you give to other people wanting to start their own business, especially young girls and fresh grads? 

Ladies, the world needs YOU. Not who people want you to be, not the expectations and standards we are conformed to adhere to, individual, authentic, beautiful you. Follow your dreams even if you're scared, you have one life, and everything is temporary anyway so you might as well take the plunge, and if you by chance fail, pick yourself up and start again. There is nothing the universe doesn't notice, so surrender to it and manifest your destiny. Making up reasons not to start is invalid because all you need is your passion and drive, you'll learn the rest as it comes. J.K. Rowling started writing Harry Potter on a napkin in a coffee shop, Ellen DeGeneres had a thousand doors slammed in her face before she was given a 'Yes', but they followed their gut, and one 'Yes' is all it takes to live your purpose every day.

Where do you want to see your company in five years? 

I want to be selling our flowers on the Moon! There is nowhere I can't see us going, my vision for MOHLIA is to be the one-stop-shop of luxury gifting worldwide. I would love to be a household name globally. I want to make a shift in making the floral industry a more eco-conscious place, a true change in the world.

You say you're a serial entrepreneur. What else are you working on? 

My first business is in denim supply, my second is a consulting firm for young entrepreneurs, MOHLIA is my first direct B2C company, and we are planning on creating a sister brand that launches next year, called 'Sof's' – luxurious products for pets and paw-rents that don't break the bank

And what’s next for you in the coming year?  

We have a lot of huge projects and partnerships coming up which is so exciting. Expanding our product line and retail presence globally as well as scaling our online business to the next level. I am very excited to launch Sof's which will fill a very authentic and much-needed gap in the pet market, sourcing the best goods for every type of pet. I don’t know what’s in the future – but I do know the best is yet to come. 

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

The post Startup Life: Simran Mohinani of MOHLIA on Designer Florists and Luxury Gifting appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.