How Imperfection Became the Heart of a Brand with Mehru Anand

Rooted in Retail

When I sat down with today’s guest, Mehru Anand, founder of Doodling NYC, at NY NOW, I was immediately inspired by her journey. Mehru’s journey from corporate executive to retail entrepreneur is truly inspiring.
In this episode, she shares the challenges she faced transitioning into her own business, working with freelancers, and navigating e-commerce platforms like Shopify and Etsy.
Mehru’s brand, Doodling NYC, is all about embracing authenticity and the motto "being proudly imperfect." She’s building a community and plans to expand her presence in brick-and-mortar stores—a vision she shares with us at the end of the episode that will leave you feeling motivated.
Her brand encourages creativity and self-expression. I know you’re going to love this conversation!
[00:40] How Mehru realized she didn't have a brand

[03:00] Mehru’s business philosophy: proudly imperfect

[06:27] The challenges Mehru tackled when jumping from corporate to e-commerce

[11:32] How Etsy and Shopify stack up against each other

[14:44] Mehru's advice for hiring freelancers

[20:51] What the future looks like for Doodling NYC

[24:08] Mehru's resilience round

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अध्यायों

1. Building a Brand That Celebrates Imperfection with Mehru Anand (00:00:00)

2. How Mehru realized she didn't have a brand (00:02:27)

3. Mehru’s business philosophy: proudly imperfect (00:04:46)

4. The challenges Mehru tackled when jumping from corporate to selling online (00:08:14)

5. How Etsy and Shopify stack up against each other (00:13:18)

6. Mehru's advice for hiring freelancers (00:16:31)

7. Episode Sponsor: Rooted in Retail Ads Management (00:20:37)

8. What the future looks like for Doodling NYC (00:23:35)

9. Mehru's resilience round (00:26:52)

10. Best business book (00:26:58)

11. Best retail technology (00:28:04)

12. How do you keep up with the ever changing retail landscape? (00:29:48)

13. What's a branding foundational best practice? (00:31:32)

14. If you had to start your business over again, what would you do differently? (00:33:36)

15. What do you think the future of independent retail looks like? (00:34:39)