Founder/CEO of The Moms Co. Malika Sadani’s infectious energy is a dead giveaway of what is to follow. A mother of two, she has ventured into the market of pregnancy range products. It was during her pregnancy she had realised the disconnect between what the huge brands have to offer and what mothers are looking for in them.
The mompreneur is passionate about her venture and has invested a lot in terms of research, to place The Moms Co among mothers as a trusted partner.
“I started life as an army kid, living across the country including some far-off places where my favorite memories are from when dad was posted in Gangtok, primarily because I think that was where my childhood wish of making a snowman came true. As with many army kids, I went down the more traditional route of first becoming an Engineer and then an MBA, finally landing in a job with a very renowned bank.
I have always had things planned but it was my husband’s sudden transfer to London that turned my well-planned life upside-down J, more so because I was 4 months pregnant with Myraah, my elder one.
Today, my life is nothing of what I had planned but I couldn’t be more thankful. We are back in India, and I have 2 lovely daughters – Myraah and Syna and we have recently launched our first range of Natural, Safe and Australian Certified toxin free products for moms to be at The Moms Co.
The beginnings of Moms Co.
My girls were born in UK and India, and both my pregnancies were very different.
In UK, there was no one to advice me on what to buy, what to use, what to eat/feed. The doctors give you a lot of reading material to help you make your choices but you need to decide on your own.
It was then that I got introduced to harmful chemicals in products and healthy, eco friendly living. And as every mom wanting the best for her kids I chose natural, safer, healthier options for Myraah, for everything she ate, played with or applied on her skin.
On moving back, I couldn’t find any options for Syna when she was born and had to depend on friends and families for importing everything from diapers to washes, lotions, bottles, tiffin’s etc.
On speaking to other moms I realized they too were looking for healthier, safer options for their families and didn’t have too many choices. - I felt like we were all ignored by the bigger companies who seemed to not listen to us.
That was when, 3 yrs back I decided to start researching on whether high quality, natural products could be made in India. After 2 yrs of research, I tied up with experts across India, Switzerland and Australia and decided to officially start The Moms Co.
How different is Moms Co than its competitors in the market?
I saw an unfulfilled need that none of the big companies were venturing into. I decided to start a company that truly listens to moms and is dedicated to providing safe, natural and effective solutions for moms and their families. A company that strives to be a mom’s trusted partner through her journey into motherhood, starting from when she is first expecting.
Juggling between two full time occupations-Motherhood & Entrepreneurship
I am lucky I have an amazing family support. My mother in law stays with us and my parents stay 15 mins from home. On a usual day, I get my daughters ready and drop them to their stops in the morning, leave them a note on their board with details of classes they need to go for and what they can do once they are back from school. I try and never miss a call from home--Myraah has learnt to dial my mobile number :)
We have days allotted to our favourite activities - dancing, board games, ice cream fun, bath in the tub, craft etc. We also make it a point to exchange notes at the end of the day where we tell each other what we did through the day.
They are early sleepers so I can get back to calls, finish pending work before hitting the bed.
There are days when they insist I didn’t go to work and there are days when I go to school and hear from her teachers that they were told “You know my mumma is very busy with her launch but she will still not miss my book reading session” . When my daughter proudly shows of our body butter (that’s her favourite) to all her friends and says my mumma made it, I think times like these just keeps you going.
This for me is like my third baby and all of us at home are equally excited about it.
My daughters are the honest critiques of the Mom Co. products
At work, my daughters like to help out and feel involved. They know all about the products we make and are few of my first feedback givers on products and fragrances especially Myraah, the younger one just copies her responses. Children have no filter and that truly helps our product development J . They also sometimes come over to office to help us pack boxes they enjoy putting the tapes.
Roadmap ahead
We really want to be a ‘built-by-moms’ company and want to solve moms’ needs. We started with a pregnancy range because many moms told us they struggled to find a solution during that time. A lot of moms are now asking us for our baby range and we are preparing for launch soon.
Biggest challenge for us has been finding great experts who attach with your vision. With nothing but an idea on paper convincing people to join your mission was the toughest challenge I faced. I knew I wanted to solve for unavailability of Natural, Chemical free products not just for other moms but also for myself and my daughters and that made giving up not an option.
I find that’s very similar to being a mother. As a mom, you always want only the best for your children, and you’re not willing to make any compromises. To make decisions, you’ll always reach out to another expert – it could be your doctor, your best friend, or another mom. And giving up is never an option!
I swear by this mantra
Never compromise on your product but be frugal, save on costs as much as you can and most importantly do not hesitate in asking questions. As a founder you would find yourself not having a few answers, it’s ok, your role then should be to find the best experts who can solve it for you, and do whatever it takes to get the right mentors in place.