Tushar Mittal: Abani Fragrances

When Everyone Left, I Stayed

It started with three partners and zero employees.

No funding. Absolutely no glamor. Just an idea in my head, with the fire to make it real.

The inception was chaotic—an exercise in navigating an unfamiliar industry under intense pressure. I needed product knowledge and understanding of people—their lifestyle, habits, what they needed before they could articulate it. 

Now, I have entered Phase One. 

Early on, one partner left. With no conflict, no drama, just reality.

Phase Two kicked even harder. The second partner I was somewhat closest to also kept a full-time job on the side, and had begun to lose interest in the project. Building the brand was no longer his aim. Eventually, a new job in faraway Bangalore cut it short. And just like that, it was me alone.

Self-pity was no longer an option for the brand. It had to be restored. Everything needed to be changed—strategy, product, supply chain, and communication.

I did it without any guidebook. 

Hunches and just plain stubborn refusal to see it go down.

That product, the design that went into that product, and the very brand of our creation had always been my vision. Now I had to carry that all by myself. Some days, I could swear the parental backlash at least drowned out some of the people who believed in me. People were questioning everything. I was questioning myself. But I didn't allow myself the option of throwing in the towel.

What I had not expected was all the insights that came out of the struggle.

It has encompassed more than I envisioned all those years ago, beyond merely running a business, and beyond learning to accept rejection. It was about finding the courage to build from the ground up, solely based upon your own determination and insight. 

And I'm still learning.

Every day.

This is not a story of an overnight success. This is a story about holding onto something when everyone else let go.

And if I'm in the middle of my own storm, this is what I would say to myself:

“When all others are gone, and only you are left, trust that you are enough on your own to begin again.”

Because you are.

– As narrated by @Tushar Mittal, penned by the Rolling Authors® team

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