Leaders

Leadership and Entrepreneurship are never easy and require consistent passion and dedication to prove successful. Especially, women are often guilt-ridden when on such a journey, but Jia Rajput, Founder & Chief Curator of House Of Rajput - a jewelry company that curates contemporary one-of-a-kind jewelry sourced from independent designers across the globe while keeping India at heart, realized it exemplarily juggling between work and giving birth and raising a toddler. To say the least, this entrepreneurial journey has been the most exciting journey by far for this boy mom to a toddler of 18 months. Though she falls under the cracks of ‘mom guilt’ whenever she is not spending enough time with her toddler, she feels grateful to have learned to be easy with herself and be better at multitasking, and managing her situation presently with patience. Let’s get to know more about her and her entrepreneurial stint with House Of Rajput through interview snippets with WE magazine.

Take us through your early educational journey and the prior industry experience that you bring to the table.

I studied Industrial Design in my undergraduate days and was a part of the entrepreneurial team at school. Creating opportunities with business leaders from various industries for sponsorships was an integral part of what we did to raise money. From a young age, I was interested in design and entrepreneurship. My prior working experience as a banking professional has helped me with my analytical and numerical skills. All these experiences have culminated in the point where I am today.

To be able to change career gears in my mid-30s was most empowering for me. I am currently working on my next start-up called &Leap - which is an intelligent knowledge-sharing platform connecting individuals to global leaders through our proprietary matching system. This social learning is also a way of paying back to society by providing everyone with accessibility to some of the smartest minds of our generation.

“Women understand that the sky is the limit, & no dreams are too big to realize. Women can have it all, both a career & being a mother. No two are exclusive to one another, be around like-minded individuals who radiate positive energies & uplift you”

What motivated you to establish the House Of Rajput?

The brainchild behind House Of Rajput is an ode to my third culture as a spouse to my husband who is from India. I have always been fond of jewelry for its sparkles, glamour, and colors. They excite me in many magical ways. When I went to India for the first time, I was taken aback by the vast varieties of jewelry, in terms of their textures, styles, and sizes. I noticed a gap in the market where I come from, a lot of jewelry designs come in simpler forms with very conservative sizes i.e., small. I knew then that this was something I wanted to bring to the market here. Behind the physical form of jewelry, it is metaphorically a statement I wanted to bring out to every one to break down boundaries and step out of their comfort zone to try on a statement - big-size jewelry i.e., more experiential. That’s essentially what our brand is about, statement jewelry that does not confirm norms, worn as armor that makes anyone feel good and empowered.

As the founder what are your primary focus areas currently, in terms of driving growth for the House Of Rajput?

I would like to expand the range of jewelry we curate. We are known for the metals like gold and Swarovski crystals. Aside from them, we are in the talks of working with a jewelry designer who does handmade embroidered patches with embellishments on jewelry. Just recently, we have also onboarded a designer who uses upcycled leather and churns them into beautiful light-weighted jewelry. We want to cater jewelry for everyone, with different styles and price points to offer so that everyone can own a little sparkle. We are also working on our own jewelry line which we plan to launch in the next half of the year.

Throw some light on the most critical challenges you encounter as an entrepreneur.

The initial stages of starting a business weren’t easy as an amateur in this field. Building a website for my brand was challenging as we invested in the wrong people so both time and costs were put in. Two years later COVID hit, which left us putting our heads together to think of new ideas to pivot the way we marketed in order for us to remain relevant in those times.

Tell us about the top three milestones you have achieved throughout your professional journey.

We were nominated by the Spirit of Enterprise for the start-up award category and received the award as an exemplary role model towards the economic development of Singapore. We have been covered and published in esteemed magazines both local and international with Her World, Nylon Singapore, Expat Living Singapore and Prestige Hong Kong, to name a few as a Jewelry brand to look out for. We have been selected by Boutique Fairs, Singapore’s largest curated shopping event to present our brand in their show. The best takeaway from this was seeing our customers making a beeline towards our booth and hearing their compliments that they came straight for us.

What is your take on the current state of women’s representation in the workforce and top leadership roles in the Asian business landscape?

Definitely encouraging to see more women leaders joining the ranks in top leadership roles. I interact and work with many women-led small business-owned brands and am very heartened to say that many women are thriving working moms who wear many hats both in the workforce and as commanders-in-chief at home to their little ones. More grants and subsidies by the government for women will encourage even more women to step out and step up.

Jia Rajput, Founder, House Of Rajput

Having completed B.A (Hons) in Industrial Design and also a Minor in Technopreneurship from the National University of Singapore, Jia is a strong build professional who is driven by a passion to lead her company- House Of Rajput.

Awards of Recognition:

• Award Honouree, Spirit Of Enterprise Neo Start-Up Award 2020/2021