How to set your business apart when selling the same product

Maysha Quadir, a Dhaka-based architect, got married in August of this year. Wedding being one of the most emotional events of our lives, she wanted to preserve the fondest memories from the day. And though she hired photographers and cinematographers to capture the moments, her quest did not quite end there.

She chose to preserve her wedding flowers too. 

Maysha had reached out to Cedar&Hazel.Co, an online-based business that makes resin items, a month before her wedding.

Just a day after her wedding, she sent the flowers to Musfirat Hasan, the owner of Cedar&Hazel.Co. Musfirat carefully dried the flowers, and with her craftsmanship in resin, turned them into lockets and trinkets. 

She did not forget to add her flair of creativity into the mix, did the packaging with precision and inserted handmade notes. She even put back the remaining flowers. The project took a few weeks to execute.

"I wanted to find a way to keep my precious wedding flowers with me. I can now carry the flower petals with me forever, preserved inside the beautiful resin lockets. These will remind me of my sweet memories. I also use the resin trinkets as a decor in my room," said Maysha.

Musfirat has a knack for turning a simple item into an extraordinary piece through customisation. She spends a generous amount of time customising the packaging of each product, with the use of flowers, recycled papers and other recycled items. 

She has been into arts and crafts since her childhood and learnt the skill academically for more than 12 years. Her enterprise, Cedar&Hazel.Co, sells a wide range of products, starting with coasters, rings, pendants, etc. 

All are handmade by Musfirat with resin. Resin rings are their best-selling item and they have sold more than 500 units thus far. To make these products, Musfirat handpicks fresh flowers, petals and leaves from her garden.

Through Musfirat's craftsmanship and personal touch, the product becomes an experience. Even though there are a plethora of other entities making the same product and doing the same business, through personalisation and some added elements, Cedar&Hazel has become a leading name in the industry. 

"Unboxing a product from us is a one-of-a-kind experience," Musfirat said.

'Resin-able' capital

Musfirat started Cedar&Hazel.Co with an investment of only Tk1,200, which she spent to buy the raw materials and experiment with the craft.

Once she got a grip on it, she invested Tk20,000 more to buy a big batch of raw materials and started taking orders. Since then, the business has been printing its own money.

Musfirat believes that she was a bit late to start in this industry. When she started the business, many other entities were also selling similar products.

"There is nothing I sell which isn't sold by other pages. What sets us apart is our customer service. From our making to packaging, we deliver the product in such a way that it becomes an experience to our customers, and they tend to purchase from us again," she said.

The brand gets around 100 to 200 orders per month. During the festival months, the order number increases — the brand saw a revenue of Tk100,000 in a recent festival month. 

"Our pricing is quite affordable, but maybe a little costlier than other similar entities. All of our products are priced between Tk200 to Tk1,500. However, customised products cost a bit more," she said.

Musfirat had been handling the business single-handedly until recently, when she employed three more women to assist her.

Lockdown blues to a flourishing business

In the last few years, due to the strong influence of social media and tools like Facebook marketplace, the number of craft-based small businesses has seen a significant surge.

Especially during the Covid-19 pandemic, when quarantine got the best of people, a lot of enthusiastic individuals emphasised their passion for arts and crafts and turned it into a business.

Musfirat started her undergraduate studies in 2021, only to find herself deprived of the typical university experience due to the pandemic-induced lockdowns. Faced with the monotony of quarantine, she discovered a newfound interest in working with resin and crafting resin-based products. As her skills in craftsmanship flourished, the idea of turning her hobby into a business began to take shape.

However, Musfirat was determined not to confine her venture to a mere home-based setup. Instead, she aspired to infuse her passion with a professional touch, establishing a business identity that would transcend the confines of a casual, homegrown enterprise.

"A business should be treated as a business. Home-based businesses often lack professionalism, and sometimes, even though the product that is sold is amazing, the experience lacks excitement. I did not want that in my business. Hence, since the very beginning, I mapped how I could ensure the best service for my clients," said.

To date, the biggest challenge Musfirat has been facing is managing logistics, since all of the raw materials are imported. 

Moreover, not having a website also affects the brand's credibility.

"The reason why we cannot have a website is because all of our products are unique and made as one-piece. No two products can be made the exact same, and it is hard to showcase all the products on a website," added Musfirat.

Personalisation, at its best

Musfirat believes resin items are less of a product and more of a sentiment. Resin preserves memories and gives them a tangible form.

The brand receives an ample amount of customised orders, where clients send them memory-evoking flowers and petals to make resin items.

"We get lots of orders from brides who send us wedding bouquets and flowers to make rings and lockets. I handle those items with utmost care and affection. After using one or two flowers from a bouquet, I send it back to the clients," she said.

"These orders are the most gratifying part of my business as I get to hear a lot of emotional and inspiring stories from my clients. The story of why a particular flower or any other item which they want to preserve through resins is always an interesting one."