E189 - Why Most D2C Brands Fail: Rohit Chawla (Innovist) on Cracking the Code for Success

Indian Silicon Valley with Jivraj Singh Sachar

In this episode, we sit down with Rohit Chawla, the visionary founder behind Innovist and The Man Company, to explore his journey as a serial entrepreneur in the competitive direct-to-consumer (D2C) space. Rohit shares invaluable insights into product development, customer acquisition, and the critical decisions that shaped his brands' growth. We begin by discussing Rohit’s thoughts on the structure of Innovist and the vision he has for the company in the current market landscape. He offers a glimpse into the foundational decisions that guided his entrepreneurial journey, including early trade-offs in customer prioritization and how these shaped his approach to hyper-personalization for the Indian market. Rohit delves deep into the essential elements of building great products and his internal theories on product-market fit. From launching in crowded markets to managing customer acquisition costs (CAC), Rohit’s practical advice offers listeners a clear roadmap for navigating challenges in today’s D2C ecosystem. We also dive into his core learnings from The Man Company journey, and Rohit shares his personal strategies for capital utilization and building efficient teams. For budding entrepreneurs, Rohit reflects on what drives him, the hidden trade-offs in a founder’s journey, and key lessons learned from industry leaders like Falguni Nayar. Whether you're a D2C founder, a product innovator, or simply interested in the story of one of India’s prominent entrepreneurs, this episode is packed with insights on product building, market entry strategies, and managing business growth. 0:00 - Introduction 2:00 - Rohit’s thoughts on Innovist and company structure 4:30 - Rohit’s vision for the market and current state 8:25 - Key decisions made on day one by Rohit 11:30 - Early trade-offs in customer prioritization 14:55 - Reception of hyper-personalization in India 17:40 - Insights that led Rohit to product choices 21:50 - Essentials for building a good product 23:50 - Internal theory for product-market fit 26:13 - How Rohit decides which products to launch 27:25 - Rohit’s take on a crowded market and CAC as a founder 29:20 - Rohit’s theory on CAC 31:50 - Importance of quick commerce 35:20 - Core learnings from the MAN Company journey 38:00 - Rohit’s strategies as a founder 42:20 - Rohit’s approach to capital utilization 46:22 - What drives Rohit to build Innovist 48:10 - Rohit’s geographical focus 51:55 - Story behind the bottle design 54:17 - Rohit’s framework for company prioritization 56:02 - Story behind the brand’s name 58:30 - Rohit’s entrepreneurship journey 1:05:26 - How Rohit’s friends describe him 1:06:06 - What strengthens Rohit and his fears 1:08:24 - Rohit’s favorite brands 1:09:30 - Hidden trade-offs in a founder’s journey 1:13:22 - Rohit’s learnings from Falguni Nayar 1:16:00 - Rohit’s advice for new D2C founders 1:18:45 - Rohit’s advice to his younger entrepreneurial self 1:21:09 - Outro Instagram of Jivraj: instagram.com/jivrajsinghsachar #indiansiliconvalley​ #isv​ #indiansiliconvalleypodcast​ #isvpodcast​ #jivrajsinghsachar​ #entrepreneurship​ #startups​ #finance​ #leadership