Building Organic Brands: Jyoti Mundra’s Brand Promise And Brand Message

The first step of conscious brand development is figuring out your brand promise and brand message. That’s something Jyoti Mundra is very clear on as she works to show her customers how to make more conscious choices.

Building Organic Brands

Jyoti and I discuss her brand promise and brand message, and how she can use story marketing and storytelling in advertising to highlight and showcase the story behind the brand.

Jyoti Mundra is the founder and CEO of OnAHealthyNote, a bootstrapped venture that promotes conscious consumption and chemical-free living by connecting a collection of truly natural, authentic, and effective products with customers across the world to empower people with choices to heal bodies, minds, and the world.

All great brand stories start with a personal story. If you want to understand brand positioning, how storytelling and branding go together and how to tell your story, listen to this example of brand storytelling.

Resources mentioned in the podcast:

• OnAHealthyNote
• Connect with Jyoti on LinkedIn

Jyoti Mundra’s Brand Promise And Brand Message

Priya Florence Shah:

Today I’m interviewing Jyoti Mundra. She’s the founder and CEO of OnAHealthyNote.com, a post-graduate and business administration from the International Management Institute of Delhi, and avid adventure junkie nature lover, and a spiritual entrepreneur.

In 2011, she opted out of a consulting career to start her venture OnAHealthyNote.com that promises conscious consumption and chemical-free living by connecting like-minded brands with customers across the world.

OnAHealthyNote is a bootstrapped venture that offers a collection of truly natural, authentic and effective products to empower people with the choices to heal bodies, minds and the world.

That’s a very interesting description of your brand, Jyoti. So you have a story behind your brand, right? It’s about your skin condition. Can you just tell us how you got started and why?

Jyoti Mundra:

While I was growing, I was always a weak child, a diseased child. And around seven or eight years of age around that age developed some inflammation on the skin. Went to dozens of doctors and homoeopath and all kinds of doctors, but it didn’t really go.

They gave me all kinds of medicines and ointments, and it wasn’t my thing. The point is I ended up taking not just multivitamins off the shelves, but many other things as well like steroids and stuff like that.

And it would always go and come back. So it had become a tension for me as I was growing up and obviously also affected my confidence a lot. Because as a girl, if you have inflammation in your skin, it just boils down to your confidence at the end of the day.

It was one of the push factors for me to start looking for alternatives to figure out what is it that’s all healing on its own, and why the best of doctors were not able to heal the healer.

And I would try different kinds of healing things and different kind of alternatives. And then I came across coconut oil. So that was actually my first foray into anything natural because coconut oil, you know of Parachute, right? That’s synonymous with coconut oil for most engines.

But I’m talking of organic virgin cold pressed coconut oil, which at that time, about 10, maybe nine years back, it wasn’t available in India. 99% of the people hadn’t even heard of it. And the few people who did, no one even in my vicinity.

I could only find these things out from the net because I was Googling and I was reading up a lot on health and wellness and detoxing and stuff like that. And that is when I tried looking for this particular product, and I found this one supplier in Kerala who was basically an exporter and he didn’t even have like a retail container for the Indian market.

So I requested him and he sent me a litre in a wooden container because he didn’t have anything better. And I started using it and within 3 to 5 days it started to subside, the inflammation started to subside and it was completely gone, the skin healed.

And it would come back when I had exposure to the sun, but I continued applying it, and it hasn’t come back at all after that. So this was such a huge moment for me. And it obviously piqued my interest, like I was trying to figure it out so many things.

And here, just one coconut oil changed this thing for me. It was a really big thing for me. And that is when I started looking for other things that I could find in India, in shops near me, but I couldn’t really find other things.

This was actually the start of the journey into natural and organic and healthy stuff because it really gave me that motivation to go out there and put these products out to people to empower them, just as I felt empowered at the end of it.

Priya Florence Shah:

Right. So you could basically take back control of your health by using natural products. Otherwise, all the stuff we were using earlier was chemical-based and probably aggravating our skin you know?

Jyoti Mundra:

Not just chemical, but you know your regular conventional items. We do not even put the label of chemicals on them, right? We use our face wash and our shampoos and even things like lip balms and body lotions.

And there is just so much in our houses, from the kitchen to the home-based, like mosquito repellents to sanitizers to even the detergent and the laundry. And obviously, it starts with us, because if I start telling people that we’ll save Mother Earth if you do this, they don’t really want to listen to that.

But the best part is that these products are not just good for your skin, but they’re great for Mother Earth also because it’s a sustainable circle. What it does is it basically gives you an alternative, an option B. And that is an option that one has to choose out of one’s own will. You cannot force anybody.

So this is what it did to me after that and I just started making better choices with everything that I used, and I think it’s showing up. So my sinus has healed by 80%, my allergic rhinitis. I won’t say it has gone completely, I used to sneeze so much, but it has gone down to maybe 10 to 20%. I just started making better choices.

Priya Florence Shah:

Right? Just because you started using natural products and organic. And of course, you did your research, right? Because otherwise, you wouldn’t have found out about all these benefits.

Jyoti Mundra:

Yeah, absolutely. I’m you could say half a nutritionist because I read up so much, once I started reading up on it, I just couldn’t stop. And that is when I realized that this is where my interest lies. And that is when I also realized that this is probably what I would love to do more.

This has become a source of passion now for these products and to get the best products out there. And it’s more than just for me because I have enough of these for myself, right?

The whole idea is to actually bring these products to people and for them to realize what a difference it makes in the quality of their lives, and the lives of their loved ones. Right?

The funny part is I see moms buying the best of stuff for their kids, but not for themselves. Just a few years back, there was a study that said most newborns are born with more than 8086 chemicals or something flowing in their bloodstream.

Priya Florence Shah:

Because of the mothers using all those chemicals already.

Jyoti Mundra:

It’s already there. It’s just not a one-day thing. Most people what they do is they probably buy a bottle of shampoo, like a natural surfactant-free shampoo, or one face wash and they’re like, I’m done. That’s that.

I would say it’s a great start, and it’s a great way to start beginning your wellness journey, on that journey towards nature. But it’s an ongoing thing. You cannot just be stopping at one thing and saying that I’m done with it.

Because consumption is from everywhere. The onslaught of chemicals is from everywhere. You can’t really do much about the water and the air, but there are some things that are in your control. We have the power and the choice and the option to empower ourselves and to lead better, high-quality lives.

Priya Florence Shah:

That’s great. And tell us a little bit about your venture. You know, how you started it, and what you’re doing.

Jyoti Mundra:

Yeah, this was like I said, this was one of the major factors pushing me towards figuring out more of my priorities and where my passion lies. And I realized that there are so many of these other products that people don’t know about and that need to go out to people.

So like I said, it became a sort of a passion to scout for such products. I would get so happy talking to suppliers and figuring out. I didn’t think that it would start as a venture.

For me, it was more important to kind of do it for myself first, and I realized that there are so many of these small ventures scattered around India, where people are making stuff with their hand in small batches.

And it’s not just about the handmade stuff, it’s about creating the right stuff. It’s about that passion that comes with it. Most people who are in this field, in the organic or in the natural field, they would know what I’m talking about because it just doesn’t happen on its own. It has to happen because of the passion that you feel for it.

So that’s the one thing I see consistently in all the entrepreneurs or the companies or the founders of companies that I work with. They’re also passionate about what they do. They all are out to change the world one day at a time. And that’s how they feel about products like this.

Priya Florence Shah:

That’s a great way to sell because you’re selling through your passion and you’re telling them that you’re actually recommending stuff that is going to benefit them, not just for your profit.

Jyoti Mundra:

On our website we have a rigid protocol before we add any product or brand, so we do not add anything which is just handmade or just organic. We have these different values associated, and we want to make sure our brands are adhering to that.

So, of course, the paraben-free and sulfate-free stuff is obviously the thing that goes in, but it’s not just about being carbon-free and sulfate-free. Four or five years back people didn’t even know about organic or organic was just growing.

And we came to a phase where, thanks to the big brands and the big media, people started to know that organic is something good, that organic is they need. It’s about chemical-free this and that and people started to take some interest.

And then they started to realize, two years back, they have hundreds of brands coming up every day. Skincare brands and health and wellness brands and supplement brands coming up every second day in India, and across the world of course, which claim their way to natural health.

So when BPA-free plastic bottles stopped, what they said BPA-free, but they had BPA-B. It’s the same with natural skin industry or the natural wellness industry. Just because some products say that they’re sulfate-free doesn’t really matter, because there are other things, other chemicals added to it which we don’t know about.

And because we fail to read the ingredient list or do our research, obviously, because not everybody has the interest or the will or the means to find out more. So there are so many other brands that are coming up, some of them are really good and really genuine and authentic. And a lot of them still have a lot of chemicals hidden underneath this word mastery.

So, our entire thing before we on-board with any brand is that we actually go really deep into it. We do our research, we verify every ingredient. There are these document documented or general chemicals and safety research reports and all that.

But I actually used to read up every one of these ingredients and make sure that even today we do that. And there’s an MOU that signed and they have to give us a complete ingredient list and in that ingredient list, we look at the preservatives they’ve used or the emulsifiers the use, these are the places where chemicals come in.

And that is when we see because each day new preservatives are coming in. So doing that research is very important for us to be on top of what we are doing. And that is where I think we’re different because that is something I’m really proud about.

OnAHealthyNote.com is India’s only authentic natural store right now. I see other websites and I see other stores. I see that there are so many brands that of course, some of them are natural, but a lot of them have a lot of things that they wouldn’t really know about because nobody is researching them.

Priya Florence Shah:

Yeah, right. And there’s no requirement for disclosure also, you know, for a product, it doesn’t have to be disclosed in India.

Jyoti Mundra:

Yeah, just says a key ingredient. The base could have different preservatives, which no one would even talk about, probably know about.

Priya Florence Shah:

So it’s a great thing that you’re doing so much research because the research is what makes you different. Right? The research is what gives you the edge when it comes to choosing the products that are right for your store. So how are you building your brand?

Jyoti Mundra:

We’re really small right now, honestly, we need more people to know that – to be coming from a place of authenticity, we want we’re trying to get the word out there. So, offline honestly, not going into these exhibitions, I still haven’t been able to do that. Because there’s just so much work.

But online, we’re doing Google ads, a bit of social media ads, we do social media creatives. Soon we’ll start some newsletters. That’s about it right now. We need to do a lot more going forward for people to know about this in the first place because most people don’t even know about it.

And if they know about it, we have some great stats. We have people on our website when they come in they stay for about one and a half to two minutes, which they say is really good. But I don’t know. I think I still feel that a lot more needs to be done. We haven’t even scratched the surface yet.

Priya Florence Shah:

Yeah, absolutely. I think there is a lot that you can do. Are you planning to go going for funding or something?

Jyoti Mundra:

We’re completely bootstrapped. But eventually, your funding will have to come in. Because this entire industry thrives on huge investments and it’s also because a lot goes in the ads and promotions and stuff like that. And we have so many of these exciting products that you want the word to go out.

You have to do ads, you have to do some sort of publicity, marketing and it’s not just about the ads. We also try to build some value, we want to actually engage in with the audiences. We soon want to start our own videos and podcasts where we would invite people and we want to build a culture around wellness, we want to build an audience.

OnAHealthyNote.com should be the second name for people when they think of holistic health. We just don’t want to be getting into food or skin. We want to be talking about holistic health, we want to be talking about health in its entirety, because health is not just physical, actually, a lot of it is emotional and mental and spiritual.

So we want people to be making these choices and we want people to know about this. A lot of engagement has to come in through our videos and all going forward. Yes, all of this requires funding.

Priya Florence Shah:

It does. I mean and there are certain things you can bootstrap. But when you want to grow and scale, you do require some funding to come in, because advertising is expensive and all that stuff.

But there are certain things, like for instance, you’re saying you want to brand yourself as a holistic health portal. Right? And so that is one way to go. Because there are lots of holistic health portals out there, so you probably have to find some way to differentiate yourself and, distinguish yourself from the others.

Jyoti Mundra:

So most of the portals that we know of are really only into the content building, and we want to put our money where our mouth is and even talk about certain products because, okay, I don’t want to be giving out names. But we want to be encouraging people to read ingredient lists and the labels and to teach them how to do that.

And they’ll know that what I’m talking about is not just hearsay or just because I’m in this business, but it’s actually because I’m putting my money where my mouth is because we’re actually dealing with brands that have been researched and verified and that are actually good for you.

And we are presenting to you not just one but quite a few of these choices. And then you are free to decide what works for you, what doesn’t.

Priya Florence Shah:

Yes, of course, and I think all these products, each and every product that you offer, they all come with a back story. Right? About the person making it. So that’s one way to showcase them. You know, tell the back story of the person who’s making the product and creating the product.

You can make a video about them, about how it’s made… because people love those kinds of videos… they love to know the story behind the brand that they’re buying. So they can relate to it.

Jyoti Mundra:

I love that idea. We’ve been thinking about it, because there are a lot of these brands and also small NGOs started by passionate ladies and passionate people, like some something some venture in the middle of the mountains.

So there are these artisans and women, NGOs, and companies who are actually doing this on a commercial basis, and there are people who are doing it for their passion. And there are these NGOs who are doing it to help people. Lots of stories like this.

Priya Florence Shah:

So these are the stories that you can showcase on your podcast and on your brand channel. That would be a great way to go about it because people love stories. They create the emotions you want them to associate with your brand. So that’s one way you could do that.

Jyoti Mundra:

I hope I can pull it off because I’ve been wanting to do it. It’s just that, the whole commercial thing of how do you do that in a viable way. And the second thing is, obviously, because we’re too small, we too tiny. So we didn’t even really get to that level right now.

And we are planning to do that going forward, so this year is going to be very crucial. We have a lot of plans for all this. We actually want to provide that value to people for them to want to be connected with us.

So we actually want to be giving out that value to people, not just in terms of stories of their suppliers or the companies they’re buying from, but in terms of Holistic Health.

Even in terms of, disparaging the myths and breaking down stuff for them to easily understand and telling them what is and what is not good and telling them to eat this and not that and, trying to basically decode this entire thing for them as much as we can.

Priya Florence Shah:

Right. There’s a lot you can do in that. I can think of a whole bunch of things. We’ll probably talk about it after the call. But that’s a great way to go. And I wish you great success with that. And maybe we can talk about this and see how you can do that.

I love to showcase women entrepreneurs on our podcast, because I see women doing so much, making such a big difference. They’re not all doing it for just the money. They’re doing it for passion.

They’re doing it because they want to change the world and all that. It’s not just about the money. And so I really love women entrepreneurs on my podcast or my website, so I’m happy to meet you.

End of transcript —–

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