How to Build and Scale a Consumer Brand in India

TL;DR

Choose a large consumer market at an inflection point, uncover a specific unmet need, and build the operational discipline required to scale beyond product-market fit. Indian founders can create global brands by combining manufacturing, design, technology, consumer insight, careful hiring, accurate cost tracking, and a clear purpose that gives customers a reason to believe.

Transcript

We need to go global. We need to think big or international [music] scale. That friends is the choice [music] before us. >> You know the government of India has been obsessed with the make in India initiative because of which today India is witnessing a manufacturing revolution like never before. In the 1990s, India embraced the IT revolution by se... Read More

Key Insights

• Large markets at an inflection point create strong conditions for scale. Narayanan chose fashion e-commerce because he believed e-commerce was taking off, fashion was a large and rapidly growing category, and modern retail remained relatively small in India at the time.
• People are a central factor in choosing where to work and build. Narayanan says founders and executives have one life, so they should genuinely enjoy their colleagues, a principle that influenced his decision to join Myntra after meeting Sachin, Binny, and Mukesh.
• India has the capabilities required to create global consumer brands. Narayanan points to domestic manufacturing, design expertise, and technology as an equalizer, while arguing that India has not yet produced a consumer company comparable in global reach to the examples discussed.
• Consumer brands can find meaningful white spaces inside competitive categories. BRND.ME entered areas such as protein, perfume, and clothing, while MyFitness became a breakout peanut butter brand with 22% of India's market share, according to the description.
• Fragrance is an underdeveloped Indian consumer category with substantial potential. Narayanan characterizes India as an infant fragrance market and describes the opportunity as at least one billion dollars, with the possibility of reaching ten billion dollars.
• Operational excellence becomes critical after product-market fit. Founders seeking to scale toward 100 crores must manage operations, technology, channel complexity, and costs, because rapid growth exposes weaknesses that may remain hidden during the earlier validation stage.
• Accurate packaging-cost knowledge is a basic requirement for sound economics. Narayanan makes the bold assessment that half of D2C founders may not truly know their packaging costs, highlighting how incomplete cost visibility can undermine operational decisions and profitability.
• Display advertising should represent 25% of marketing for brands seeking to grow from 100 crores to 1,000 crores, according to Narayanan's stated belief. The broader message is that scaling requires deliberate brand investment alongside consumer insight and operational execution.

Questions & Answers

Q: How can Indian founders build global consumer brands?

Indian founders can pursue global consumer brands by combining India's manufacturing capability, design capability, and the equalizing effect of technology. The opportunity requires thinking beyond a narrowly digital-first label and building a modern consumer company designed to endure for 50 to 100 years. Founders must also identify large niches, understand consumers deeply, and establish the operational excellence required for international scale.

Q: How should a founder choose the right consumer market?

A founder should look for a large market that is reaching an inflection point and growing quickly. Narayanan applied this reasoning when moving into fashion e-commerce, where he saw e-commerce taking off, fashion representing a large category, and modern retail remaining relatively small. He also considers the people involved, because enjoying and trusting colleagues matters during the demanding process of scaling a company.

Q: What makes India capable of producing global brands?

India has manufacturing capability, design capability, and access to technology that can reduce historical disadvantages. Narayanan argues that these strengths create an opportunity to build consumer brands for global markets, even though India has not previously produced the type of worldwide consumer company discussed in the interview. The goal is to create an enduring institution, not merely a collection of short-lived digital brands.

Q: Where are the white spaces in India's consumer market?

White spaces can exist inside categories that appear saturated, including peanut butter, fragrances, protein products, and clothing. The description cites MyFitness as a breakout success with 22% of India's peanut butter market, while Narayanan calls fragrance an infant Indian market. Finding these spaces requires detailed consumer insight, ingredient-led positioning, product trust, and execution that distinguishes the brand from established competitors.

Q: Why is fragrance a promising consumer category in India?

Fragrance is promising because Narayanan describes India as an infant market in the category, indicating substantial room for consumer adoption and brand development. He estimates the opportunity at at least one billion dollars and hopes it could reach ten billion dollars. Entering the category still requires identifying a genuine market gap, creating trusted products, and executing effectively in a competitive consumer environment.

Q: What challenges arise after a D2C brand finds product-market fit?

After product-market fit, a D2C brand must handle the operational complexity created by growth. The conversation highlights operations, technology, quick commerce, packaging expenses, and the challenge of scaling toward 100 crores. Founders need accurate cost information, capable early hires, and repeatable systems. Without those foundations, an attractive sales opportunity can strain the organization rather than produce durable growth.

Q: Why must D2C founders understand packaging costs?

Packaging costs directly affect a brand's real unit economics and operational decisions. Narayanan states that, in his view, half of D2C founders may not truly know what their packaging costs are. That gap suggests founders can scale revenue without fully understanding expenses. Careful cost tracking is therefore part of the operational excellence needed to grow responsibly after achieving product-market fit.

Q: What marketing approach can help a brand scale from 100 to 1,000 crores?

Narayanan states a specific belief that 25% of marketing should be display advertising when a brand aims to grow from 100 crores to 1,000 crores. He also stresses that people buy why a company sells, not simply what it sells. Together, these ideas connect broad brand visibility with a clear purpose that customers can recognize, trust, and remember.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Ananth Narayanan describes his path from supply chain and product development consulting at McKinsey to leading Myntra, investing in Medlife, and founding BRND.ME. His career choices centered on large markets reaching an inflection point and on working with people he genuinely liked, two considerations he views as important for scaling.

• BRND.ME was founded on the belief that India can produce enduring global consumer companies. India possesses manufacturing and design capabilities, while technology increasingly equalizes access and execution. Narayanan sees room to build a modern consumer brand institution that could last 50 to 100 years and operate across international markets.

• The discussion identifies opportunities and execution challenges across Indian consumer categories, including peanut butter, fragrances, protein, and clothing. It emphasizes deep consumer insight, operational excellence after product-market fit, disciplined marketing, packaging-cost visibility, early leadership hiring, and the need to find defensible spaces even within categories that appear saturated or highly competitive.