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(00:00) - Intro
(02:29) - Industries where products are rare
(04:56) - Is there space in personal & beauty care?
(07:07) - If he built a brand today, what would he do?
(09:13) - One advantage & one disadvantage of Kolkata as a city
(12:10) - Model to identify industry gaps
(18:38) - Metrics to identify if a problem is for the larger audience
(23:36) - Incident of visiting a company’s HQ to seal a deal
(27:43) - What made him expand his business?
(34:36) - How founders decide where to cut costs vs spend
(40:33) - Does he read negative comments along with positive comments?
(42:05) - ROI of premium packaging
(46:00) - How to know if your product is ready to sell
(50:33) - How to choose the right contract manufacturer
(52:37) - Where a contract manufacturer can cheat you
(57:02) - Should a brand focus on one product or multiple products?
(59:00) - Process to get differentiated insights
(1:01:47) - How he markets if insights don’t work
(1:02:56) - How he decides product pricing
(1:06:03) - How to get your first 100 customers
(1:07:46) - Where to sell in the beginning
(1:11:52) - Marketing strategies that increase brand searches
(1:13:30) - What type of content works well?
(1:16:39) - What level of influencer works today?
(1:19:41) - Who would he choose: creator or celebrity?
(1:22:28) - Who would he pay more: creator or celebrity?
(1:27:34) - What makes a new brand acquirable
(1:31:19) - How to reach him to scale your business
(1:31:55) - BTS
(1:32:15) - Outro

In today’s episode, we sit down with Suyash Saraf, entrepreneur and founder of Dot & Key and Hyperscale Ventures, to understand how modern skincare brands are built and scaled in India.

We discuss how the skincare market is evolving, how to identify the right category, and what makes products like sunscreen and serums work. He explains how founders can find real gaps, build fast, and use customer feedback to improve products.

The conversation also covers packaging, Gen Z consumers, influencer marketing, and what drives people to buy. We talk about pricing, brand perception, and the early challenges of building and scaling a brand.

Subscribe for more such conversations.

Follow Suyash Saraf here:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/suyashsaraf

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/suyash-saraf-30602a68/

Follow Dot & Key Skincare here:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dotandkey.skincare/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/dot-key-skincare/

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Raj Shamani is an Entrepreneur at heart that explains his expertise in Business Content Creation & Public Speaking. He has delivered 200+ speeches in 26+ countries. Besides that, Raj is also an Angel Investor interested in crazy minds who are creating a sensation in the Fintech, FMCG, & passion economy space.