DARE - Because Entrepreneurs Do

He started his first business at the age of seven. Today, G S Bhalla has several successful ventures to his credit, including Cocoberry, a chain of frozen yoghurt. While Bhalla began winning territories right after graduation,  counting milestones is not his style. His eye is fixed on the goal. Nothing less will do

In school, I always crawled to a spot far from the teacher’s sight and away from the rest. I was shy; afraid to make the first move, unless it was about business.

G S Bhalla Founder & CEO, Cocoberry

At the age of seven, while my peers were learning to bat and bowl, I started my first venture. I opened up a small book-stall in my house and started renting out my old comic-books for a few shiny nickels.

The deal struck gold! In knickers and frilly frocks, my customers flocked the house all the time. And I was soon able to make enough profits to stack up my bookshelves with an enviable collection of new comic-books.

Business runs in my genes. From the very start, I began to groom myself for that one big day of my life when I would turn an entrepreneur, and a successful one.

During summer break in school, I took up a job for three months at the Taj Cake Shop. There I learnt how retail and customer service worked—the first crucial lessons of my life.

Later, after my graduation from Delhi University, I chose to take some time off before going in for higher studies. I decided to experiment with the ideas that had been bubbling in my mind for quite some time. It was time the ideas saw the light of day.

I started with a corporate gifting company. The idea was fairly new and interesting. Most importantly, it was viable . Soon, we started witnessing considerable footfall, and before we knew it, the business had taken off.

It was my first stint with real business. The intoxicating taste of success had me hunting for newer opportunities. On the lookout for a lucrative option, I noticed a growing opportunity in the Knowledge Process Outsourcing space and decided to jump in. We started catering to healthcare companies in the US with back-end services. And, thus began my second business.

With our clientele based overseas, I was constantly travelling across the globe with very little time to spare for my family. Fortunately for me, they have been very supportive. My wife never complained, and handled the incessant questions of our children very well.

It was on a business trip to South Korea regarding my KPO busines that I first happened to sample frozen yoghurt. That’s when I was struck by the idea for my third and the most popular venture so far—Cocoberry. Soon after, I sampled ‘fro-yo’ again—this time at Pinkberry, one of the most popular frozen yoghurt chains in the US. The idea grew on me. The concept was innovative. The product was delicious, and at the same time very healthy — a dessert low on calories and big on surprise.

After coming back to India, I toyed with the idea for long before I decided to pursue it. I believed frozen yoghurt could thrive well in the perennially hot Indian terrain. And again, it was a good option for young and health conscious urban Indians.

I spent over one and a half years researching the idea’s commercial viability and other aspects before launching it in the market. Thorough research helped in making our product unique. Served with fresh fruit and chocolate toppings, our frozen yoghurt offers a healthier and tastier alternative to fat-rich frozen treats. Also, Cocoberry yoghurt is rich in calcium, vitamins, probiotics and antioxidants.

Cocoberry, India’s premium yoghurt, was launched in 2009 with its first outlet in South Delhi’s posh Defence colony. Having started with a total investment of roughly `10 lakh, we broke even in the very first year, and currently stand at a turnover of eleven crores. Currently we are present in five cities in India and plan to be in nine cities by the end of this year, with over 100 outlets. We are also looking at expanding internationally. Our goal is to make Cocoberry a truly global brand.