Plushvie: Try, and then Buy your Jewellery Online

In a brief interaction with Aagam Shah, founder of Plushvie, we find why he chose to follow his passion over job security

“What does Plushvie even mean?” I ask, perplexed.

“Plush is another word for lavish. ‘Vie’ is French for life. And gold has always been a symbol of lavish life, especially in India.” Aagam solves the mystery.

“Impressive.”, I continue. “Whoever came up with that is a genius.”

“Thanks, you’re talking to him.” Aagam replies, amused.

When Aagam finally decided to let go of his highly-lucrative job at Larsen & Toubro, the VP asked him the reason for the same. Aagam then revealed that he plans to work on his own venture. The VP gave him some parting advice, and said, “When starting out on your own, remember to follow these three things – perseverance, perseverance, and perseverance.”

But quitting his job wasn’t even the hardest part. Aagam went home to a frantic family who couldn’t fathom why he would let go of his job security to pursue something with such high risks, something that might not even work. To deal with it, Aagam got creative and prepared a detailed Powerpoint presentation on why entrepreneurship would be a good fit for him. He gathered all his family in the living room, put on his presentation, and pitched them his plans. Surprisingly, they were convinced.

Ever since then, Aagam’s family has been his test audience for all his pitches. “If I can convince them of something, I can convince anyone” he says. He claims to love the concept of marketing and says it’s all but marketing to him- whether it is convincing his family of his plans or pitching ideas to his investors.

The idea for Plushvie came when one of his friends ended up buying fake diamond jewelry for his fiancé. Aagam then identified the issue that most youngsters today have no idea how to accurately rank the authenticity of a piece of jewelry and would mostly depend on their parents to help them buy it. He then combined his love for technology and the jewelry business essential know-hows that he had garnered from his father to make Plushvie happen. Their trademark idea of a virtual try-on, or what they call ‘jewel-try’ came from an intern, and being the visionary Aagam is, he not only considered it but kept it – only for it to help Plushvie gain a special place in the jewelry marketplace.

Like any seasoned risk-taker, he admits that entrepreneurship comes with a lot of struggles, and the thought of giving up hits you more so than often. In tough times like those, he likes to live by his motto, “when the going gets tough, the tough gets going”. He also remarks how being at GUSEC has been a huge help in this regard. “If you’re working all by yourself, you’re more likely to lose focus of your goals. While I’m at GUSEC, every time I feel like I’m distracted, I go out and take a walk; and I meet so many fellow entrepreneurs and friends on my way who will unknowingly say something which will bring me back on track.”

When asked what would be his advice for young minds and all those who dream of starting on their own ventures, he says, “when you’re presented to choose from an easy way and a difficult one, always choose the difficult one. The easy one might seem compelling, but it will only create more problems along the way. The difficult way will test your mettle and make you a better entrepreneur.”