STARTING YOUNG CASSANDRA D’ROZA
As a designer, Cassandra feels bigger platforms need to be given to crafters. “we need the right kind of support to grow and gain the exposure we need,” she says MOONSTRUCK
Crafting her dreams
C
assandra D’Roza’s journey from journalist to entrepreneur is one of risks, creativity and above all passion. Working at Business Goa, Goa’s first and only business magazine gave her the opportunity to interact with a host of business personalities from start-ups to well established enterprises. “Writing business features, you hear on a daily basis, people talking about fulfilling their dreams. It really inspired me. People with their own vision, fulfilling them, even while withstanding huge obstacles. And as a writer, you want to tell these stories in their best form, because these individuals are so passionate about their work, and that just has to shine through the story. So I guess in time, it slowly started dawning on me: Did I really love writing? Was that really all that I was going to do? I remember being involved in a discussion among colleagues about how they want to climb the journalist’s ladder. It hit me that I never wanted to be an editor and run my own publication. That fear eventually displaced me and I was looking for familiarity. Instinctively, I just started crafting again. As a kid it was something I’d always do for fun, and this is what I did to de-stress. One thing led to another, I left two magazine publications by then and took up jewellery designing,” she reveals on her jump from journalism to designing jewellery. Her first order she recalls was for creating a plaque for a guest house which was well received, and got her thinking that maybe she was good at craft. She then went on to make a
20 Business Goa
JANUARY 2014
ALISHA PATEL talks to Cassandra D’Roza about her startup, ‘Moonstruck’
Cassandra D’Roza
The first thing I did was pick up a book on macramé, which is a knotting technique and used the internet to learn how to make jewellery. That along with a few basic supplies is how I began making jewellery Cassandra d’roza wreath for a friend’s boutique which still hangs till today. While debating over whether to take up crafting as a business or keeping it as a hobby, Cassandra retreated to a holiday abroad. It was here that she witnessed the art and craft festivals that take place every month at a popular mall. “It was amazing to see everyone displaying handmade stuff toys, jewellery and other things. From there on, it was clear that this is what I wanted to do. The first thing that I did was to pick up a book on macramé, which is a knotting technique and surfed the internet to learn how to make jewellery. That along with a few basic supplies is how I began making jewellery,” she says. A few months after that, in April 2013, Cassandra began uploading pictures of her works under her brand name ‘Moonstruck’ and even received her first order on the very same day that she took her work viral
on Instagram! “I never expected Instagram to be such an effective marketing tool! I was pleasantly surprised by the response to my page, which eventually led me to create a Facebook page to display and sell my products,” says a visibly ecstatic Cassandra. During the initial months since the launch of Moonstruck, Cassandra realized that for others to believe in her dream, she had to believe in herself first. The rest would follow. “Though there were the initial doubts from people around me about crafting as a business, I knew that I was hell-bent on ‘Moonstruck’ and I wanted them to see that this was what I was passionate about,” she says. For someone with no business background or any solid ‘qualifications’, Cassandra learnt everything she knew about jewellery making off the internet. Despite the initial scepticism about turning craft into a fulltime business, as it was yet unheard of in Goa, Cassandra stood her ground and is today basking in the success of her decision. Her works began improving, the number of orders began increasing and her family too, recognized that this was
something that she was good at and since then, she has had nothing less than one hundred per cent support from everyone and is constantly pushed to do better. Still on her initial success streak, Cassandra was a part of a handicraft exhibition recently which gave her the opportunity to show people that this is what she believes in and display her products to not only handicraft enthusiasts but everyone. “During the exhibition, I got criticism from people regarding the pricing, and new ideas on what to make and a few business tips. The exhibition drew a large crowd from different age groups as well as hobbyists and others who were involved in crafting. It was then that I realized that crafting is a bigger market than what I thought. I also received a lot of encouragement,” she says. On a more optimistic note, Cassandra states that people are becoming more receptive towards handmade gifts especially with a wide range of modern gifting options now available. “For a 24 year old to have her own craft business is a huge deal for me and it’s quite overwhelming at times. There are a lot of youngsters thriving in this business, but unfortunately not in Goa and I really hope all this changes,” she states. Looking forward, Cassandra admits she does have a long way to go and is constantly looking up new designs and techniques. “Besides learning more about jewellery making, I would also like to look at Moonstruck on a larger scale. Being a crafter selling from home is one thing, but doing it as a business is a completely different ball game and I have a lot to learn in this space,” she says on a concluding note