Boldfit: a D2C health & fitness company based out of Bangalore

Health and fitness happen to be among the many ways to live longer, healthy and happy. However, maintaining the routine of being healthy and eating nutritious food is of utmost importance. While the market of consumer-grade exercising supplements and dietary offerings is dominated by many, yet there is not one company that happens to have excelled greatly. However, Boldfit is one company striving hard and greater into this market to become the gold standard for all health and fitness-related products and service offerings. 

Boldfit is a D2C company that provides health supplements and accessors to execute exercises and fitness routines with ease. The company offers products that are capped at an international standard to help individuals have the best at an affordable and competitive price point. The company is quite open and provides a huge variety of products to choose from. Speaking with Boldfit, Bangalore Insider was able to learn more about the company and its plans. To have an overview of the interview, the excerpts are provided below.

Give a brief info about your startup?

Boldfit is a D2C health & fitness company based out of Bangalore. We curate and develop world class fitness accessories and health supplements working with the best fitness experts and nutritionists. Presently the Indian fitness-accessories market is unorganized and Boldfit intends to standardize fitness products as per international standards and optimize them for performance. Boldfit is primarily a digital first D2C company and the products are widely available on its website boldfit and all leading marketplaces.

What made you start your startup and what problem does it solve?

Before I started Boldfit, I was an obese kid all my life. When I joined college, I felt enough was enough. I personally went through a physical transformation myself losing over thirty kilos. This is the time I romanced with fitness. Trying out new fitness regimes and supplements. I was an ardent user of health supplements and fitness products which were predominantly from foreign brands and I had a negative perception of Indian supplements because of the lack of knowledge on quality standards.  This is the time my spending on fitness would be ₹7,000-10,000 a month which could be unaffordable for most people. Thus, when I started Boldfit, I wanted to address this issue. I wanted to make fitness affordable and accessible. We researched the best ingredients, worked with the top nutritionists and the top manufacturers of the country. And by-product? Some of the Boldfit products are almost 1/3rd the cost of a competing foreign product while maintaining similar quality standards. Our manufacturing facility is as per global standards and WHO-GMP compliant. Unlike most brands, we also upload our quality and test reports to give peace of mind to the consumer. India is the pharmacy of the world and Nutraceuticals are only a by-product of the humongous pharma industry and we are very proud when we develop these world-class products in India for India. 

Tell us about yourself, your previous jobs/ventures? What were you doing before this startup?

Right out of college, I joined my family business which is into hospital supplies and pharmacies. I had a great stint of around 2 years. I made the most of my time here, working in different departments of the company and learning various organizational skills. This was a very crucial stage in my life as I was exposed to the real world and learnt some valuable lessons and skills.

 However I always knew fitness was my calling and thus the idea of Boldfit emerged. The skills I developed in my past experiences helped me start Boldfit with strong business fundamentals and stay capital efficient.

Where is your startup based out of? Why do you think that is the best place for you?

Boldfit is based out of Bangalore. Bangalore is a very cosmo city and bangaloreans are conscious about their fitness. Being a bangalore boy myself I got absorbed into the fitness scene here. Starting up here was an obvious no brainer because of the amazing talent that Bangalore has and the fantastic digital business ecosystem here.

As a startup founder, what are you paranoid about? What keeps you awake at night?

Well, that’s a tricky one!

I always feel there’s so much to do with such little time. We’ve come a long way forward and I always feel there’s so much more to do. The idea of Boldfit becoming India’s fitness pioneer is always exciting and keeps me awake and going.

Who are your competitors and how are you better than them?

The health and fitness market is enormous yet there is no big brand that has established itself in the mind of the customers. Can you think of any company that comes into your mind when you want to buy a yoga mat or a vitamin B supplement? With high-quality products and fast accessibility via marketplaces and other D2C channels, Boldfit is slowly establishing itself as the preferred brand for the fast-growing fitness consumers of India.

Along with Boldfit’s products, customers get access to exercise tutorials and healthy recipes that gives them a proper direction towards their fitness goals. Boldfit is now a household name with the fitness community and executes over 1 lakh orders / month.

How hard is it to have a work-life balance as a startup founder and how do you manage it?

I am a strong advocate of work life balance. Of course the business is extremely important but living a life is important too! Having a balance is like a sling shot, if you keep firing you can’t go far and that’s why it’s important to pull back a little and go hard and far.
I generally keep the office outside the house door and as much as possible do not discuss home at work, however with the pandemic setting in and the work from home culture being the new normal, that’s a bit difficult now.
Sunday’s are totally for family and friends.
My wife and I love travelling and we keep taking short breaks every 2-3 months.. However saying that there are many days where working 16-18 hours straight is normal. Having the right balance has been pivotal for my efficiency.

Have you raised funding? If yes, then we would like to know the details. If no then please tell us if you are looking to raise.

We have been bootstrapped since the beginning and it has made us learn the best way to utilise our resources and maximise our opportunities. We have scaled our portfolio from two products to over fifty products sustainably in a span of just two years. We’ve achieved our critical mass now and are ready to take the business to the second gear. The health and the fitness space is hot right now and a lot of VC and PE investors have shown interest in Boldfit. We are looking for the right  strategic partner before we take the call.

What gets you excited about this company?

Being passionate about fitness, nothing makes me more excited from the fact that our products are helping someone get fitter. Every month over 1 lakh people are touched by our products and we are somehow being a part of their fitness journey.
We a truly out there to make a world class fitness brand from India and our journey ahead is very exciting.
We recently also bagged the “Emerging Brand of the Year” at India’s largest SMB summit Amazon Smbhav, Being recognised for your contribution is marvellous. These are exciting times for our company.

Tell us how a day in your life looks like? Your schedule for a day right from the time you get up till you hit the bed at night.

Well many may not know but I am a highly spiritually driven person. I rise up early, do my gratitude journaling, meditate and get a workout in. It’s a power routine that has helped me immensely.

I’m usually one of the first to get to office and we start by 9:30. Office hours are generally power packed with lots of meetings and interactions. I’m generally home by 7 and evenings are for family. I make it a point to have dinner together.

Know a great startup story or want to share your own? Write to us at bhumikka@insidermediacorp.com and we will get back to you. For more updates follow Bangalore Insider on Facebook and Instagram.