Who inspires you?

Our customers are my biggest inspiration- we’re talking to brides at an exciting but emotional time when they often have a whole life of dreams and expectations built up around their wedding. They are usually dealing with a whole host of pressures and having a hard time bringing their dream wedding to life. I really believe that weddings should be magical experiences, so I’m relentless in finding new ways to delight our brides!

Why are you an entrepreneur?

I have a vision for the next generation of digital commerce- one that is more interactive, gives customers more choice, and leverages tech and engineering innovation to create better experiences and better products- and I realized that no one is going to bring that vision to life but me! And I love constantly creating and adapting and making customers smile- that is quite a reward in itself.

How is your company different from your competitors?

We empower our customers with choice, encourage them to insist on more quality for their money, and create products that are designed for them as individuals. Tangibly, this means we offer thousands more color options than our competitors, exclusively in gorgeous silk fabrics, and we tailor sizing around our customers’ shapes to create dresses that fit and flatter each woman individually.

Where do you see your company in the next five years?

I expect Indira to be the go-to destination for brides who want high quality, truly unique weddings. We’ll be adding new collections of dresses as well as expanding our jewelry, gift, and wedding décor offerings so that brides can coordinate their entire wedding in one place. Beyond that, we’ll be leveraging our expertise in creating custom luxury goods at affordable prices by rolling out new brands in womenswear, menswear, and home décor.

What’s the next milestone for your company?

We will be profitable this year, which is an exciting milestone for a company who just launched!

How are you financing your business? What are your growth plans?

My co-founder and I financed our product development and manufacturing platform build-out personally. Last year we did an equity financing with friends and family to complete our technology platform and launch the beta version of our website. We’ll do one more equity round to build out our team and marketing effort, and then the company will generate enough cash to enable non-dilutive scaling. We may consider taking additional investment as we launch new brands off the platform.

Best advice you’ve received.

Find mentors, and use them often. Building a company is a marathon with lots of ups and downs and having people in your corner who’ve gone through it before is really key. Not only will they help guide you through difficult decisions, they’ll remind you you’re not totally crazy for trying to change the world!

Tell me something about yourself that we don’t know already.

I’m a physician by background and was originally training to be a trauma surgeon! My team likes to joke that they’re safe in any situation, but I think the real benefit is that I’m quite accustomed to very long hours and I have a knack for keeping a cool head and making smart decisions even under stressful circumstances. I also have an MBA and spent several years investing in biotech companies at a large hedge fund. That taught me a lot about managing risk and what it takes to bring cutting-edge innovation to the market.

What is your guilty pleasure?

Gourmet chocolate (especially with chilies!). Our headquarters are right next to Vosges Chocolate in SoHo, and I’ve made myself physically ill on more than one tasting box (I’m incapable of not tasting them all in one sitting!).

A setback, stumble or face plant…What did you learn from that experience?

We had some frustrating setbacks early on when vendors were unwilling to do things differently with us (particularly when it came to approaching sizing differently). I learned then that in order to truly innovate, you have to become an expert yourself in every part of the process. You have to really, thoroughly understand how and why things are done the way they are and then bring your fresh perspective and innovative thinking to the table. Having that expertise in-house is enormously valuable now and allows us to constantly innovate in a number of directions. What is your favorite mobile app?

I love Evernote, and I keep everything in it- ideas, meeting notes, to-do lists. It keeps everything organized and is easily searchable when I’m trying to retrieve info.

About Indira: Indira delivers customized, couture-quality bridesmaid dresses & wedding accessories at affordable prices via interactive visual rendering and advanced, responsive manufacturing. Indira’s innovative “online atelier” and custom America manufacturing give bridal customers access to designer styles in hundreds of colors of luxurious silk fabrics without the couture price tag.

This post was created by Raine Dalton, WIM’s editorial and community innovation intern. Raine is passionate about finding creative ways to empower women globally through tech. In addition to WIM, Raine has written, tweeted, and posted for the Global Banking Alliance for Women, WITNESS, and 90.7 WFUV News. You can find her work at www.rainedalton.com or get in touch with her through Twitter @rainedalton, or by emailing raine@wim.co.