Your Interviews - October 2010

Ten minutes with… Jignesh Ghaghada (BSc Business Studies, 2000)

What is your current position / occupation?
I am the founder and Managing Director of TreatHer.com and TreatHim.com

Why did you study at Cass?
Looking through all my options, I decided on finding a BSc Business Studies course because although I didn’t really know what I wanted to do I did know that I found the concept of business fascinating. After researching a little, Cass seemed like a natural fit having both recognition in the City and a history of good academic performance. The course structure offered by Cass was also, in my view, more flexible than other similar courses I’d seen.

What is your most treasured memory of your time at Cass?
Actually it’s the recollection of my first day there, when I met some fantastic people who I then spent the next 3 years studying with - many of whom have still stayed in touch over subsequent years.

How has your career developed since you left Cass?
I left Cass to join PwC and trained as an investment analyst working with Media and Telecoms companies across Europe and Latin America. After 5 years, I decided to join a relatively new company in the Media sector called Homechoice as a marketing strategist. This company was the first to introduce VoD (or Video on Demand) in the UK. The service effectively let you download movies/ TV etc over your broadband connection to watch on your TV. Between PwC and Homechoice I learnt a fair bit about business from both a financial and marketing point of view. Finally, after a bit of thought and a lot of planning I decided to start my own specialist ecommerce business, and 6 months after handing in my notice, TreatHer.com was launched.

The internet is full of gifting sites – what makes Treat her/Treat him different?
When the company was launched, there was certainly a lot of competition. There were around 1500 pure gift companies as well as the larger brands that also had products overlapping into this area. In fact since then, this figure probably quadrupled. From the outset, I was determined to build a brand that differentiated itself on quality rather than price. Additionally, the main things that have helped us stand out have been the originality of our gift ideas, offering the fastest delivery options available in the UK, and a very proactive customer service team.

So what is the ideal present for a girl then? And for a guy?
Naturally the ideal gift totally depends on their personality, interests, and taste – both our websites have gift guides that help you narrow down your selection to things that your recipient is likely to prefer. Currently our most popular gift for girls is a Silver necklace that holds a hidden message and a Chocolate Pizza for guys!

How did you manage working full time at PWC and Homechoice while starting up your business?
Well, I was working full time at Homechoice when I came up with the idea for Treat Her. To be honest, I just spent every evening and weekend on it for about 3 months – it made for what should have been a gruelling working day, but I was too excited about the idea to care.

What does the future hold for you?
Over the last few years I’ve learnt a tremendous amount about ecommerce and I would love to keep developing new brands to target other niche markets, both within and outside the gift sector. We already have our next “Treat” brand setting up to be launched in Spring 2011, which my team is already very excited about.

What advice would you give someone trying to start up their own business after finishing their degree?
I’ve noticed that there are essentially two types of graduates who want to start their own business.
The first is highly self-motivated, likes doing things their own way, can’t stand the thought of doing a 9 to 5, and wants to jump straight in regardless of where this takes them. The second type is also intelligent and keen to do something but perhaps feels like something may be missing in terms of idea generation, skillset or approach and is a little more cautious.
To the first person I would recommend trying to find a mentor – someone who is really well versed in whichever sector you want to go into. This will help you develop faster and hopefully you’ll avoid some common pitfalls with their guidance. To the second person, clearly identify your weaknesses and consider working for someone else first with a view to filling these holes. This will give you a disciplined, commercially focused mindset and the experience you need. Then, when you’re ready, you’ll be in a much stronger position to succeed and it’ll be clearer to you what form your business should take.
Just to be clear – both these types can become highly successful entrepreneurs given the right approach.

What’s your favourite thing to do in London?
I’m a total movie buff, which means my best evenings usually consist of a Fire and Stone pizza and a movie at the Gate Cinema in Notting Hill.