She is Shaista Aggarwal, Founder of Made By Confetti, a homegrown brand that crafts bespoke cake toppers, baking essentials, and party decor which primarily make cakes pop with colour, giving them the oomph factor. We find out more about her business of creating joy in your parties…
How did the idea of Made by Confetti come about?
Confetti 2.0 was our original name, and it reflects me and my two children who are always there when we cater to special requests. Slowly, we began to hear, “Who made this for you?” It was a simple response: “It was Made by Confetti.”
Why this particular name?
Confetti is fun, confetti is everywhere in a celebration, so why not be like confetti and spread joy with color in peoples celebrations!
What is the interesting part about being an entrepreneur?
The sheer joy of building a new business from scratch up and taking on risks every single day. Each move teaches you to be more confident, and I don’t quite take no for an answer so it means that my company and I get to constantly evolve. I am hungry to learn which means that I trust my gut feeling a lot.
I also enjoy being able to inspire individuals around me; as a result, we are always in sync, which is one of the fascinating aspects of being an entrepreneur.
Where do you get your inspiration from?
My inspiration are the eyes and the viewpoint of each and every client of mine. I love the most detailed requests that come to me. If they think that I can do it, then I will definitely figure out a way to do it. To me, the trust itself is inspiring and a huge energy booster to my mind.
Why is customization key in this digital age? Can it go horribly wrong? How do you ensure it doesn’t?
Customization can go wrong if you are not all ears to the needs of the consumer. The key is to solve problems they come to you with.
We map out what is required and I love using the word epitome here – a person or thing that shows all the typical qualities of something is the epitome of something, which loosely translated means what is the essence of what we are looking at? This is where the real fun of design lies, as this in itself is the detail unlocked right there. Our clients are involved heavily in what we make so they always know what is happening right from the colors, to the overall design renderings. It’s never a surprise in that sense and they are a part of the process always. We leave our final touches and do the talking with amazing workmanship. Everyone is welcome to come and see us in action sometime.
How do you go about creating a Desire for your products in a competitive market? What is your USP?
No two people are the same, so why should anyone feel that way too? I do not work with a cookie cutter approach. Quality over everything else matters each day. We absolutely showcase to our clients that what you can’t see out there is what we can create for you.
Tell us about 2 out-of-the-box ideas that you use to retain a customer.
We listen! We remember dates and we get insights on who they are!
A mum or a college student, I have been one before and I like relating to my clients. 95% of our clientele are women, who are looking for a luxury product and are serious about their one of a kind vision, so what has been done before is almost never repeated and if it is, we definitely give it a twist.
Tell us about a few top décor trends for 2022
Pastels and minimalistic spaces with one attractive piece that does the talking.
Shaista Aggarwal – Founder of Made By Confetti
With a passion for typography, glitter, design and paper; Shaista launched Made By Confetti in 2019 to feed her inner child. As the Founder of Made By Confetti, her all-encompassing role includes handcrafting designs, cutting with and operating her laser machines, and manually assembling and packing custom-made products for her customers.
A one-woman army, Shaista has had no formal training, letting her passion and intuition guide her. She thinks of her laser tools as her “toys” and weaves her creative flair into all her products – from cake toppers to party decor.
Majoring in Advertising & Graphic Design at Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts Singapore, Shaista has done short stints at Ogilvy and Mather in Mumbai, India before moving to Dubai 10 years ago. Coming from a family of entrepreneurs, Shaista states that being in business comes to her naturally. When Shaista is not at work, she jams to Punjabi music with her children which they sing to and from school. Nurturing her newfound love of taking care of herself, she also works out regularly. Her talents extend to the kitchen too. Despite being a vegetarian, some say Shaista cooks the perfect steak.