Some business ideas begin with a gap in the market. Others begin with something personal. For Hridi Narang, the inspiration came from the familiar rituals she grew up with: incense sticks during morning prayers, diyas lit by her mother and grandmothers, and candles that were part of family traditions.

In 2022, Hridi and her sister, Ananya, turned those memories into GuruOm, a homegrown, women-led brand creating hand-poured candles inspired by Indian culture, fragrances, and everyday rituals. Their goal was to create more than decorative products. They wanted their candles to become meaningful parts of people's lives, bringing comfort and familiarity into everyday moments.

The brand's philosophy is reflected in its name and packaging. GuruOm represents a journey from darkness into light. Its distinctive all-black packaging symbolizes darkness, while the candle inside represents light. Although black is often viewed negatively in Indian culture, the sisters chose to embrace it as a symbol of elegance and power.

Hridi spent almost six years living away from home, including four years in Singapore and two in Sydney, where she completed her master's degree and worked for around a year and a half.

Living abroad helped her become more independent, but it also made her appreciate the little things that reminded her of home. Familiar fragrances and everyday rituals took on a different meaning when she was away from the people and places she had grown up with. Those experiences became part of the thinking behind GuruOm.

But building the brand also taught her an important lesson: creating a beautiful product and building a sustainable business are two different things. Understanding customers, encouraging them to make a purchase, and giving them reasons to return require commercial thinking alongside creativity.

Hridi and Ananya have also faced situations where, as women entrepreneurs, they felt they had to work harder to be taken seriously during business negotiations. Instead of waiting until everything was perfect, they learned by doing and adapting as new challenges emerged.

Hridi's second venture explores human connection through a different medium: books.

She recently started Across Pages, a book club, with her friend Ruchi, who lives in Australia. The idea began when the two friends read the same book and wanted to discuss it. Their conversation helped them realize how much a story could reveal when experienced through someone else's perspective.

They wanted to create a space where readers could share interpretations, discover new books, exchange ideas, and connect with people they might not otherwise meet. Hridi also designed the book club's logo herself, bringing her creative interests into another venture.

Although GuruOm and Across Pages operate in different spaces, they share a common motivation. One brings people closer to familiar rituals and memories through fragrance; the other creates connections through books and conversations. Both reflect Hridi's interest in building experiences that mean something beyond the product or service itself.

Building two ventures has taught Hridi that entrepreneurship rarely comes with a complete roadmap. There are unexpected challenges, decisions to make without having all the answers, and constant opportunities to learn.

Her approach is to start before everything feels perfect, adapt when circumstances change, and stay grounded through both the highs and lows. Looking back, her advice to her younger self would be to trust the process, be patient, and enjoy building something instead of constantly worrying about what comes next.

For Hridi, the journey is still unfolding. She continues to build GuruOm alongside her sister while growing Across Pages with the belief that meaningful experiences can bring people together in different ways.

From candles inspired by the feeling of home to books that spark new perspectives, Hridi Narang is building two different businesses around one shared idea: human connection.