Six years ago, Lemonade was just an idea brewing in a quiet room, with no team, no funding, and definitely no roadmap. All I had was a belief — that gifting could be made more personal, more beautiful, and more meaningful. That belief, along with a laptop, a dream, and sheer madness, was the beginning. 

What started in my childhood bedroom in an old family house was meant to be a side hustle. My goal? Just make as much as my last salary. Hahaha. I look back now and feel so naive. 

Today, as I write this, Lemonade turns 6. It’s surreal. Not because we’ve made it. But because we’re still standing. As a solo girl building this from scratch, it's been extremely challenging.

From Zero to Sixty Thousand Orders

We started with virtual inventory in order to keep investment minimum — I would frequent markets every single week and only pick up stuff I had confirmed orders for. Since investment was very focused and it was all just me packing, invoicing, buying, shooting — everything was DIY or making the most of whatever resources I had.

We started with a few SKUs and no warehouse. Every order was packed by hand, mostly by me, sitting cross-legged on the floor with washi tape, jute string, and a label printer that refused to cooperate.

Fast forward to today: we've shipped over 60,000+ orders across India and to 32+ countries. We’ve been featured, copied, loved, challenged, praised, and misunderstood. But what matters most is that our customers kept coming back — for the thought, the quality, and the heart we pour into everything.

The Quiet Burnout No One Sees

Running Lemonade hasn’t been easy. If I had a rupee for every time I thought of shutting it down at 2 a.m. after a customer meltdown, courier disaster, website glitch, bots, government compliances — what not — I’d probably have built another brand by now.

Team building has been especially hard. Finding people who believe in your vision without losing themselves, who can scale with you and not just show up for a paycheck that’s the real gold. We’ve had team members leave without notice, vendors ghosting us, creatives who plagiarised our work while pitching to us for collaboration, and even team members who intentionally cost us a lot of money. I've even wasted a lot of resources on collabs that were promised differently and I couldn't speak up knowing the person who cheated us was bigger than us. 

And yet, we kept going. Alongside a few cats in my first office — my childhood house — who silently watched this whole brand come to life.

Being Copied (and this is just the worst part of operating a business in India)

Let’s talk about the elephant in the room: plagiarism. In 2019, we were among the first in India to introduce a few products which definitely existed — but we looked at them differently. Every single time we launch something, do shoots, or even shift our brand trajectory, it somehow finds its way back to us in copycat form.

Even our story — of moving into an old house and having cats around or even the fact that our new HQ was what was our next step — has been lifted. People not only want the brand, they also seem to want a piece of my life.

It takes very little time for our content to start circulating back to me through random vendors or even customers. Embossers, packaging styles, shoots, captions — you name it. And no, it doesn’t feel flattering. It feels like theft. Because it is. 

But here’s the thing: you can copy the product, but not the process. Not the love. Not the storytelling. You can copy the recipe, but not the sauce. And if you keep going, I’ll always show you why I’m one step ahead. :) 

The Dogs, the Cats, and the Chaos

Behind the scenes, Lemonade runs from a studio that's also occasionally a dog park and sometimes a vet clinic. My 22 (now) dogs and cats have been part of this journey in the most chaotic, heartwarming way. They’ve chewed through packaging tape scared people in the office, allowed no courier / zepto people to come in,  slept on inventory, howled during Zoom calls, broken stuff, and made me go a little crazy — but I have to keep this energy flowing. It's crucial to me.

They’ve also reminded me to pause. That there's life beyond conversion rates and ROAS. 

The Struggles You Don’t See on Instagram

Instagram will show you a dreamy flatlay, an aesthetic reel, a shiny product shot. What it doesn’t show you is:

• • Me running to the courier hub with a leaking bar set

  • Crying in my car after a day of zero sales and bills upcoming or delayed

  • Feeling guilty for snapping at my team when I was simply exhausted

  • Spending nights manually replying to customer queries because automations failed

  • Chasing payments from people while trying to pay the team on time

  • Being on call with legal teams of big companies whilst trying to fix the wifi wire which some random rat chewed again and again and again 

  • Doubting myself endlessly when campaigns don’t work despite 110% effort

  • Wondering if this is all worth it, while still not being able to imagine doing anything else

  Building a business is romanticised. But most of it is lonely, scary, and relentlessly exhausting. And yet, it’s also deeply fulfilling in ways I can’t explain. 
  
  
  

It’s been my spine, my voice — and yes, it comes at a price. But I wouldn’t have it any other way. Its been humbling, its been a jack of all kind of last 5-6 Years, somedays it really tears me apart not knowing how will be day be? will I be doing tech or admin or HR or team management or design or numbers? well find out  

What I’ve Learned in 6 Years

1. Your gut is wiser than any spreadsheet. Trust it.

2. Your team will make or break you. Invest in people, not just roles.

3. Say no more often. Especially to clients, partners, and influencers who drain your energy.

4. You will be copied. Get over it. Stay ahead.

5. Rest isn’t a luxury. It’s part of the work. 
   
   
   

What’s Next for Lemonade?

We’re working on newer verticals, refining our tech, and doubling down on what we do best: thoughtful, meaningful, personalized gifting that makes people feel something.

This next chapter will be about smarter operations, stronger storytelling, and hopefully, a little more sleep. 

A Note to Anyone Reading This

If you’ve ever bought from us, tagged us, gifted us, fought with us, waited patiently for a late order, or messaged us just to say you love the brand — thank you. You’re the reason this business exists.

If you’re a creator, solopreneur, or small business founder reading this, just know: you’re not alone. The highs are addictive, the lows are brutal, but if your "why" still makes sense, keep going.

Lemonade is 6 today. It’s imperfect, chaotic, human, and alive. And that’s more than I ever dreamed.

It’s not just a brand. It’s a part of me, stitched together with bubble wrap, late nights, and far too many Post-its. Every order is a little piece of my heart in a box. And if you've ever felt something while unboxing it — then we've done our job.

With love (and a slightly full cart),
Gunjan Malhotra
Founder, Lemonade India