Providing a collaborative platform to bring the best together

ColourPic — Kala Purna

The business of weddings has always been a quite complex one, even with the best of organizing expertise available. And when it comes to Indian marriages, the complexity increases manifolds with the ceremonies lasting for days. One crucial aspect of any wedding is the photography team, being responsible of documenting the entire event in the most beautiful way possible. With the advent of social media, it has become all the more imperative for any couple to get hold of the best photography services available out there for their big day.

Having recognized this huge demand as well the dearth of a common platform for photography services, Ms. Kala Purna took the initiative of setting up ColourPic.com. (www.colourpic.com)

ColourPic is an online photography platform which aims to bring together the best photographers / videographers and the potential customers looking out for that creative eye. One can post their requirements and get in touch with any of the photographers, compare the quotes received and select the best services for their special day. ColourPic is not limited to wedding photography but caters to all kinds of events, fashion, food photography etc.

Kala speaks to Startup Networkz about her venture.

What is the issue that Colourpic is trying to address and what makes you confident that it is a winning proposition

“How we serve our customers: Photography for B2C in India is totally an unorganized market. Customers face difficulty in choosing the photographer as the price varies anywhere between 10 thousand rupees to 10 Lakh rupees for a wedding. We help customers in choosing the right photographer and also shoulder end-to-end delivery responsibility.

How we serve the Photographer community: Many photographers undersell their work. We understand the photography market and also understand ‘Value’. We help these photographers to connect with the customers by showcasing their portfolio of images and videos, testimonials from their customers etc.

We have already tried this out in close circles and have tasted success. ColourPic is incorporated with a view to scale up the same idea.”

What was the key factor/s that led you to take the plunge?

“An idea on this concept emerged couple of years back when one of my cousin was getting married. She has approached over 40 photographers, detailed each of them on the requirement and gathered quotes. She was even more confused after going through the quotes — as they varied in pricing, number of photographers who come along, equipment used etc. However, due to paucity of time she zeroed in on a photographer after losing 2 months of her precious time between the engagement and wedding.

As I was also helping her out in this process, I got an idea of the problem faced. However, I really felt the pinch only when I was trying to find a local photographer for my own wedding and have lot of bad experiences with photography services. We finalized a photographer and fortunately everything went well. However, it has taken a bit of mind space as we were not very confident on our choice. Here is when we felt a need for someone who can take the responsibility and ownership of the entire process. We are clear that it is not only about quality of images but the experience of the entire process along with quality.

I wanted to try out this concept locally and see how this works out. I have met many photographers in Bangalore and selected few who are trustworthy, deliver quality and in prescribed time. Whenever, there is a friend’s wedding, I used to recommend these photographers and took the ownership of end-to-end delivery. This has worked out phenomenally well in small circles. This I thought is an opportunity with a potential to scale up and is the beginning of ColourPic.”

How did you manage the initial capital?

“I worked with an IT company for almost 5 years before I took the plunge. Savings accumulated over years is put as a capital investment. Also, working capital is derived out of my husband’s earnings.”

Have you managed to raise any funding — angel / seed, etc?

“We wanted to test our idea in a particular city and then scale it up. With the fillip from the positive responses, we will now start looking out for investors actively.”

What is your guiding philosophy when it comes to doing business?

“Creating ‘Customer Experience’ and delivering ‘Value’ are two most important tenets which ColourPic serves.”

What is the revenue stream & profitability?

“We are working around a commercial model which generates revenue for us while we adhere to the above tenets. Apart from weddings, we are majorly focusing on maternity, baby and even product photography streams.”

Where do you see yourself 3 years from now?

“To be recognized as a company delivering ‘Best Customer Service’ in the photography industry.”