Vijai Subramaniam, from Renganathapuram hamlet, 40 kilometers from Thanjavur in Tamil Nadu, started his entrepreneurial journey with Rs. 28,000. His Bengaluru-based furniture enterprise, Royaloak Furniture, is a prominent furniture brand with Rs. 600 crore in sales.
Royaloak Furniture, imports, distributes, and sells high-quality furniture from America, Italy, Germany, Vietnam, Turkey, Indonesia, China, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, and more.
Royaloak Incorporation Pvt. Ltd. has 150 retail shops and over 2000 employees nationwide.
In India, just 5% of the furniture market is organized, and customers order their design from the local carpenter, explains Vijai, 48. “We are organized and offer international designs at affordable prices.”
Due to their low resources, his family struggled to pay housing, rent, and food during his boyhood.
His father had modest companies that changed every six months; he grew cotton, traded tea powder, and sold plastic products before becoming an accountant. His homemaker mother managed a modest grocery store to support the family.
Vijai was inspired to become an entrepreneur by his mother’s struggles running a modest grocery business.
Due to family circumstances, Vijai started school at seven after moving to Munnar, Kerala. He joined Class 2 right away, making it hard to catch up.
“Everyone in the school spoke Malayalam and I spoke Tamil, which was a big challenge,” Vijai says. He was ashamed when teachers chastised him in class for his bad basics.
His parents sent him to a Tamil-medium school until Class 7 to aid him. After his family moved to Aundipatti, Madurai, he attended a Tamil Nadu government school.
After his parents returned to Munnar, he continued his studies in the same school in a government dormitory.
He remembers poor hostel circumstances. He slept on his trunk because there was no bed. The food was bad and the facility was filthy. One large room housed 50 students.
Despite these challenges, he studied diligently and graduated from Tamil Class 12 in 1992.
Vijai earned a B.Com from Govt. College, Chittur, Palakkad, Kerala, in 1995. From his first year of college, he understood he needed to work to support his family.
He started managing his finances with Rs. 5000 from his mum. “I paid the room rent and bought Munnar tea powder with the rest and sold it on my bicycle,” adds Vijai.
“I sold tea while attending college 2-3 days a week until I graduated. I bought a scooter later.”
His tiny business of producing tea packets and selling them to local tea shops kept him busy while his classmates had fun in college.
Vijai’s uncle volunteered to assist him find work in Singapore after his 1995 graduation. He left his tea company, sold his scooter, and took money from his mother to move to Chennai.
However, his uncle kept demanding for money, reducing his funds. Vijai moved to Coimbatore in 1996, rented a room for Rs. 700 per month, and looked for work, upset.
Vijai cried in his chamber about his family’s dire position. His mother ran a tiny shop, his father wasn’t much help, and his younger brother was still in school.
Since his father borrowed money at family reunions, his family was often ostracized because they were one of the poorest.
He was rescued when some individuals referred him to the Standard Chartered Bank in Coimbatore, where he sold credit cards for Rs. 1500 per month. Vijai sold 100 cards his first month, 120 the next, and 150 the last.
He heard about a Rs. 28,000 stand at a Coimbatore fair that altered his life. His intuition led him to sell his scooter and fund the stall with two pals.
He abandoned his bank job to trade clothes, kitchenware, and candle stands after this enterprise made money. His brother Mathan Subramaniam exhibited with him in many places.
The brothers bought an Omni van and gained family respect by focusing on TV stands for bigger profit.
The brothers traveled from Coimbatore to Bengaluru for a weekend exhibition at Safina Plaza near M.G. Road in 1999. They saw furniture market potential here.
They rented a 200-square-foot shop to sell TV stands. Vijai titled his shop ‘Fashion Decor’ and designed a lovely logo.
Vijai got a Big Bazaar furniture counter in 2003. The next year, he opened another Kammanahalli, Bengaluru store.
Vijai managed the Safina Plaza, Big Bazaar, and Kammanahalli stores simultaneously from 2004 until 2010. In 2004, Vijai married Maheshwari.
He began importing Chinese furniture and wholesale to other enterprises in 2007. He sold Chennai-made furniture before that.
His first flagship store, Royaloak, opened in Banaswadi, Bengaluru, in 2010. Bengaluru saw three more outlets by 2015 and six by 2017.
Vijai started selling furniture online through their website in 2020 after Covid hit, while others reduced personnel.
“Paying salaries was difficult during Covid with only Rs 40 lakh in the bank. Our online sales increased and enhanced our funds. Vijai describes the company’s remarkable development following Covid. Before the epidemic, we had 50+ stores; after lockdown, we had 100+.
We get 7% of our revenue from online sales and the balance through our storefronts. Royaloak furniture is only available on our website.”
From 120 to 150 outlets, half owned and half franchised, Royaloak grew by 2021. They work with 300 worldwide furniture manufacturers.
Royaloak now sells workplace, outdoor, airport, and home design furniture. They sell sofas, beds, dining tables, and recliners. They sell wall paintings for Rs. 399 and premium Italian 3-seater recliners for Rs. 2.5 lakh.
They handle franchise marketing and promotions for Rs 5 lakh one-time. They provide Rs. 50 lakh and Rs. 1 crore franchise setup investments with no monthly royalty or sales cut.
Mathan Subramaniam, Vijai’s younger brother, is the company’s MD. Maheshwari, Vijai’s wife, handles home decor and marketing.
