How a 9-to-5 Employee Is Building a Kundan Jewelry Brand One Weekend at a Time

q01For everyone meeting you for the first time, can you tell us a little about yourself and what Rajshaan is all about?

Mahima Daga: I am Mahima and by profession, I do have a 9 to 5 job as well in tech sales. On the sideline, I am building this little baby of mine, Rajshaan. It is a jewelry brand that builds handcrafted kundan jewelry and fusion jewelry. I am building this up so that it takes over my 9 to 5 and I become a full-fledged entrepreneur. That is the dream I have.

q02Tell us a bit about the journey. When did Rajshaan actually become a thought and then a reality?

Mahima Daga: It started last year, probably in October or November, when I visited my hometown. I stay in Bangalore, and I went to my hometown for Diwali. I was having a conversation with my dad, and he just seeded the thought in me: why do not you try something in the jewelry sector? I called him the brain to my brand. I was worried everyone is doing everything, but he told me that running alone is different from running when you see people, which gets you excited and motivated. He connected me to a relative who was already in this segment, and he provided guidance and support. For the next two months, I was in touch with him doing research. I knew things were not perfect, but I wanted to put it out there and figure it out on the journey. I started last year, and although the beginning of this year was tough due to personal reasons, we are back on track.

q03Why jewelry, and why nothing else?

Mahima Daga: There is a personal story to it. My mom is a jewelry fanatic. The name Rajshaan comes from the combination of my mother and my grandfather. My mother always had a dream to build something of her own. We faced challenges when I was young, and my mother had to give up some of her jewelry for our education. That memory inspired me to build a jewelry brand so I could give back to her. It keeps me going when the road gets tough.

q04How do you manage your time between a 9 to 5 and the brand?

Mahima Daga: I start my day early. Before I go to the office, I dedicate one hour to making content and managing orders. After I come back, I do the same. Weekends are the working days for Rajshaan.

q05When did the first sale happen to someone you did not know?

Mahima Daga: My first sale was not to friends or family. Last December, I attended a friend's wedding and carried my jewelry with me. The first sale was to a man who was wearing a traditional South Indian outfit. He wanted to stand out, and he loved one of my green jewelry pieces. I styled him, and he looked like a model. It required a lot of confidence, and it was my first customer.

q06What are your thoughts on men wearing jewelry?

Mahima Daga: It is all about confidence. Nowadays, men are starting to groom themselves, and jewelry can really add to an outfit. We actually have some men's jewelry collections coming up next.

q07What goes on behind the scenes that people do not see?

Mahima Daga: Beyond just the jewelry posts, there is a lot of work involved in coming up with ideas, tracking orders, responding to customers, performing quality checks, and packaging. I do this after my 9 to 5, with help from my family. Even if people think I just stand in front of the camera and dance, it often takes 15 to 20 takes for one video.

q08What is the most time-consuming part of your process?

Mahima Daga: I personally handle every customer. Even if they place an order, I try to build trust by having a video call with them to show the product and help them select the best choice. It can take three or four hours, but I want to know who is buying my jewelry. It is more about trust for me than just selling.

q09What is fusion jewelry, and how is it different?

Mahima Daga: I call it fashion or fusion jewelry. It is a piece you can wear to the office, to a cafe, or to a wedding. You do not have to wait for a special occasion; you make the occasion yourself.

q10What has been the most difficult part of running the brand?

Mahima Daga: There have been days without sales, and some customers ask for heavy discounts or worry about scams. I explain that our pieces are handcrafted and high quality. It is tough to turn a lead into a customer, but I put in extra effort to show the product via video call to build that necessary trust.

q11How do you plan to grow?

Mahima Daga: Right now, it is a one-woman show, but I plan to automate processes. I want to have an offline store where people can try the jewelry themselves, as many have asked for that. My website will also be up soon.

q12What advice would you give to a young girl wanting to start her own jewelry label?

Mahima Daga: Just start. Do not wait for things to be perfect, because nothing is. You need to be consistent, have a positive mindset, and stay focused on your vision.

Final Thoughts: The Brand Built in the Margins

The bottom line: Rajshaan is still a one-woman operation running on borrowed hours, but the fundamentals are already in place. Mahima has found product-market fit through direct, unscalable trust-building, video calls, hand-selected pieces, personal styling, and she is now watching that trust turn into repeat categories like men's jewelry.

The road ahead is clear even if it is not easy. An offline store, a live website, and some level of automation are the next milestones, all funded by the same one hour before work and one hour after that got Rajshaan this far.

For anyone building something on the side while holding down a day job, Mahima's story is a reminder that momentum does not require quitting your job first. It requires showing up at the wedding with your product in hand, taking the 20th take when the first 19 were not right, and being willing to get on a call for three hours if that is what it takes to earn a customer's trust.