Himanshu Adlakha is an Indian entrepreneur best known as the co-founder of Winston India / Winston Electronics, a D2C personal grooming & wellness appliances brand that scaled rapidly in a short span. His story is notable for early failures, pivoting, leveraging social media & influencer marketing, and achieving multi-crore revenue in just a few years.
Table of Contents
Early Life & Education
- He finished his engineering degree from Lingaya’s Vidyapeeth, Faridabad in 2013.
He then completed an MBA in Marketing from Institute of Management Technology (IMT), Ghaziabad, in 2016.
He is based in Faridabad. His family has a business background in electronics distribution in Faridabad.
Personal & Family Background
Himanshu grew up in Faridabad, Haryana. His family is involved in electronics distribution covers brands like LG, Luminous etc., which exposed him early on to business and electronics.
He chose to remain based in Faridabad rather than moving to a startup city (e.g. Bengaluru or Delhi NCR central) because of family roots, operational convenience, lower costs, and being closer to his network.
Early Career & Failures
Soon after graduation, Himanshu tried various startup ventures:
An online platform for watches and selling traditional Indian attire/artisan-made clothes. These ventures saw losses.
A cloud kitchen business in Gurgaon offering North Indian dishes packaged in traditional handis. It was impacted badly by the COVID-19 pandemic and shut down. The loss was about Rs. 20 lakh.
These failures taught him lessons about business execution, operations, the importance of timing, product quality, customer trust, margins etc.
Before Winston India, Himanshu tried a few business ventures that did not succeed:
These failures were instructive and helped Himanshu refine his business approach.
Relationship & Partnership
Himanshu’s wife, Nikita Malhotra, is his business partner in Winston India. She studied B.Com at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), Delhi. Before Winston, she was running Milagro Beauty, selling beauty / makeup products via Instagram.
Himanshu and Nikita met in 2019 and married in 2020
Founding Winston India
In 2021, Himanshu and his wife Nikita founded Winston India (also called Winston Electronics) in Faridabad. They started by selling hair trimmers via an Instagram page.
The brand model is largely asset-light. They source/import (primarily from China) and brand products locally, using social media and influencers for marketing.
The first product was a hair trimmer. From there, product range expanded to callus removers, head massagers, LED masks, combs, etc.
Growth & Financials
The brand’s turnover figures:
First year (2021-22): ~ Rs. 60 lakh
Next year (2022-23): ~ Rs. 5.5 crore
By 2024, Winston India crossed ~ Rs. 11‐15 crore turnover.
Sale channels: about 25% via their own website; ~75% via marketplaces like Amazon, Flipkart, Nykaa, Tata Cliq.
As of now, Winston has over 14 SKUs in their product line.
Business Strategy & Key Practices
Leveraging influencers and social media heavily in promotion.
Importing most components/products (~90%) from China for speed, but with plans to bring manufacturing/assembly in India.
Offering value to customer service: e.g., a one-year warranty with doorstep replacement / repair.
Himanshu has said that failures taught clarity around vision & execution. Basic business disciplines (meet deadlines, quality, reliability) were emphasized.
Achievements & Recognition
Featured on Shark Tank India (Season 2), securing investment from Sharks like Anupam Mittal and Vineeta Singh.
Rapid growth in turnover to multi-crore levels in ~2-3 years.
Getting media recognition and coverage in business outlets like The Weekend Leader, Inc42, Bizz Buzz, etc.
Personal Life & Background
Himanshu is married to Nikita, who also comes from a business background & had operated a beauty / makeup products page (Milagro Beauty) before their joint venture.
Their business is run from Faridabad. They started from home / small setups and grew team size.
Product Range, Operations & Growth
Product portfolio expanded from just a hair trimmer to include eyebrow trimmers, callus removers, LED face masks, head massagers, combs, etc. Over time, about 14+ SKUs.
Warranty & after-sales was emphasized: a one-year warranty with doorstep replacement or repair in case of manufacturing defect or damage. This helped build trust.
Sales channels: ~25% from their own website; ~75% from online marketplaces like Amazon, Flipkart, Nykaa, Tata Cliq, etc
Challenges & Learning
Initial ventures failed (Fenzy Fashion, Cuisino) which taught him lessons on execution, clarity, customer expectations.
Dealing with supply chain, import-sourcing challenges.
The business environment is competitive in grooming electronics, with strong incumbents. Himanshu has expressed an aim to capture ~5-6% of the hair trimmer market.
Personal Life, Lifestyle & Values
Himanshu works long hours. One quote: “10 a.m. to 6 p.m. in office, but being an entrepreneur… business discussions beyond business hours” showing full engagement.
To relax, he enjoys snooker.
Family plays a big role: using father’s office space in Faridabad as workspace (basement) while his father’s electronics distribution business occupies upper floors. This shows leveraging what is available and being pragmatic
Current / Future Vision
Himanshu looks to increase marketing, possibly expand into offline retail, events.
Aims to ramp up revenue further: for instance, aiming for about INR 45 crore in FY25.
Plan to increase local manufacturing / assembling to reduce dependency on imports.
Conclusion
Himanshu Adlakha’s journey is one from early setbacks to building a successful brand in competitive personal care market. His strategy of learning from failure, focusing on execution, smart use of social media & influencers, and scaling with lean operations has been key. Winston India stands today as evidence that a local D2C brand, with clarity of vision and strong customer focus, can compete with legacy and international brands.
FAQs
Q1: Who is Himanshu Adlakha?
A: Himanshu Adlakha is the co-founder of Winston India (Winston Electronics), a personal care and grooming appliances D2C brand. He completed engineering in 2013, followed by an MBA, and had several failed ventures before Winston.
Q2: What is Winston India and what products does it offer?
A: Winston India is a brand launched in 2021 by Himanshu Adlakha and his wife Nikita, which sources/imports grooming & personal care appliances (hair trimmers, LED masks, combs, callus removers, head massagers, etc.).
Q3: What were Himanshu Adlakha business failures and what did he learn?
A: He had two notable failed ventures: Fenzy Fashion (marketplace for artisans) and Cuisino (cloud kitchen). These taught him about execution, clarity in business models, maintaining quality, and respecting timelines.
Q4: How fast did Winston India grow in terms of turnover?
A: From about Rs. 60 lakh in first year (2021–22), to ~Rs. 5.5 crore in year 2, and reaching over Rs. 11-15 crore in the recent year(s).
Q5: What is Himanshu’s vision for the future of Winston India?
A: Key aims are scaling further, entering offline retail, bringing more product manufacturing/assembly to India, increasing marketing reach, and aiming at higher revenue goals (~Rs. 45 crore or more in FY25).
