Srikant Kanoi is not only a bespoke floral designer, wedding planner at Ethereal Celebration Management, and destination influencer, but he boasts of a great career within India's floral industry. Being the first one to set up India's greenhouse floriculture project, Srikant has always been keen on going to uncharted waters and creating a way, while inspiring others in the process.
His story is that of resilience, persistence, and hunger for more and to leave a lasting legacy, you will find this intriguing and inspiring, so here are the 10 questions to Srikant Kanoi.
Question 1
For those who don’t know you, who are you and what do you do?
"Greetings to all.
Srikant Kanoi here… A wedding planner, event curator, destination influencer, venue influencer, social media influencer, bespoke floral designer, coach & consultant. 56 years young, and an Indian by birth, I started my business career at the age of 22 in Kolkata, with a one-stop shop for plants and bonsais & a tissue culture laboratory.
Though hailing from the tea industry with our plantations and factories in Assam, I decided to carve my niche, and in 1991 I moved to Bangalore to set up one of India's first Greenhouse Floriculture Project spread across five hectares, with planting material from Holland. I underwent training in farms in Aalsmeer and had a Dutch consultant guide us in the initial years. The subsequent large production of flowers and lack of an organized market pushed us to open wholesale counters across the four metros in India. We also set up a bespoke floral outlet.
Our floriculture project tanked, but my romance with flowers did not and we soon moved into the wedding industry in 1998, taking Bangalore by storm. And by 2002, we had two wedding franchises in the cities of Chennai and Coimbatore added to our repertoire.
Never someone to shirk responsibility, I have donned many hats across various associations. I hate controversies, stand firm on ethics, and bend backward to make others feel happy. My mantra is simple. Always appreciate and celebrate the positives in others and forget the rest. And my motto is "If you wake up without a dream, go back to sleep."
Professional facet aside, I am a doting husband, a caring dad to two bright young adults, a fitness enthusiast, and a big-time foodie, and I enjoy dabbling in graphology, numerology, astrology, and vastulogy. That's me."
Question 2
What is so special about your job?
"Over the years I have had the pleasure and the honor of being the
- Founder Member and Executive Body Member of South India Floriculture Association (SIFA)
- Founder Director of Grower Flower Council of India (GFCI)
- Founder Member of International Flower Auction Bangalore (IFAB)
- Founder Member and Vice President of the India Florist Association (IFA)
- Founder Member and former Vice President of Karnataka Event Management Association (KEMA)
- Chapter Head at the International Association of Destination Wedding Professionals (IADWP)
- Founder of VenueInfluencer.com (Chic Venues @ Right Values)
- Co-founder of Brandfluenzers (Get Ideas I Get Inspired I Get Influenced)
- CEO of Nupur Dreamz (Delivering Emotions with Panache)
- CEO of Ethereal Celebration Management (Excellence Everywhere Everytime)
Connected with the respective Industry Associations & the ever-growing Flower Industry for over three decades now, I have had the privilege of working alongside the best in these industries. I am like a sponge, learning from many, picking their brains, observing, and learning from their success and failures. This has given me a unique perspective.
Armed with this repository of accumulated wealth and experience, today I am earnestly working with new destinations and chic venues, tourism boards, the growing tribe of influencers and bloggers, exotic flower growers, discerning floral designers, and responsible wedding planners, to ensure the choicest of fresh flowers are used to design breathtaking weddings at the many mesmerizing venues and destinations, thereby making our invaluable clients’ special day, a truly memorable one."
Question 3
Are there any specific challenges or obstacles you’ve faced in your job, and how did you overcome them?
"I like to dabble with all things new, and green-field opportunities excite me. You will find me willing to scale exciting and stimulating new horizons. And though my career graph is a testimony to the same, it came with many challenges. Being a sucker for accountability, I have struggled to build a strong team, wanting to micro-manage all aspects. This had serious repercussions on my health.
And now, with age bringing the silver lining to my hair, I have learned to take a step back and look at the bigger picture."
Question 4
What are the threats in the industry, and if so, do you have any solutions for them?
"Growth endures challenges. Perceiving the same as a threat is an individual perception. I find clients today to be well-informed and updated with info on the many offerings, as well as who is the best at it.
This essentially means that we as entrepreneurs need to up our skill set and our quality of offerings and that too at a competitive price. This would entail each of us honing our niche, vis-à-vis being a jack-of-all.
This leads to collaboration. We need to work with experts in other niches and pool our resources to offer world-class offerings to our clients."
Question 5
How has technology like e-commerce platforms or digital marketing affected your industry, which strategies have you employed to stay competitive?
"Technology has played a major role and has had a far-reaching impact. To start with
- The reach: It has magnified multifold and has allowed us to connect with clients across international borders and the length and breadth of our huge country
- New learnings: An encyclopedia is now available to us all, and the cauldron of knowledge that we can now delve into is bottomless
- Ease of doing business: Payments can now be affected across the globe with a click of a button, making transactions seamless, and commerce faster
- Presentations: Showcasing our product line and services has become an art
- Influencers and bloggers: They are the future and are already playing a huge role in influencing public opinion thereby having a huge impact on business growth. To stay ahead of the curve, we have diversified our portfolio with two new offerings: Brandfluenzers and VenueInfluencer.com."
Question 6
Who (in or outside the floral industry) is an inspiring example to you? And Why?
"I learn from everyone I come across in my life. The established icons and the newbies. And these are individuals across the spectrum, be it their success or failure. The list is long and never-ending. Where the old have inspiring stories and rich experiences to grasp from, the fledging ones bring in a breath of fresh air and innovation."
Question 7
How do you handle stress or difficult moments in your life?
"Long hours, sleepless nights, precarious financial positions, bad food habits, the constant pull between work and family, lack of physical activities, and wrong priorities are a bane with most entrepreneurs. Many end up realizing it late in the day and at times paying the price with their health or family or both.
Even I have played folly to the same. I have been fortunate that I have survived a heart attack and boring you today with this piece.
Each phase in my life came with its level of excitement, learning, stress, and fear of the unknown. But you grow wiser and stronger with each downfall. With every low, I would quietly retreat to my personal space, reflect on the same, and use the spate of experiences to climb up the next rung. As they say, ‘time’ and ‘patience’ are the quintessential teacher."
Question 8
What has been the best (floral or non-floral) news for you lately, or of the last year?
"The growth of India and the Indian economy, and the profound positive impact it is having across the globe. Indians around the world are being recognized for their hard work and perseverance, their intelligence and knowledge, and last but not least, their warmth and empathy. This has led to many new opportunities, with many Indians now heading a plethora of MNCs and roles of responsibility, both political, social, and commerce."
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Question 9
Which is your favorite flower and why?
"I guess a man’s first love is always special. I have propagated it (both in-vitro and cuttings), experimented with many types of ‘homes’ before honing into the right greenhouse, over many trials and tribulations perfected its soil media, reared it, and provided it with the right nutrition, weathered the frequent pest, bacterial and fungal attacks, helped it grow straight and strong through the many layers of staking, harvested it, allowed it rest in the cold room, bunched it, transported it to the many florists & hotels, and as a bespoke floral designer and wedding planner, crafted beautiful creations before handing it over to delightful clients.
And ladies and gentlemen, for those who are yet to guess who my first love is (I must haste to add, first love in flowers): it’s carnations."
Question 10
What are you doing this weekend?
"The day started with my morning exercise routine which included a 100-lap (2km) swim, taking care of the morning orders, client calls, and presentations. My daughter has had a persistent cold for almost a week now, so took her to the hospital for a check-up. The evening was spent shopping, which I normally stay away from, allowing my better half to decide what looks good on me.
But my son also had to buy, and it turned out to be a good family outing at the newly opened Phoenix Mall of Asia, ending with a sumptuous dinner at Eight, a pan-Asian restaurant, followed by dessert at Magnolia Bakery NYC. Catching a good movie on Netflix is also a regular."
