Worklife Balance

Typical day when Kosha started was all things chaos🛍️💻

While managing our day jobs and coming back to packing the orders and building a new brand, we had to wear multiple hats and often had to pinch ourselves to make us believe that whatever we were doing was all real. It was hard to believe that we took a step this huge and left our already well-established jobs behind to start something of our own.

There were a lot of things that were happening simultaneously.

We had to see through production, figure out photo shoots, packaging, exhibitions, marketing, social media handling, finances, understand how to cut down costs and so much more that we had a really hard time putting our best foot forward initially.

The Silent Expectations at Home 👩👩👧👧

There’s this silent expectation of showing up fully in both roles as a daughter and daughter-in-law, no matter what. Whether it’s family dinners, rituals, or just “being present,” those responsibilities don’t pause just because you’re building your own brand from scratch.

There were literally days I’d be up at 6 a.m. helping with something at home and still trying to stay up till midnight to finish work for Kosha. The expectation isn’t vocalized, it’s just there, and you’re somehow meant to balance it all.

This side of entrepreneurship rarely gets talked about. Most startup stories highlight funding rounds or milestone wins, but not the emotional and mental toll it can take. Especially for women, who are often expected to show up fully on the personal front too. That silent duality — of building a business while being constantly available at home — is so common, yet so rarely acknowledged.

Showing Up Anyway 💪

Even when it felt impossible to be everything to everyone — we still showed up for Kosha.

We’re proud that we built something so beautiful and thoughtful from scratch. Even on days when we were stretched thin or emotionally drained, we kept showing up every single day. Every bag we put out carried not just craftsmanship, but resilience, our emotions, our hard work, our late nights, and the belief that what we were building mattered.

Learning to Set Boundaries (Even If They're Imperfect) ⚖️

We’ve tried to create boundaries — even if they’re not always perfect.
It’s something we’ve had to learn the hard way; how to protect our personal time while building something from scratch.

Keeping our mornings for family breakfast, and winding down our evenings without our laptops open are some ways we try to feel some semblance of work-life balance. We’ve started setting a soft boundary post 6 PM to stay present with our partners and families (though yes, we’re still guilty of checking work texts during lunch).

Kopal makes it a point not to take personal calls in the bedroom. Shagun tries to keep her work phone away when she’s with family. Little things, but they help us breathe. They help us separate the chaos from the calm — even if the lines still blur sometimes.

Some nights, we still work after everyone else is asleep. But we’re learning to choose presence — not just productivity.

You Can Do It All — But Should You?

Over time, we realised that just because you can do everything, doesn’t mean you should.

And maybe, that’s enough. 🧡