Ayurveda: traditional and profitable

Ayurveda is gaining grounds all over because of its holistic treatment methods. Shathayu Ayurveda promises to give both economic and effective health solutions to the masses through franchising. In an interview, Dr Mruthyunjaya, CEO, Shathayu Ayurveda speaks about his company.

Ramanjit Kaur (RK): Brief us about the inception of Shathayu Ayurveda.

Mruthyunjaya (MJ): This company came into existence in 1901 with the intention of providing economical and effective treatments to the mankind. Shathayu is traditionally acclaimed for its uncompromised quality and service to the mankind. The business was started by my grandfather, who later handed it over to my father and now I am running it quite successfully. So, our entire family is into this business from the past 109 years. Shathayu's traditional ayurveda and panchakarma treatment centre emphasises more on health care services like detoxification, rejuvenation, de-stress, anti-obesity, lifestyle diseases management apart from its well researched and developed evidence based ayurvedic treatments for various ailments.

RK: In what ways, Shathayu Ayurveda is different from other ayurvedic centres. What is its USP?

MJ: Our Ayurvedic centre is owned and run by doctors and therefore we know better about treatments than other ayurvedic centres. Majority of the ayurvedic centres in India are more like massage centres rather than pure treatment centre whereas, in Shathayu we target prevention, cure and wellness. So, we provide a holistic ayurvedic package. All our treatments are research-based. We have around 25 categories of treatment and we are in the process of adding up more treatments with time.

RK: How many centres do you have at present? What are your future target locations for expansion?

MJ: Presently, we have three centres in Bengaluru. But we have the aim to take our count to 100 by 2012. For this, we are targeting the metro cities to launch our ayurvedic centres. 

RK: What kind of treatments and packages do you have at your centres?

MJ: We have a number of treatments available at our centres for various ailments. For example weight loss, infertility, sexual debility, obesity, asthma, allergies, sinusitis, high cholesterol, spondylitis, arthritis, paralysis, thyroid disorders, jaundice, hepatitis, skin diseases, psoriasis, eczema, anxiety, depression, piles, acidity, diabetes, hypertension, headache, migraine, urinary disorders, pimples, hair loss, dandruff, gynaecological disorders and more.

RK: What kind of training and support a franchisee would get when partnering with you?

MJ: We are going to provide them with trained doctors, therapist and a complete operational manual that will help them to run the centres successfully. We will also offer them with marketing and back-up support.  

RK: Have you faced any challenges while establishing your business? If yes, what were they?

MJ: Initially, we faced many challenges as the doctors we appointed were less knowledgeable. So we had to give them training not only on the concepts of ayurveda but also prove them that the therapies work practically with proven results. 

RK: What kind of background is necessary for securing the franchise of your company? What are your eligibility criteria for selecting the franchisees?

MJ: We want dedicated franchisees to look after the centre and devote ample amount of time to it. S/he has to be completely service-oriented. S/he must have a little knowledge about the health and beauty industry and must be driven towards excellence. We do not want people who only have financial capability, rather we want people who have interest in this concept and who can help us promote ayurveda across the nation.

RK: What are your future plans?

MJ: Our plan is to open more than 100 'Shathayu ayurveda' wellness centres across the nation through franchising. Besides, we have a mission to show the world what ayurveda is all about. As in India, people usually have the notion of an ayurvedic treatment as somebody who is sitting along the road-side and selling some powder. Not many believe that there are professional courses for ayurveda also. Even our ayurvedic doctors at times suffer from a low self-esteem in calling themselves ayurvedic doctors. So, we have a mission of removing these misconceptions that people have regarding ayurveda.