Figure 1: Image source- Facebook
An amalgamation of passion, art, design and hard work, ‘Fuzion’ is a creative merchandise company and an entrepreneurial brand which arrays a variety of products to its customers. They house a range of digital printers used to print on an array of merchandising mediums ranging from books to badges; from totes to t-shirts, along with stickers and magnet. Fuzion was co-founded by Robin Kapali, a designer and Sandhya Silwal, a visual artist. Co-founded in 2013 but a vision of the company held many years prior, this art and design hub caters to a regular clientele of nearly 100 Nepali artists and art enthusiasts.
Figure 2: Mr.Robin Kapali, one of the co-founders of ‘Fuzion’.
When asked about the story behind this entrepreneurial journey, Robin Kapali, one of the co-founders says that he’s always been an aficionado for creativity. Having always had an avid interest in art and design, he kept himself occupied creating artistic pieces ever since he realized his interest. A graduate of art and design from the Kathmandu University, it’s apparent he’s always had the vision to do something in the field he is the most passionate about. Initially, he commenced his business by selling a few of his artistic products to some of the local vendors. However, working under others’ dependency led to a rise in dissatisfaction. Working so hard just to become reliant on others didn’t feel worth all the hassle of coming up with products with creative designs. So, he thought it would be better to work on his own without relying on anyone. Bringing forth his creativity among friends and family, he started getting small orders from them. With no compromise in quality, everyone loved Fuzion’s products and a word of mouth recommendation got him even more clients.
Figure 3: Image source- Instagram
This entrepreneurial brand is a natural stand-out among art enthusiasts not only for their captivating, creative and out-of-the-box designs but also involving and engaging its clients in the whole process of making the products. For different reasons, they work in an open-space studio: clients can not only hang out and know them better, this way they also have a chance of engaging in the whole process, learning how everything works and also giving feedback. This way they also get to see that Fuzion prioritizes quality over everything. No wonder this company has a bunch of loyal customers. Primarily, this art and design hub was opened in Jhochhen, Basantapur but due to a shortage of space, they have moved to Kupondole.
Figure 4: Image source- Instagram
With a team of nearly 15 members, Fuzion isn’t just limited to offering services of particular kind-it offers various services to its clients. When a client comes to them with an idea brewing at the back of their mind, they make sure they execute it. Moreover, even if a client does not have a particular idea but wants something, Fuzion always succeeds in giving them numerous options and providing them with a final product. Not only do they offer creative ideas, they also take into account the ideas of their clients and make customized products such as totes, t-shirt, badges, and stickers from scratch. They take in order for events, space decoration, and wall-painting as well. Currently, they are more focused on production taking bulk orders from other brands and people and providing them with the final products. Overall, Fuzion offers a complete package to its clients.
Figure 5: Image source- Instagram
Talking about the challenges of entrepreneurship, Mr.Kapali says that the limited resources act as a major challenge. But he says he has learned to make this challenge an advantage by working in this limited framework and coming up with specific and more focused ideas. Similarly, when asked about profitability issues provided the fact about the struggles of artists, he says he’s never made money his main priority. He’s always placed his passion over profit at all times. Also, sometimes he considers marketing as a challenge since all of his clientele are based on word of mouth recommendation. But then, his everlasting optimism about the future of Fuzion comes from the fact that all his products are of outstanding quality and he hasn’t given his customers a chance for complaints.
Mr.Kapali says that entrepreneurship is all about passion and what excites you the most. If you have a passion for something and you want to embark upon the entrepreneurial journey, you should do it because passion exceeds everything. When you have a fervent desire to do something on your own and believe in your abilities, challenges won’t stand a chance in hindering your path for long. If you are true to your passions, you will surely go places.