MamaEarth Co-Founder Ghazal Alagh Shares How Rejection Shaped Her Entrepreneurial Success

In her entrepreneurial journey, Ghazal Alagh, co-founder of Honasa Consumer Ltd (Mamaearth's parent company), has faced constant rejection while gaining valuable lessons along the way.

"Rejection isn't a one-time event; it's a daily reality you have to make friends with," she shared on LinkedIn.

Nearly nine years ago, when she and her husband Varun Alagh launched their brand, the path wasn't smooth. Initially, the strongest opposition came from those closest to her.

Her friends and family questioned the wisdom of abandoning security for a risky business venture, particularly as a new mother with no consumer goods experience.

This experience taught her a fundamental lesson: creating something significant requires courage rather than playing it safe. "That rejection was the first lesson: safety doesn't build an empire; courage does," she wrote.

Ghazal recalled how numerous investors dismissed their concept, questioning whether a toxin-free, D2C brand could achieve meaningful scale, telling them: "It's a niche. You won't get the volumes."

Eventually, they connected with investors who shared their vision. However, she noted that the most challenging rejections came from early employees who departed the company. Their feedback was harsh—they were reluctant to work under a woman leader without industry experience and doubted her capability to manage rapid growth.

Over time, she developed a different perspective on rejection. Rather than viewing it as failure, she recognized it as part of the process and a learning opportunity. She shared three strategies for handling rejection that can benefit anyone, especially entrepreneurs.

First, Ghazal advises treating rejection as data, not a final judgment. "A rejection from a potential consumer, investor, or employee is a data point. What can you learn from it? Was the pitch weak? Was the product positioning off? Rejection isn't a verdict on you, it's feedback on your strategy."

Second, she emphasized focusing on the single "Yes" that matters. In business, you might hear numerous rejections, but that one positive response is what truly counts. "The only number that matters is that one success that fuels the next step. Hold onto your vision and let the noise of rejection fade."

Finally, Ghazal suggests using rejection as a filtering mechanism. She noted that rejection strengthens your resilience, provides clarity, and helps identify people who don't genuinely align with your mission.

"My journey with rejection has taught me that the biggest risk is not taking the risk at all. Now, over to you," she concluded.