“I was considered an underdog by the people around me, but now I will show what a comeback truly means and what I can achieve as an entrepreneur.” These were the words of 20-year-old Ludhiana-based college dropout and entrepreneur Vanshika Mittal, who has owned Floreal since 2024, when she was asked about how she felt about her achievements at such a young age.

“Since childhood, I used to see my grandmother knitting sweaters and table mats at home. Even back then, I would tell her, ‘Dadi, you make such beautiful things, why don’t you sell them?’ I think that thought stayed with me. I always felt that if something is made with so much talent and love, it deserves to reach more people,” Vanshika Mittal tells Startup Pedia in an exclusive interview. Recognising this spark, her parents always encouraged her to build something of her own.

Instead of moving out of Ludhiana, they motivated her to start from home. Taking it as a challenge, Vanshika founded Floreal at the age of 18. “I had got admission into Thapar University, Patiala, but my parents didn’t want me to move out of Ludhiana. They wanted me to study here and stay with them. At that time, I felt frustrated because I had plans of my own. But that frustration actually pushed me to start working on something of my own,” she says.

Today, the brand sells crochet and flower bouquet handicrafts made by local artisans, especially young women.