In this blog post, we share the journey of our company, Giridhar Pai Associates LLP (GPA), from January 10, 2020, to January 9, 2021, our first year in business.

GPA Incorporation

My wife, Padmakshi Pai, and I founded GPA in 2020, incorporating the company with the Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA), Government of India, on January 10, 2020.

GPA Mission

At GPA, our mission is to provide sales promotion, product distribution, and consulting services. We aim to achieve this by marketing and selling products both offline and online, directly to end customers or through a reseller network. In addition, we offer consulting and advisory services, sharing our expertise via reports, newsletters, content creation, training, coaching, and mentoring programs.

GPA Logo

Webchirpy designed our logo on April 1, 2020, thoughtfully incorporating elements that reflect our business. The ‘P’ in the logo has two antennae, symbolizing insects or the most common pests in our industry. The ‘A’ features a shovel, a nod to my academic background in Horticulture. The logo’s green colour represents our commitment to the environment and sustainability, as we exclusively offer green, non-toxic pest management solutions.

Early Days at GPA

Having launched GPA just before the COVID-19 pandemic, we faced significant challenges from the outset. Our first vendor partner was Singapore’s Pestroniks Innovations Pte. Ltd. (Pestroniks), with whom we planned to introduce FLYght Traps to the Indian market in early 2020. I received a prototype of the FLYght One trap in March 2020, but shortly afterward, a nationwide lockdown was announced in India stopping most business activities barring those online.

Between March and June 2020, business activity was limited. We focused on introducing GPA and the FLYght Trap to potential customers and distributors. The FLYght Trap was a groundbreaking product, being the first in India to feature patented bio-visual enhancer (bio-VE+) technology. Each trap included a bio-VE+ insert that, when facing the UV LEDs, reflected enhanced UV wavelengths and blue light to attract filth flies.

The initial response to the FLYght Trap was one of surprise and amazement, thanks to several unique features unseen before in the Indian market:

• A compact design with 8 UV LEDs, replacing bulky UV fluorescent tubes.
• Two halves of a universal glue board, discreetly concealed to keep trapped flies out of public view.

The first version of the FLYght One UV LED Insect Light Trap clicked in August 2020

First Service Order

On May 28, 2020, we received our first consulting services order from Hygiene Research Institute Private Limited (HRI), who engaged us to train salon owners on safe business operations during the pandemic. In July 2020, I participated in an online session organized by HRI to answer questions about COVID-19 protocols for salons.

First Product Order

Our first order for the FLYght One came from The Sad Vaidya Sala Pvt. Ltd. on June 11, 2020. Due to pandemic-related delays, we shipped the order on September 14, 2020.

FLYght One Launch

On July 2, 2020, Carl Baptista, Managing Director of Pestroniks Innovations Pte. Ltd., formally launched the FLYght One trap online for Indian Pest Control Operators (PCOs), marking GPA’s official entry into the pest control industry.

Dispatch Logistics

Right from the start of our sales of their products, Pestroniks have assisted us by managing logistics and shipping directly from their Mysuru factory, providing crucial support to our startup as we navigated early resource constraints.

GPA Website Launch

On October 13, 2020, we launched our website, www.giridharpaiassociates.com — the first in India to enable customers to order Insect Light Traps (ILTs) and pay online. We also launched www.flyght.in, named after our first product, the FLYght One.

Sales Progress in 2020

By October 26, 2020, we had shipped our 25th FLYght One trap, fulfilling orders from both direct customers and distributors. A key sales theme was leveraging alumni networks from my previous workplaces, which inspired the term “alumni-commerce” or business conducted with former colleagues. Many ex-colleagues from AVT McCormick Ingredients Limited and other spice companies ordered the FLYght One, while others with whom I worked at Pest Control India Private Limited and who had started their own pest control businesses became our distributors.

Plans for 2021

Despite ongoing operational challenges, we planned to launch the FLYght Duo fly trap and the Aedes-X mosquito trap in 2021. The FLYght Duo features an aluminium body and is intended for global markets, while the Aedes-X is a smart gravitrap designed to control Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquito populations by preventing larvae from maturing. Both are innovative Pestroniks products, with Aedes-X leveraging the negative phototactic behaviour of Aedes larvae.

Summary

GPA began its journey in 2020, immediately confronting the unprecedented challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite these obstacles, we successfully launched our first product and website, marking a strong start to our business. As we look to our second year, we are grateful to our vendors, resellers, and customers for their support and look forward to continued progress and success in 2021.