Essentially Mira

by Mira Kulkarni

From making fragrant candles and soaps to building India’s first luxury Ayurveda beauty empire, Mira Kulkarni has proved that a thriving business can grow from just one tiny seed. The creative genius and driving spirit behind Forest Essentials’ range of natural beauty products, Kulkarni has been hailed as an industry game changer for creating a whole new category, and her ability to translate traditional Ayurvedic processes into transformational new products and anticipate beauty trends. In just two decades, under her direction, Forest Essentials has grown into a billion-dollar company, poised to go global soon. Through it all, Kulkarni has fiercely guarded her privacy―until now. Essentially Mira is an extraordinary account of how a single mother of two rose above all odds to build a globally renowned brand from the ground up. Capturing Mira’s childhood days, her marriage at the age of nineteen, both her parents’ deaths that left her orphaned at twenty-eight, her strength and bravery when she faced death threats and the many memorable encounters that changed a sensitive young girl into a consummate businesswoman, the book talks about the story behind Forest Essentials and how it grew into the iconic brand it is today. Inspirational and incredibly relatable, Essentially Mira is a story of someone who never gave up.

Genres: Biography, Business, India

240 pages, Hardcover

Published June 17, 2022

Reviews

[Tanaya · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a wonderful reading experience. It was a delight to get to read about the journey of one of India’s best known luxury Ayurvedic brand and the woman behind it all. She faced so many struggles but fought them all, many a times having no one to believe in but herself, I got to learn a lot from this book as well. Now that I have read about the research and study and painstaking efforts behind each and every product that they bring out, I’m definitely motivated to try them out.

[ANMOL JAUHER · Rating 5 out of 5]

Essentially Mira is indeed the book about the extraordinary journey behind Forest Essentials. When I first saw the book, the elegant and graceful portrait of Mira Kulkarni was something that attracted me.

And then I saw the words - Forest Essentials and I knew I had to read this one!

The first part of the book is about the author's life before she started the brand, which was full of struggles, unfortunate incidents, mishaps and what not! I was honestly overwhelmed by the turn of events in the life of Mira Kulkarni. Can't imagine the amount of strength and balance she possesses which got her out of such situations.

Coping with loss of your loved ones, going through separation and divorce, managing two kids and a household, a sister with medical issues, Mira did it all with a brave heart and a strong head.

She indeed had a guiding spirit or a guardian angel all along but being able to tap into that energy and acting upon it is what made all the difference in her life. The moment when she could either make a life for herself and her children or sit and weep and give up to the situations in life, was the most crucial part of the book.

This autobiography is nothing but full of life lessons for someone who finds themselves overwhelmed or burdened in life.

The second part of the book talks all about the journey of building the brand, Forest Essentials. Even though nothing was actually pre planned, the fact that it all happened so organically and ingeniously makes me feel so proud of Mira ma'am and also helped me learn so much about the kind of outlook to keep in life to life a fruitful life in every aspect.

I can't thank you enough for penning down the story of your life, it has not only been an enriching experience to read it, but also to build a kind of a personal connect with the brand Forest Essentials that I'd definitely want to try it out, now that I know so much about it.

A must read for anyone looking for inspiration, wanting to learn about life in general or someone looking to start a business and is in need of some motivation.

[Avishi · Rating 4 out of 5]

A delightfully awe-inspiring read for everyone out there aspiring to be an entrepreneur, especially to all the women and people over 40 who think it’s too late to pivot or pursue their dreams. This book defies the “it’s too late” and “it’s impossible” belief and fortifies that ANYTHING is possible as long as you stick to your guns , listen to your instincts and follow through with hard work and resilience.

[Meenal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not much about the vision, mission and beliefs of Forest Essentials the brand in this book, but a great read to get to know a woman you might have never heard of and how her life has been so far.

[Kinjal MS · Rating 5 out of 5]

Essentially Mira: The Extraordinary Journey Behind Forest Essentials - Book by Mira Kulkarni (Founder of Forest Essentials)

Inspirational and incredibly relatable..

To begin with, I would say that an aestheticly beautiful portrait of the author inclined me to pick this.

What I found when I read it is that:

- There are many similarities of her with mine when comes to personality -
- a loving mother,
- spiritual (not religiously),
- someone who doesn’t restrict to conventional processing of what has to be done & when,
- the naivety,
- the passion,
- always giving nature,
- learning the ability to say no (Infact I still am),
- driven,
- simplicity,
- rishikesh (uttarakhand), Himalayas,
- Ayurveda,
- family and loved ones above everything,
- an avid reader,
- traveller,
- someone who cannot stop clicking pictures of flowers and nature,
- who loves to be alone, being meditative amongst all the chaos,
- who appreciates unconditional love,
- believe there is a power watching over me (I too feel this all the time),
- someone who always wants to see others happy,
- cook for people we love (I see this as one way of giving whatever I have),
- love my imperfections,
- feminine,
- impulsive,
- emotional,
- determined,
- deeply compassionate,
- in love with my son & very very vulnerable!!

- Her life is full of ups n downs highs n lows but one thing that makes her stand out from others is her determination of achieving something. She followed her dream and got where she is and is a truly inspirational figure to me when I want to follow her zeal..

Simplistic way of writing, there were moments I couldn’t stop crying while I read this book, because I have lived them myself and I would never want to lose the ones I love.

From nothing to having 170 plus self owned store’s across 28 Indian states and some international. Women like you are very few.

Thank you for writing this. Memoir of the story if a very sensitive girl to leading a business empire and empowering not just yourself but many others who wouldn’t have thought their lives were going to change by this woman who pursued things beyond all the odds and alone.

[Debabrata Mishra · Rating 4 out of 5]

👉𝐀𝐁𝐎𝐔𝐓 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐁𝐎𝐎𝐊:-
📚ⓉⒾⓉⓁⒺ:- Essentially Mira
🖋️ⒶⓊⓉⒽⓄⓇ:- Mira Kulkarni
🗞️ⓅⓊⒷⓁⒾⓈⒽⒺⓇ:- HarperCollins Publication
🔤ⓁⒶⓃⒼⓊⒶⒼⒺ:- English
📖ⒻⓄⓇⓂⒶⓉ:- Hardcover
👉𝐒𝐘𝐍𝐎𝐏𝐒𝐈𝐒:-
Forest Essentials is not an unknown brand to anyone in today's world. But is it easy to establish such a bigger brand ?
.
This is the story of Mira Kulkarni the founder of Forest Essentials. Her life is full of ups n downs highs n lows but one thing that makes her stand out from others is her determination of achieving something.
.
Her life was never easy from her childhood she was married at a very young age. But her aim to achieve something big something great was never compermised. After going through a rough phase of life when she lost her parents & divorced with her husband she never compermised with her dream. She gradually started building her own brand named as Forest essentials.
.
Being a single mother with two kids she never gave any excuses but worked as much as she can do by herself. "Hardwork always pays off" & that's what exactly happen here with tremendous efforts makes the brand India's first luxury Ayurveda beauty empire.
.
To know more about it grab the book & give it a try.
👉𝐏𝐎𝐒𝐈𝐓𝐈𝐕𝐄𝐒 :-
🙂 Cover of the book is aesthetic with the portrait of the author.
🙂 Writing style of the book is nice. Author just shared every detailing of her life from zero to building such a big brand.
🙂 Langauge used in the book is simple & easily understandable. It never going to create any chaos while reading it.
🙂 It's just like a full fledged film an biography is running in front of your eyes about the author. Once you started reading it you are not going to put it down before completing it fully.
🙂 The way author shared his experience about life & her struggle it's truly inspiring.
🙂Book is slowly paced keeping each detailing intact that gives you a complete reading experience.
𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐀𝐋𝐋 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑 :- 🌟🌟🌟🌟✨

[Bindu Bala · Rating 5 out of 5]

🅱🅾🅾🅺 🆁🅴🆅🅸🅴🆆

𝑬𝒔𝒔𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚 𝑴𝒊𝒓𝒂: 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑬𝒙𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒐𝒓𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒂𝒓𝒚 𝑱𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒏𝒆𝒚 𝑩𝒆𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒅 𝑭𝒐𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝑬𝒔𝒔𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒂𝒍𝒔

🆀🅾🆃🅳#: Do you read biographies/ memoir? If yes which one is your favourite?

#AOTD#: I loved Becoming

ᴀᴜᴛʜᴏʀ: Mira Kulkarni
ꜰᴏʀᴍᴀᴛ: Kindle/ Paperback
ᴘᴀɢᴇꜱ/ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀꜱ: 244
ᴘᴜʙʟɪꜱʜᴇʀ: HarperCollins.
ɢᴇɴʀᴇ: Lifestyle & Personal style guides

You should not put it on face, if you cannot eat that! Such a captivating thought and the gist of Forest Essentials Brand.

When, we say Forest Essentials, we think about the luxury, aesthetics, fragrances and tons of bottles holding the nature beauty.

But how this brand was created and built into the such a big brand.

𝑬𝒔𝒔𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚 𝑴𝒊𝒓𝒂, is a book which unravels every bit of this brand, the book has been penned down in such a beautiful way that it will keep you glued till end.

The book shared the journey of Ms. Mira Kulkarni from her childhood to getting married in a mere age of nineteen, how she bears the loss of both of her parents and then an uncalled Divorce.

Chapters are small and keep changes with every anecdote of the author’s life. The minute details of her life has been articulated in such a way that it shows that every thing is happening in front of us.

This book is a story of perseverance, determination and most important hard work. How, the seed of the brand was sow and how it was keep becoming bigger with every passing day.

The language is easy to understand and simple with easy going narration. I would recommend this book to everyone to read. I should not forget to praise the eye captivating beautiful portrait of the author on the cover.




- #readwithbindu
- #reviewwithbindu
- - #bookwormbindz.

[Abhishek Amar · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short, breezy read. Recommended if looking for books on Indian entrepreneurship (and women in business).

There is a lot to be inspired by. The author had everything as a child, and then, suddenly had nothing. Marriage, death of loved ones, divorce, domestic abuse, penury - everything, all before turning 30. And then, the guts and grit to start a category-defining company at age 45. Superb stuff. For those being brought up in the age of easy money, hypergrowth and early wealth, this book should provide some fodder for thought.

One thing I believe the author does not do enough of is acknowledging privilege and being fully transparent about money. Yes, she had a lot thrown her way in life. But one does not simply count film stars and politicians as friends, get connected with ambassadors overnight for a visa stamping, take trips to London when claiming that you're living with no money, get kids educated abroad and buy a house in posh Delhi areas and Rishikesh just like that. Yes, there is a lot of misfortune, but also a lot of good fortune, connections and generational wealth that went a long way in helping her. I feel this is important to call out because readers without such privileged backgrounds may wonder why things don't magically work out for themselves.

Read and be inspired by the perseverance in the face of adversity. Take the Ayurveda bits (yes, there is a lot of this BS) and the stories about poverty with an appropriate helping of salt.

[Aza · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to the publisher for a gifted copy in exchange for my honest review.

Essentially Mira is a memoir of and by the woman behind the brand, Forrest Essentials, Mira Kulkarni. If you haven’t heard of it (the brand), it is a billion dollar company that makes natural beauty products using traditional ayurvedic processes.

I love reading memoirs/biographies even though I haven’t read many. It’s inspiring to read about experiences of people who have made it big. You learn that they too were faced with failure more than once yet they never quit.

Essentially Mira showcases a similar story. We learn about the life Mira led from childhood till now. The tragedies and hardships she faced in her life that made her the person she is today. The things that inspired her to keep going and start a business from scratch when she knew nothing about it. I loved Mira from the start till the end. She inspired me in so many ways and I admire the way she treated life, the way she owned her mistakes and learned from them and the way she always kept going.

I also really liked the writing. It doesn’t bore you even for a moment. The story keeps moving forward at a fast pace, only recalling major incidents and tales that hold meaning without any irrelevant information given. The business aspect is also kept brief and explained in a way anyone could understand.

I would definitely recommend this book as it’s the type of book that teaches you many things while giving insight to how it is starting a small business and making it big.

[Ekta M · Rating 4 out of 5]

"I feel that when you start a business, and if it becomes successful, it is time to be level-headed and keep yourself grounded. Life is always a circle, and you never know when things go up or down. If you remian the same in both in both success and failure, only then you are truly successful" says Mira Kulkarni, founder and managing director of @forestessentials.


Genre - Memoir
Pages - 221


Essentially Mira is an extraordinary account of how Mira Kulkarni gave birth to Forest Essentials and took it to great heights. What started as a mere candle making turned into a billion-dollar company.

The book starts with narrating Mira Kulkarni's childhood days, her early marriage, being a single mother, loosing her parents at an early age and the story behind forest essentials.

It highlights the 'never give up' attitude of Mira Kulkarni. This shows what a strong headed woman she is. Despite of many odds she refused to bow down.

This story also shows that if you have family and friends that stick together nothing is impossible.
___

The book is highly inspiring and empowering.
The language is easy and the story will keep you hooked throughout. You should definitely read this if you love reading Memoirs.

[Tanvi Shivgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

"I'm often told that I'm a born entrepreneur, but when I look at myself, I find that all it really means is allowing yourself to learn things that you haven't learnt before, and also to understand that many things you have learnt may not be the only way of doing things, and sometimes you need to unlearn."

Essentially Mira is a powerful account of how Mira Kulkarni built an empire of Forest Essentials which has been revolutionizing beauty industry with natural Ayurvedic beauty products. She is the Managing Director and Founder of Forest Essentials and is considered as far-sighted leader in the beauty industry.

From Mira's childhood to her marriage at 19th, from loss of parents at 28th to establishing Forest Essentials, Essentially Mira excellently captures Kulkarni's life at its best.

Being a driving force behind Forest Essentials, this far-sighted human intelligently converted traditional Ayurvedic processes into transformational new products. She proved that, if determined, nothing can stop a woman from achieving what she wants. She is the epitome of how a single mother can break the shackles of society and be brave enough to leave the marks of excellence behind

Inspirational, Awesome, Essential Read!✨🙌

[Anirudh Jain · Rating 3 out of 5]

Summary: The book chronicles the life of Mira Kulkarni through her trials and tribulations with respect to her marriage, kids and her company, Forest Essentials.

Reading this book felt like a conversation with a person over a Sunday afternoon. Mira talks about all aspects of her life both personal and professional. In the first half of her book she talks about her upbringing, her parents and her crushes. She later talks about her marriage and how the shaky bridge that it was on. Mira had to suffer a lot in her personal life, from being divorced to being widowed she did not deter at any point and carried on with her responsibilities.

In the second half of the book she talks about her business, the philosophy and the nuts and bolts behind it. Her business growth was a mix of luck and chutzpah, where other people would see trouble she saw opportunity. With no formal business training, she reveals how she built her empire using a combination and intuition and common sense.

Overall the book felt personal, from family troubles to dotting grandchildren Mira reveals it all and hence a great read.

[Ashwini Vijayakumar · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a roller coaster ride of life and what an enthusiast Mira is and a fighter who never accepts no for an answer. Though the book has many dead ends where the stories are incomplete like the situation where choti files a false case against Mira for not paying her share, we do not know what happened to that loose end of her life and if Choti was saved from whoever was forcing her to go against Mira.
But nevertheless, Mira is grit personified. She also very sweetly gives her own learnings on how to start a business.
Overall, it is a very gripping book which keeps you at the end of your seat to read on till you finish it. The troubles and challenges she has gone through are enormous as an understatement but what came out of it was our love, compassion and service. Her dreams were all future based and she defines women empowerment by giving a life to all the villagers of Lodsi.
Mira you are an inspiration. As well said by you education narrows your approaches to handle many things. But is much of a necessity and is always a savior in the end.

[Harsh Tyagi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mira Kulkarni has built India's first luxury ayurveda beauty empire Forest Essentials, starting from making scented candles and soaps. She has been listed amongst Fortune India's Most Powerful Women in business for ten consecutive years from 2011 to 2021.

Essentially Mira is her memoir in which she has revealed her life secrets and journey, of how a single mother of two rose above all odds to build a globally recognised brand. It's an inspirational tale of a woman who decided to never give up.

The book is an easy read, smooth and interesting all the way. It is the story of an ordinary person who built something extraordinary and the journey of it all, straight from her childhood, to marriage and the death of her parents and all the life events. It's an inspiring tale and a message to never give up on our dreams and aspirations, come what may. She gets candid and shares all her life with the readers. Even the hardcover book feels so luxurious!

[Sanya Lakhani · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fascinating story about the inception of a luxury brand that put india on the map, although disjointed at times.

In a few hundred easy to read pages we meet an inspiring, elegant and undeniably strong woman who started something amazing - even though her worldview can be a bit of an adamant, belligerent aunty at times. (Considering her daughter in law a suitable match for her son because she is ” unexposed”, and insisting on calling her grandson a name that his parents are clearly unsure about give it away).

Wish it was less anecdotal and more factual - would love to know more about the Estee acquisition, the copyright issues, some more about how she found the courage to thrive in a copycat landscape and a little less about her personal life. But I guess it’s a book about the woman behind it all and not one on the brand.

[Ashwini · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought Shoedog was a brilliant biography. This one is beyond. Loved the simplicity of the language and the narration. It captivated me. It rooted me. I completed the book in one sitting. The story of Mira is all about having the courage to keep going on inspite of what is thrown at you. Everytime it seemed that Mira's life was on track, a curveball hits her and she bounces back beautifully. There were times in the book where a emotional exchange between characters moistened the eyes. I have never been a big fan of beauty products because there are not many for men and also because almost all known brands use a lot of chemicals, having read this fascinating book, I will surely look at some products now.

[Manisha · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a wonderful and inspiring read. Very rare do you come across women with such grit and passion to face it all through and through. I have always been a big fan of Forest Essential products and had heard very many stories of the unique leadership style that Mira Kulkarni brings on the table; so when the autobiography of Mira was published I was quick to grab it. Having read the book now, it has only increased my respect for Mira of how she braved all the adversities and stood tall through it all. And the faith and trust that I had in the brand has only increased by multiple notches. An awe inspiring story of power, grit and resilience. A must read for all.

#2023 #autobiography #inspiringread #womanofgrit

[Vivek · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful story of a remarkable woman. As someone who has been a fan of forest essential products for over 15 years, it was interesting to read about the journey. The fact that a few friends names popped up in the book made it more interesting. Highly recommended and an easy read which I finished in a day.

[Surbhi Malpani · Rating 4 out of 5]

Incredible story! Created a different perspective for a brand that I love. And yet again a reminder to be kind as no one truly sees the hardships another person, even a very successful person goes through.

Now about the book and writing:

Easy page turner and a fairly light reading.

Difficult to follow with too many names and no real link between sections / stories/ chapters.

[Dhiran · Rating 4 out of 5]

Essentially Mira by Mira Kulkarni
The autobiography is an inspiring story of how a single mother of two built a luxury ayurvedic brand in skin care Mira founded Forest Essentials with humble beginnings in the 2000’s to 100+ stores to date. An easy and inspiring read. #BookLovers #LoveToRead #AtoZEntrepreneurship #dntjbookclub

[Soumya Gupta · Rating 5 out of 5]

A heart-warming story of finding beauty in adversity and living with fortitude. Mira is narrating her story to you in the simplest words, but the experiences are so compelling and her conduct so admirable, that the words hardly matter. You will pause to notice all the beauty around you and feel grateful for it.

[artbookbrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mira's love towards Forest Essentials and her caring nature towards all, that too after the struggles she went through, is remarkable.
Salute to this woman.
A page turner. Must read!

[Sundar Ganapathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Could have had more depth on the business and the brand building journey.
Focusses a lot more on the personal life of Mira Kulkarni.

Decent read anyways

[Nivetha · Rating 5 out of 5]

She is inspiring in every way