How do you start a D2C business in India and does influencer marketing still work?

In this episode of Everyday Empires, Rohit sits down with Dishant Mehta, co-founder of @WNTRTravel , an Indian D2C (Direct-to-Consumer) luggage brand built on a bold belief: India deserves luxury products at affordable prices.

Dishant didn’t grow up dreaming of entrepreneurship. He pursued an MBA with plans to climb the corporate ladder. But the pull to build something of his own never left. Alongside his cousin and co-founder, Dishant began moonlighting WNTR while still working full-time slowly testing the Indian market before taking the leap.

In this conversation, Dishant breaks down what it really takes to start a D2C brand in India, why influencer marketing failed for WNTR, and how founder-led marketing became their biggest growth lever.