The Lessons of Our Most Challenging Year 2024
🏠 Why We Shifted from a Decade at Shani Temple, Seawoods (2014–2023)
For almost a decade, Majha Morya Creatives LLP operated from Shani Temple, Sector 46, Seawoods, Navi Mumbai 400706. However, as inquiries for Ganesh idols surged in 2023, we hit a saturation point of the storage inside a temple. The increasing demand forced us to rent another shop just to store our 25 Ganesh idols — costing us almost ₹50,000 for just 15 days, & we had kept hardly 20 to 25 ganesh idols, even though it required paying a full month’s rent.
🚗 Traffic & Pickup Issues: The narrow road in front of the temple caused major congestion during Ganesh Chaturthi pickups, making it inconvenient for customers. We knew we needed a better, more flexible solution — one with fewer traffic constraints and a smoother pickup experience.
📍 The Bold Decision to Shift in 2024
Maintaining two stores was neither feasible for us nor convenient for our customers. After much deliberation, we took a bold decision to relocate to a more accessible location.
📌 New Location: Plot Number 6 Playground, Sector 46A, Seawoods, Navi Mumbai 400706.
This move wasn’t easy — it was a fresh start from scratch to a new lcoation with unforeseen challenges ahead.
🛑 Operational Gaps Exposed During Order Surge
One of the most critical challenges we faced in 2024 was the lack of backend system integration between our internal team and external vendors. As orders surged, it became extremely difficult to track which idol was made by Vendor A, B, or C, since we were taking orders based on mold designs, but without linking them to the vendors producing them.
To make things more complex, each mold had multiple design variations, and these were being discussed and confirmed manually. There was no centralized data to track how many orders were received for each variation. Without this visibility, the production team was left guessing, vendors were uninformed, and the entire system was prone to confusion and errors.
It was chaotic — but also eye-opening. This experience taught us a lesson we needed to learn early in our journey: manual communication isn’t scalable. The situation, though tough, came at the right time. It helped us identify a major blind spot and inspired us to implement tech-driven operations and real-time inventory systems to avoid such bottlenecks in the future. We’re grateful this happened when it did — because now, we’re better prepared to scale responsibly.
🌧️ 2024: The Toughest Year in Our Journey
2024 tested us in every possible way. It was a year of unexpected challenges, hard lessons, and incredible growth. Here’s what made it one of the most difficult years for us:
🔸 Heavy Rain Delayed Bookings 🌧️
The monsoon hit hard, pushing back our booking start dates and causing unavoidable delays.
🔸 Store Setup Took Additional Time 🏗️
Setting up a physical store from scratch for the first time was no small feat. Even after the rains, it took us another week to get everything in place.
🔸 Unclear Government Permissions & NOC Delays 🧾
We had applied for the required permissions and NOCs from NMMC and CIDCO to open our store at an open public ground, a full month in advance. However, the file kept circulating from one department to another, with no clear direction or precedent — since no one had ever applied for such permissions before in that ward. The lack of clarity within the government offices created unnecessary tension, and at one point, even the Encroachment Department of NMMC got involved. This unexpected hurdle added immense stress to an already challenging process.
🔸 Logistics & Delivery Planning 🚚
Coordinating hundreds of deliveries — each with real-time tracking and unique requests — tested the limits of our systems and team.
🔸 Raw Material Shortage 🎨
Sourcing essential materials for idol-making became tough, delaying our timelines and affecting product availability.
🔸 Electricity Shortages ⚡
Frequent power cuts disrupted our idol-making process, which already takes 12–15 days per piece when done from scratch.
🔸 System Crash Under Pressure 💻
The systems we’d been integrating and optimizing over the years — perfectly suited for our regular day-to-day operations — simply weren’t built to handle the sudden surge in inquiries. This unexpected spike overwhelmed our infrastructure, leading to chaos and miscommunication.
Despite our best efforts, around 10 customers faced significant issues due to these challenges. We’re deeply sorry we couldn’t meet their expectations. 🙏
But every difficulty brought a lesson. And those lessons are shaping the stronger, smarter, and more resilient version of us that’s already in the making.
🛑 Refunds for Affected Customers We provided refunds to a few customers immediately. However, if we have missed anyone, they can always reach out to us with proper identification, and we will resolve their concerns.
🔮 Our Learnings & Future Plan
While 2024 challenged us deeply, it also revealed a powerful insight: more and more customers are now comfortable buying Ganesh idols online without physically visiting the store. This game-changing shift has inspired us to completely rethink and refine our approach moving forward.
Here’s what’s new and what’s coming:
✅ Early Bookings Begin First Week of May 📅
Starting earlier helps us manage demand better and gives our customers a wider selection of idols to choose from.
✅ Flexible Payment Options 💳
Just pay 25% to secure your booking. The rest? Pay at your convenience before delivery.
✅ System Upgrades for a Smoother Experience
To avoid the chaos of 2024 and ensure a seamless journey for every customer, we’ve made major backend improvements:
🔹 Inventory Tracking System — A robust system now tracks every idol production in real-time, ensuring transparency and availability.
🔹 Join Waitlist Feature — If your favorite idol goes out of stock, just join the waitlist and get notified the moment it’s back.
🔹 Named Idols & SKU Codes — Each idol now has a clear name and unique SKU to avoid confusion and help customers order exactly what they want.
🔹 Multiple Delivery Options — Choose between cost-efficient or priority delivery at checkout based on your needs.
🔹 WhatsApp Notifications via Business API — Stay updated every step of the way — from order to delivery — through automated WhatsApp alerts.
🔹 Mapped SOPs for Teams & Customers — We’ve defined every step of the journey for both users and departments to ensure accountability and clarity in operations.
We’re stepping into 2025 more prepared than ever — not just with better systems, but with deeper empathy and sharper insights. Thank you for sticking with us, learning with us, and growing with us. 🙏
👉 Learn more about our booking process: Read our blog on Medium 📖
🌍 Visit Our Online Store
We are now 100% online, making it easier for you to shop from anywhere: 🔹 majhamorya.in
🔹majhamorya.com 🌍
We appreciate all your love and support as we embark on this new journey. 🙌 Ganpati Bappa Morya! 🐘🙏