19-YO law student from Mumbai bakes desserts at home and gets customers simply by posting Instagram reels – clocked Rs 4 lakh in 6 months

If you have scrolled past the food side of Instagram, you'd have surely come across bomboloni.

Originating from Italy, bomboloni are pretty much like doughnuts. Except they are creamier, softer, more decadent, and always filled.

“Once bomboloni were a hit in my society, I knew I had proof of concept. They're super yummy and Indians seem to love it. Currently, this dessert accounts for at least 70% of my sales,”Samridhi Elantholy, founder of La Joie, tells Startup Pedia in an exclusive interview.

Founded in 2024 by an 18-year-old Samridhi Elantholy, La Joie is a Mumbai-based home bakery small business that sells desserts like bomboloni, brookies, tea cakes, and brownies.

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To date, the home bakery has served more than 450 customers.

THE BACKGROUND

Hailing from Malad in Mumbai, Samridhi Elantholy comes from a family that supports entrepreneurship. Her parents work in the corporate world.

Right from when she was in school, Samridhi was interested in baking. She would use YouTube to watch and learn from numerous tutorials.

“Some time earlier, my mother had attended a baking class. So we already had a lot of baking equipment and ingredients at home. It made my job so much easier because I didn't need to buy anything extra,” Samridhi tells Startup Pedia.

In June 2024, when Samridhi’s 12th standard had just ended, she decided to start a small cake business from home.

But with no social media presence and weak marketing, she barely got orders.

“Most of them came from my friends and family who wanted to encourage me…and that's about it. In September 2024, I closed the cake business down. This was also when my law college started,” she says.

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JOURNEY

For her law degree, Samridhi Elantholy joined the MKES College of Law. While still in her first year of college, in December, she decided to set up a small bomboloni stall in her society.

“My society keeps hosting mini events like these where residents are encouraged to set up stalls. I had prepared a small batch of bomboloni and set up the stall. In just two days, everything was sold out. They were an instant hit,” entrepreneur Samridhi Elantholy says.

For the next two months, during January and February, Samridhi decided to focus on perfecting the bomboloni and finally restart her baking business with the name La Joie.

“La Joie is actually pronounced as Lajua…one of my followers told me that. But I am okay with customers pronouncing it as Laa Joey. Lajua would be too difficult,”  Samridhi laughs.

In March 2025, La Joie was officially restarted.

This time around, Samridhi knew that for a new home baking business, social media presence would be everything. She started making Instagram reels and posting them on her Instagram channel.

“I was making bomboloni and showing the exact process I was using. I didn't see a lot of growth, though,” she says.

In March 2025, she clocked a monthly revenue of Rs 7,000 and catered to 24 orders. Most of them came from her friends and family.

“The average order value was Rs 300 at this time,” the home baking small business founder says.

Samridhi confirms that she didn't have to put in any money from her end.

• The baking equipment bought by her mother came in handy again.
• The orders would always be pre-paid and freshly prepared. So revenues would simply get reinvested.
• The logo design of the home bakery business was made by a freelancer who liked Samridhi’s business.

INSTAGRAM-LED MARKETING

In April 2025, Samridhi decided to take on a social media challenge – to achieve Rs 1 lakh in sales in 30 days.

“I started documenting my journey in more detail and would even discuss my courier issues with my audience. People started relating to me and I started getting paying customers from Instagram,” she shares with Startup Pedia.

In April, La Joie catered to 300+ orders with an average order value of Rs 250 to Rs 300.

“I am glad I took on this challenge, it made me go viral,” she smiles.

In May, Foxtail Skincare selected Samridhi's La Joie to be part of their monthly series called “businesswoman of the month.” The brand collaborates with a female entrepreneur and sends their business details along with their brand packages to customers.

“This helped me a lot. Was able to tap into a larger customer base. Once again, I clocked Rs 1 lakh in revenue,” Samridhi affirms.

However, in June, July, and August, La Joie’s monthly revenue fluctuated between Rs 60,000 and Rs 70,000.

According to Samridhi, this is because the “viral push” has currently come to an end.

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TAKING ON MORE CHALLENGES

After evaluating the dip in sales, Samridhi Elantholy is committed to identifying the cause and solving logistical issues.

• One of the reasons, she mentions, is the high delivery costs associated with the products.

“I cannot list on Instamart at the time being. I was using courier partners like Borzo, but they were literally charging Rs 150 per delivery. Sometimes, the delivery charge was coming to be higher than the product cost itself,” the home baking business founder says.

• Samridhi Elantholy has also teamed up with a product manager who is helping her call up early customers and understand their concern points.

“They approached me themselves and were kind enough to support La Joie with their expertise,” she says.

• La Joie’s products have a very short shelf life, so delivering them as soon as possible is also a struggle.

“We let our customers know that the delivery charges are exclusive of the product price. But many get deterred when they find out it's as high as Rs 150. I was planning to hire a delivery person, instead. Still figuring that out,” Samridhi says.

• Now in her second year of law college, the home bakery small business founder works from 6 AM to 9 PM – handling college during the day and preparing, packaging, and looking after orders during the evening and night.

From logistical worries and product expansion, Samridhi Elantholy mentions that she has a lot to take care of.

But even so, she remains committed to her passion for baking and sharing.

“I have been blessed with an incredible family and support system. My parents encourage me to do my own thing, as long as my grades are in order. Which they are. And my friends? They're the ones who are constantly cheering for me – be it in the form of re-posting my Instagram reels or just sharing positive words of encouragement daily,” Samridhi Elantholy mentions.

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THE UNIT ECONOMICS

In her interview with Startup Pedia, Samridhi Elantholy discussed the unit economics of one of La Joie’s desserts, the Pistachio Kunafa that sells for Rs 200:

• Rs 60 goes into the raw material (dough, pistachio paste, and kunafa)
• Rs 40 goes into packaging and electricity expenses.
• Rs 60 goes into labour charges (Samridhi makes it herself, but it takes 3 hours of skilled work, so she assumes it as her labour charge)
• Rs 40 is the profit margin.

“It's not a lot right now, but we are pushing through,” she says.

LA JOIE’S FUTURE

Currently selling fresh, homemade desserts like delicious bomboloni, brookies, banana cake, tea cake and brownies, La Joie is now expanding into more innovative categories like the Korean Flan Cheesecake.

To date, Samridhi has clocked roughly Rs 4 lakh in revenue.

Entrepreneur Samridhi wants to continue her home baking business, while working to solve the current challenges.

“I wanted to open up a food truck. But that will require a lot of investment. Plus, the third year of law college is going to be very, very hectic. So I am sticking to baking at home for now,” she says. 

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