Alumni Spotlight: Michelle Ranavat, CEO of RANAVAT

After graduating from UW-Madison in 2003 with her bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering, Michelle Ranavat wasn’t sure what was in store for her career. Her path of professional and personal experiences led her to the realization that she could combine her passions for engineering, ancient traditions, and personal care to create something completely new. Today, she is the CEO of the luxury beauty products company that bears her name – RANAVAT.

Her Badger experience: College was eye-opening for Michelle. UW-Madison provided her first socially accepting environment. She realized that she was free from a limiting high school culture. “At UW, I finally felt like there was no “cool kids club”. We could all be involved in everything”. 

Michelle immersed herself in the collaborative environment of the department. She enjoyed the project-based nature of many of her classes, which set a tone for support and respect among fellow students – students whose company she also came to thoroughly enjoy. She credits these experiences as models for what to expect in a professional work environment.

Ranavat says that the industrial engineering program at UW-Madison was a perfect balance between challenge and opportunity. The supportive community made her comfortable with not knowing things and gave her the confidence to always be willing to ask questions. This lifetime skill has served her well.

Her early career: Upon graduation, Michelle didn’t have a specific career in mind, but knew that her engineering and quantitative background provided many options. She accepted a position at Lehman Brothers in Manhattan and would remain there until the 2008 economic downturn resulted in the collapse of the company. Not one to be easily deterred, she once again leaned into the diversity of her education, and reinvented herself, this time working with her father’s company in the world of pharmaceuticals. For the next five years, she was immersed in every aspect of manufacturing, from buying/selling raw materials, to quality control, to sales. She had always had a love for understanding how things were made, and this experience allowed her to “go deep”. 

Creating RANAVAT: Michelle gave birth to her first child in 2013, and her second in 2016. After both pregnancies, her postpartum experience was very challenging. She turned to her South Asian roots for the relief of some of her physical symptoms, such as hair loss and skin changes, through Ayurvedic treatments. She started to see the value in products that were embraced by her Indian culture. However, she found it difficult to obtain the products or ingredients in America. During those years, she began to realize that her skills as an industrial engineer could enable her to create and build something completely new, bringing beauty products based on ancient Indian culture to a US market. The idea for RANAVAT was born.

She needed to educate herself, first and foremost, on the science behind Ayurveda. To do so, she had to connect with experts in India, which lent itself well to the schedule that her daily work as a professional and a young mother demanded. As she developed a full understanding of, and respect for, the science behind the products, she also began to research what it would take to source and manufacture the products. Over the course of several years, the structure of the company developed.

When asked when the business really launched, Michelle says “There are some inflection points for the brand and business, but ultimately, it’s the little day-to-day moments that created it.”  To anyone starting a business, she has this to say: “It may not happen on your timeline. The seeds may have been planted many years ago.”

Today, RANAVAT recognizes over $15 million in annual sales. They are growing steadily, but at a moderate rate which, she hopes, will allow for the building of a legacy. Says Michelle, “There’s so much work to be done! The exciting part now is going more global and diving deeply into the storytelling aspect of the brand and products.”

Her career today: As CEO, Michelle has a hand in literally every aspect of the company. Again, she credits her background in industrial engineering with a large portion of her success. Product development, materials science, quality control, supply chain and production processes are some of the areas that play a role in the daily operations of RANAVAT.

The other key to her success is effective team management. She is managing employees, contractors, and global customers, making sure all the people are fully utilized so that the entire enterprise can keep moving forward. Again, she credits her background in industrial engineering and her problem-solving mindset here: “Understanding efficiencies and processes is key to working in organizations. Not to mention the human element.” Today, the close relationships that have been developed among her team at RANAVAT “allow her to do her best work”.

Joy in giving back: One of Michelle’s favorite aspects of her career today is the opportunity it provides for her to mentor others. Through talks to clubs, organizations, and university students, she can champion the incredible education she earned and what it’s provided her.  

In addition to sharing her time, Michelle also believes in sharing her financial success. 1% of RANAVAT’s proceeds are donated annually to the Desai Foundation, a non-profit organization in India dedicated to empowering women and children through community programs and initiatives.

Advice: Michelle sees engineering, in general, as a way of thinking. It allows you to break down complex problems into easy-to-solve problems, which equips you for success in a multitude of areas. Michelle encourages today’s students to challenge themselves. “You can always take the easy road, but when you look back on it, it’s not going to feel as fulfilling as if you did something that’s out of your comfort zone.”

Top photo: Michelle Ranavat makes a guest appearance on “The Drew Barrymore Show”: November 19, 2024. View the segment here.