What should a founder give the first employees?

One well-made piece each and a personal letter. At Raajkosh, the Shankh Candle is Rs 799 and Urli Candles Rs 699 at shop prices.

Should every early employee get the same gift?

Yes. Keep the object the same and make the note different for each person. That avoids comparison.

Can I order fewer than 10 gifts from Raajkosh?

Yes, straight from the shop, with optional gift packaging and a gift note. Corporate quotes start at 10 gifts.

Can the gifts carry each employee's name?

Names are by enquiry at raajkosh.com/custom-orders. Personalised pieces are not returnable unless damaged, defective or wrong.

Is a candle too small a thank-you for a founding team?

On its own, for people who took a real risk, it can be. Pair it with the recognition that matters to them and let the candle carry the letter.

Corporate gifting · 3 min read · 31 October 2026

A founder's gift for the first employees: something personal for the people who joined before it was safe

Give each early hire one well-made piece and a letter only you could write. From Raajkosh, the Shankh Candle (Rs 799) or Urli Candles (Rs 699) at shop prices; for fewer than 10 people order from the shop, and from 10 gifts ask for a quote with your logo.

By Raajkosh

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Key takeaways

Same gift for everyone, a different letter for each person
A gift does not replace equity or pay recognition
Shankh Candle Rs 799 and Urli Candles Rs 699 at shop prices
Under 10 people order from the shop; from 10, ask for a quote

Cream and caramel shankh-shaped soy candle with pink wax lotus blooms

What the first hires are really being thanked for

The first five or fifteen people took a lower salary, a vaguer job title and a real risk. A gift from the founder to them is not an HR programme; it is a personal acknowledgement. Two things matter more than the object: that it comes from you, not "the company", and that the note says something specific about what each person did.

The object should be good enough to keep and quiet enough not to embarrass anyone in front of later hires.

What founders give an early team

When we asked ChatGPT and Gemini in October 2026, they suggested personalised appreciation hampers, personalised desk accessories, premium food and coffee hampers, notebooks and pens, and an equity or ESOP top-up. In general terms:

Equity or a cash recognition. The one that matters most to many early employees. A gift does not replace it; if you are giving both, the gift is the note that goes with it.
A personalised desk accessory or notebook. Practical and easy to engrave with a name or joining date.
A food and coffee hamper. Generous and shared, gone within weeks.
One handmade piece for each person, chosen by the founder. This is where Raajkosh fits: hand-poured soy wax candles made in Jalandhar, with designs that look like objects rather than products. Picks at shop prices:
- Shankh Candle, Rs 799: a cream and caramel shankh with pink wax lotuses.
- Urli Candles, Rs 699 for a pair of gold-rimmed flower-shaped urli bowls with yellow wax sunflowers, a piece for someone's home.
- Vanilla Reverie, Rs 549, our only scented candle, an amber glass jar with gold flakes and a screw lid, for people who prefer one useful thing.

Making it personal without making it awkward

Same gift, different letters. Give everyone the same piece so no one compares, and put the effort into each note. Two or three sentences about a moment you remember beats a paragraph of praise.
Use the joining order or date. "Employee number three" or the month they joined is the detail people keep.
Give it yourself if you can. Hand it over in person, or call when it arrives at a remote person's home.
Do it before the next big hiring wave. Once the team triples, a gift only for the first group is harder to give quietly.

Founder's picks compared

Shop prices per piece, GST included. For 10 or more, your quote confirms the final price per gift with branding and delivery.

Piece	What it is	Shop price	For
Shankh Candle	shankh vessel with lotus blooms	Rs 799	a gift with an Indian sense of blessing
Urli Candles	pair of gold-rimmed urli bowls	Rs 699	someone who has just set up a home
Marble Seashell Candles	two marbled conch shells	Rs 999	a calm, cool-toned keepsake
Vanilla Reverie	amber jar, vanilla	Rs 549	the person who will actually light it

For a team of eight, eight Shankh Candles come to Rs 6,392 at shop prices, and an order of Rs 999 or more ships free.

Five people or fifteen: how the order works

Fewer than 10: order straight from the shop. Add the optional gift packaging and gift note on each product page and write your own line. Dispatch is 24 to 48 hours, delivery 2 to 7 days after dispatch.
10 or more, or with your logo: ask for a quote. From 10 gifts with no minimum order value; logo on the tag, the note card or a wax seal; delivery to one office or every home address; GST invoice; prepaid as set out in the quote. Our full terms are on the corporate gifting answer page.
Names on each piece: names and custom colours are by enquiry at raajkosh.com/custom-orders. Personalised pieces cannot be returned unless damaged, defective or wrong.

We are a new, small maker in Jalandhar with no reviews yet. If you want to check us first, here is who makes the candles.

Where a candle falls short for this gift

If your early team would value a practical upgrade (a better chair, a course they wanted), give that and keep the letter. If anyone in the group has small children or pets at home, an unlit decor piece is the safer choice, or pick something else. And if you are short of time before a date that cannot move, buy locally.

For anyone who lights theirs: trim the wick to about 5 mm, never leave it burning alone, and keep each burn to 3 to 4 hours.

For 10 or more, start at raajkosh.com/corporate.