MRS ANITHA AND MS. SAMATHA
My sister, Samatha and I were brought up in a small village called Muchukoor of Sirkonda Mandal. My life was no different from any other women in my neighbourhood. I was happy and content being a homemaker. But at the same time never left my passion and dream for tailoring and building it into a business of my own. After graduation, my sister Samtha supported financially for my training, looking at my desire to acquire knowledge on business to commence my entrepreneurial journey. Coming from a remote village it was a difficult task to market the products strategically and efficiently to make a standard living out of it. Despite not-so-favorable circumstances, I began my which was not very structured. The road ahead had quite a few challenges for me. Building customer network, understanding the market demand, product development, and strategizing business plans for scalability were some of the major roadblocks I faced. We never know in which turn, life holds the biggest miracle for us. Deshpande Foundation’s micro-entrepreneurship program gave me no less than a miracle. They invited me to enhance my knowledge, mindset and skill. They trained and encouraged me to use my skills for making environment-friendly “Jute bags”. The Foundation also offered support for purchasing jute stitching machine. Now, I can produce 200+ jute bags of different designs. The micro-entrepreneurship of Deshpande Foundation also provides market spaces. With the support provided by them have led to a gradual increase in monthly turnover to Rs 20,000 to Rs 25,000.

MRS ANITHA AND MS. SAMATHA

“A TALE OF 2 SISTERS”
MRS. CHAYASRI
I feel very privileged to have the support of the family who always encouraged me to achieve my goal. They always motivated me to work for my dreams which made me very happy. With a lot of hard work, I was able to make a monthly turnover of Rs 10,000. I was happy and always believed that there is nothing wrong with staying small. But I knew I had much more potential to deliver and scale up my business. I came across the micro-entrepreneurship program of Deshpande Foundation via sources. Initially, I was hesitant but I decided to give a chance and start my journey with them by joining their training sessions. In these training sessions, I was introduced to different concepts and basics of Accounting, Market strategy making and business planning etc. It boosted my confidence and skills to scale my business. The Foundation also supported me in acquiring different machines that have remarkably enhanced production and quality. They supported and guided my plan by connecting to a bank for credit of Rs 50,000. Though this credit, I was able to buy machines to make it my business more efficient. Before associating with Deshpande Foundation, the gross turnover was around Rs 10,000 per month. But now it has increased to Rs 40,000 to Rs 50, 000 per month. In addition, I also have 4 women staff.

MRS. CHAYASRI

“THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH STAYING SMALL”
MRS. RAJAMANI
I commenced my journey in 2011 with a single tailoring machine and an investment of Rs 4000. But due to lack of experience and knowledge about bookkeeping, marketing, customer relation etc. I eventually lost the confidence to continue the business. I come from a pocket- sized village in Nandipet Mandal of Nizamabad district, Telangana. I enjoy my time with household chores but I always possessed a dream of starting my own business. After several years of struggle, in 2019, I came across the training provided by Deshpande Foundation Micro-entrepreneurship program. After coming across the grit to make my business successful, the team helped me with setting it up in the customer base in multiple districts. This not only helped me increase the monthly turnover to Rs 20,000 but also allowed me to start my training center. It also gave me the power to empower other women by providing jobs. I was able to employ 3 women as my business flourished. With time, I would like to employ more women by setting up an entire garment unit. I have already initiated the plan and bought 15 machines.

MRS. RAJAMANI

SMT. NEERAJA
I do not come from a stable financial background. My husband works in a private company. I believe. I can contribute with the skills that I possess to make our living standard better. Hence, I decided on setting up a shop and start my business from home. With the meagre investment of Rs 1000, I started the bangle design shop. But to make it a successful, Micro-entrepreneurship team of Deshpande Foundation guided me in carving my path by training, providing with credit linkages and marketing etc. Looking at the dedication and enthusiasm, I got selected for the Micro-entrepreneurship Development Program (MEDP). They supported and guided my plan by connecting to a bank for credit of Rs 50,000. Though this credit, I was able to make my business more stable. I was able to make a better living out of it and support my husband at my best as my monthly income came up to Rs 20,000 to Rs 25,000.

SMT. NEERAJA