From small beginnings to earning in crores – 4 success stories of women entrepreneurs
They started their entrepreneurship journeys in kitchens and garages with very little investment and are now successful businesswomen, earning in crores.
“Big things have small beginnings.”
This quote by T E Lawrence in the movie Lawrence of Arabia, holds true for success stories of entrepreneurs, who started small, but achieved big through hard work, and grit and determination in the face of challenges.
There are innumerable examples of big businesses, brands, unicorns and corporates that began with small steps - and even small spaces like garages or home kitchens.
However, the will of an entrepreneur to succeed makes them hustle and grind, till they make it. This is true for many entrepreneurs we have featured on HerStory too.
Here is a look at women who took baby steps to create big brands and clock revenues in crores.
Neeta Adappa, Prakriti Herbals
Neeta Adappa
Bengaluru-based Neeta Adappa had a R&D and quality control job at a pharmaceutical company but was frustrated with a monotonous routine. In 1995, at time when there were very few entrepreneurs, Neeta founded with Anisha Desai, her college junior. The duo started from Neeta’s garage with just Rs 10,000 and a year of researching, formulating skin and hair care products, and trying them out on friends and family.
Beginning with manufacturing products for beauty parlours, Neeta started to receive orders from hotels in the city. Today, her brand has gained the trust of five-star-rated hotels like the Park Hotel, the Goldman Sachs Spa, Manipal Hospital, and Royal Orchid Hotels across India.
The brand hit the Rs 1 crore mark in revenues in 2012 and is going stronger than ever.
Japna Rishi Kaushik, Hungry Foal
Japna Rishi Kaushik
Japna Rishi Kaushik graduated with a master’s in food technology from Punjabi University in Patiala and was working for corporate companies. However, in January 2016, she discovered the critical state of malnutrition among children in India.
Deciding to take matters into their own hands, Japna and her husband Vivek Kaushik started Hungry Foal, a for-profit social venture. It sells nutritional snacks priced at Rs 5 and Rs 10 per unit. Starting from a 6ft x 4ft room and with an annual revenue of nearly Rs 2.14 lakh in the beginning, the startup now clocks approximately Rs 3.6 crore.
Payal Mittal Agarwal, Tranquilitea
Payal Mittal Agarwal
Payal Mittal Agarwal had an interesting encounter with a woman in Slovenia, which made her realise the popularity of Indian teas. A serial entrepreneur who had started a restaurant in her hometown Siliguri and also a play school, Payal after her return from Slovenia joined a tea factory owner who was looking to start a chain of tea boutiques in India.
While exhibiting at a tea fair in China, Payal made it her mission to popularise “tea for healing purposes” by starting Tranquilitea. Today, the startup offers 100 different blends of tea, and also offers customised teas as well.
After selling her shares in the restaurant business in Silguri and moving to Gurugram to start up, she invested Rs 7,52,000 in Tranquilitea and now makes a revenue of Rs 2 crore annually.
Pritika Singh, Tvakh
Pritika Singh
In 2013, as a postgraduate student of biotechnology at the Thapar Institute of Engineering and Technology in Punjab, Pritika learnt that most skincare products contain toxic chemicals that are harmful in the long-term. She later joined cosmetic research and development teams at corporate organisations to learn more about the industry but was disappointed by their practices.
Dissatisfied by the practice of toxic chemicals in the skincare industry, she started her own natural hair and skincare line in 2016. She started with making just aloe vera gel from her kitchen. Soon, she received a manufacturing licence, bought a machine that cost Rs 1 lakh and shifted to a bigger space, and gradually started designing her label and product line.
Operating on the dual model of B2B and B2C, the startup clocked one crore in revenue in the financial year 2017- 2018. Pritika expects revenues to reach Rs 10 crore this year.
Edited by Rekha Balakrishnan
