Overcoming his physical handicap, this person went from working in a mattress company to owning one

Sadik Hussain worked for a mattress company for 18 years. During this time, many of his colleagues, some of whom had joined much later, progressed well ahead in their career. Disappointed at not being given the opportunities he deserved, Sadik decided to start his own mattress business.

 “I knew I wouldn’t face a problem making mattresses because that’s what I had been doing all along. But, I had other challenges to address that was hard to overcome,” says Sadik. Diagnosed with a limp in his leg, Sadik had always found it challenging to move around physically. So when he visited shops, he was often ignored. “In spite of my best efforts, I would get only four or five orders a day.”

Sadik’s son saw him struggle and suggested he try selling online. Soon, he launched his mattress business – Comfort Zone - across e-commerce platforms. During this time, Sadik also attended a seller program hosted by Flipkart in connection with its preparation for the Big Billion Days Sale. It is here that the Flipkart team realised Sadik was a person with a disability (PwD) and asked him to avail the benefits under Flipkart Samarth program - an initiative that aims to provide opportunities and assistance to PwDs, NGOs, rural women, specifically-abled, artisans, government bodies and social enterprises. Earning the Flipkart Samarth Seller tag brought Comfort Zone enhanced visibility on Flipkart’s platform. “All of this helped to bring down the cost of my mattress. In turn, my sales went up, doubling in just two months” explains Sadik. 

Today, Comfort Zone sells anywhere between 30 to 40 mattresses a day. “And, about 70 percent of these orders come via Flipkart,” shares Sadik, reflecting on his journey as a first-time online seller. “Flipkart assigned a dedicated account manager who guided me on the process, right from the initial days of launching the product to selling on the platform,” he added. 

With the sales, he was also able to launch additional products - three-fold mattresses, sofa-cum beds, and mattresses of all sizes. Sadik adds that Flipkart’s process of releasing payments three times a week has been instrumental in enabling him to grow his business. “I have bought a 200-yard plot to expand my manufacturing capacity. We are working on launching designer curtains, vacuum pillows, and mattresses among others.”

Reflecting on his journey on Flipkart, he says, “I am proud to be a Flipkart seller. It has helped me earn respect and stand tall in society today. From earning Rs 4 lakhs a year, I now earn Rs 40 lakhs.”