“My family fell into a whirlwind of chaos the day my husband’s business plunged. With a financial crunch adding to our woes further, the future seemed very bleak.
Moreover as a woman married off very young, there weren’t many solid ways that I could contribute. Or at least that’s what I thought before I started “Maa ka atta”, a home-based business selling freshly milled wheat flour, a few years later.
It was a very small attempt to try and supply authentic atta that we made in our household. You see, having lived in a joint family, we never had tried a store-bought floor till then. So the one time we did buy out of necessity, we realized the huge dearth in flavour and quality between the two. That’s how the whole idea went into inception, aiding me to subsequently take a big leap of faith by investing in a small grinding machine.
It cost around Forty five thousand rupees and therefore required quite a bit of convincing alongside a small personal loan to initiate the purchase. But, all in all, it has definitely been worth it! At 47, I’ve discovered a new purpose to my life and I’m no more ‘just’ a homemaker, as was previously referred to.
Now the first few orders were, of course, only from friends but in no time our genuine efforts paid off and we started receiving calls from customers in all corners of the city. And it definitely proved to be a huge boost to my morale, especially when my own kin who were once skeptical decided to join hands to handle the various facets to it. The biggest success was when my husband who once didn’t believe in my supposed ‘5 Rs business’ has now transformed into my biggest cheerleader, aiding me to expand supply to other millet variants as well! Times had truly changed!
What’s more refreshing is seeing my daughters voluntarily supporting me with the accounts and marketing side of things on social media, every single day! Their constant drive to improve our business even during the lockdown has helped us cater to almost 400 customers till date and even expand to newer units.
At 50, this newfound spirit of entrepreneurship keeps me on my toes all the time. It does get very tiring occasionally but I ensure to never slack! All it needed was an opportunity to prove my worth and I’m incredibly grateful to have pursued my calling, thereby accelerating my family towards financial stability, today! Hopefully, going forward, I get the strength to keep pushing the limits and possibly inspire other homemakers too, to follow their inner voice!”
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