, I was on the verge of closing shop… The livelihood of the local artisans associated with me, who were extremely talented in their work, was hanging in the balance. I was always thinking how can I revive the business and help these good people survive the crisis” – Swatik talks about his entrepreneurial test a year ago. His team was mainly focusing on bulk orders and individual contracts before India became one of the worst-affected countries globally due to the sudden spurt in COVID-19 cases. Many small businesses were adversely affected. SS Banswala of Swatik, a small niche business that provides domestic bamboo products directly from Tripura, was one of them.
It was not so much about generating revenue for this young entrepreneur as it was about supporting the livelihood of his artisans, given that many others like him were only able to survive. Determined to turn the crisis into an opportunity, he decided to take his business online. The idea was to gradually increase the business of SS Banswala and boost the revenue flow. In no time, it started receiving order requests from multiple regions across India. Swatik’s patience, never-give-up attitude and thinking on his feet finally managed to sustain his business and saved many homes from devastation overnight.
Even today, even though SS Bambuwala’s offices, factories and stores have opened, the business has adapted itself to the changing times and online sales continue. Hear what their artisans ask them before starting their day. This will put a smile on your face:
Many more entrepreneurs like Swatik who decided not to give up their shoes and embraced the online world, today have a thriving business to their credit.
Take Rachit Goyal for example. The founder of Vaibhav Industries, his company manufactures ethnic wear for women. What makes this a unique business is that it harnesses the talents of many local people.
Artisan For your beautiful creations. From procuring raw materials, manufacturing to dying, and selling them in their offline stores, the entire business model of Vaibhav Industries is dependent on these workers.
, And they, on his business.
In 2020, when Rachit was witnessing a significant increase in revenue, the first lockdown was imposed. Like Swatik, this made things equally difficult for him. With the sustainability of the business and the support of the livelihood of the employees as his top priority, he also took his venture online. Today, he employs 25 people and one of the most important things he shares is how his orders reach rural parts of India despite courier services being affected and designer shops being scarce in the region. are.
He has beautifully narrated his journey in this video:
Each small business trip is unique in its own right. Such is Neha Saharan’s So & Grow, a small business that offers boutique gardening solutions from DIY gardening kits to geo-fabrics. This is a classic example of how offline businesses confined to their local environment can start selling in all parts of India by simply entering the online space.
Started back in 2017, this company is specialized in wholesale and corporate orders and birthdays. Since most of its orders were related to public gatherings, business went downhill after the pandemic hit. The business lost at least half a dozen of its orders in the first two months of the lockdown. They soon had to close their offices, and were forced to cancel half a dozen pre-booked orders. Neha was not ready to leave it yet. After this he decided to make his business online. Today, she claims that she is getting orders day by day. Along with this, their offline store is also growing rapidly. Hear her witty nature talking about her tumultuous journey so far:
It is her, Rachit and Swatik-like small business owners that make up Amazon. In fact, this sentiment is echoed among every entrepreneur on the platform today. They not only recognize but proudly stand by the #WeAreAmazon campaign that focuses on inspiring stories of the resilience, sheer grit and passion of millions of small business owners to sell their products to people across the country.
Their businesses are not only growing but are still flourishing today. Reducing shipping costs, expanding customer reach, logistical support to assist with promotional budgets, etc. have helped many small businesses multiply and scale at an incredible pace, ultimately uplifting the livelihoods of millions Is. Country. So, if you too have a venture, give it wings by starting your sales journey
heroine Today.
Disclaimer: This article is written by Times Internet’s Spotlight team on behalf of Amazon.
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