India is a land of determined women who are always prepared to save their families in the hour of need, but ultimately, they get trapped in the shackles of the orthodox society. There are a few, who gathered the strength to break the chains and fly. Let me tell you a story of one such inspiring woman, Jyoti Wadhwa
The Beginning of Things
Jyoti Wadhwa, found herself in a confused state when her husband decided to quit his job as an investment manager and pursue his dreams of becoming an entrepreneur. She knew it would create financial problems for her family and difficulties in raising their daughter. The ‘Saviour of the family’ instinct kicked in and she was determined to make financial contributions to her family.
eCommerce – the new trend
Relatives suggested Jyoti that selling vintage sarees could be a profitable option as ecommerce was the new trend in the field of business, and also doesn’t demand office presence. On her trip to Jan Path, Jyoti found out that there was huge demand for silk embroidery and trims among the foreigners, and she combined this with her passion for fabrics and apparel, resulting in Sanskriti India.
The ice-breakers
Jyoti’s husband, Anshul had a total savings of Rs.1 lakh, out of which Rs. 50,000 was used for the investment in Jyoti’s business. She was very careful about her costs and selection because the family couldn’t afford to lose money. In the infeasible Delhi weather, she used to research in the markets for hours, and handpick stuff she was impressed with and made eBay the platform of her business.
Challenges against the flight!
She just started as an entrepreneur and well like all of us, even she had no experience, it was challenging for Jyoti to list and promote her products online, but gradually, it became easier. Without any staff, she used to stand for hours with her young daughter in the postal queues to ship her orders. Very soon, she found herself selling hundreds of sarees every day within a range of 15 – 40 USD. Sanskriti India was born in 2011 with the breakeven point achieved in the first year itself. In 2013, it became a platinum seller on eBay.
The new direction
After reaching the zenith on eBay, Jyoti turned her focus to Amazon.com. However, she realized that Amazon was not the right platform for the vintage apparel she was selling, so she instead diversified with Jewellery. With the launch of Amazon in India, Jyoti’s jewelry brand, Zephyrr, became a top – seller on the website, and here on there was no looking back for this inspiring entrepreneur.
The X factor
When Jyoti kick-started her business, there were only a handful of people who invested in good-quality products, one of which was Jyoti. This made her pick out the most beautiful and mesmerizing stuff which was slightly more expensive. Then, to pick on to the race of digital platforms she invested in good photography, lights, and a DSLR, as opposed to the megapixel phone cameras, which made her products stand out.
The journey ahead
From an investment of Rs.50, 000, Jyoti now has an annual turnover of Rs 10 crore. Her products are shipped to over 50 countries with 99.9% happy transactions. With a working team of 30 members, Jyoti now boasts of the Niryat Shree Award, awarded to her by the then President of India, Pranab Mukherjee, in 2016 for being the Best E-Commerce Export Woman Entrepreneur.
