Hitesh

I maintain sales records in a copy. No issues. The copy is not available now. My CA maintains accounts. He gets the bill, and he maintains accounts. No, I don't work with him monthly. I have a yearly contract with him. I file the return.

I decided to start this business 5 years ago. I stayed out after my education. After staying out, I came back here. I have a room here, and I am interested in this business. I was not interested in doing a private job.

I decided to choose this location after I had a chat and I got a shop. There was a stationery store here. Then, I gradually stopped selling stationery items and started selling 'puja-paath' material. I bought the stationery shop from someone.

I got the idea of doing business through my Guruji. I received Matarani's blessings, and when I asked Guruji, he suggested that I do it. He said there was no issue and that I would understand everything gradually. My Guruji's name is Shri Arun Shukla, and he lives in Tata Nagar. He is a teacher in a Vidyalaya and teaches students. I met him while going to the ashram for 'puja-paath'. So, our contact increased gradually. When I talked to him, he asked me to come the next day and said there was no issue and that I would grow slowly. If he had not advised me to start a business, I would have done something else.

Before I started this business, I searched for a job and I had already worked in various private jobs at different places. However, I was unable to make a decision. I worked as a contractor in a private job. Yes, I had a supervisor who would call me at 5 in the morning and I would return home at 11 at night and then sleep. However, I did not receive a salary that matched the workload. I had more work, so I decided to leave the job after working for 3 years. The work I did was related to constructing structures in villages.

I talked with my guruji about 'puja-paath'. I asked him whether I should do this work and if it is fair or not. Yes, I asked him whatever I did not understand. I said, 'Guruji, should I take this path or not? Should I buy puja-related things? Puja ki saamagri.' I asked him whether I should go to Kolkata, Mumbai, Kanpur, or Banaras. I asked him which route I should follow to get a better response from the person in front.

No, I do not have any partner. I make the important decisions in my business. Yes, I discuss business with my Guruji.

Yes. I have peak seasons during Diwali, Rakshabandhan, Teeja, Navratri, and Holi. I do small business during festivals. I keep something in the shop during 'Teeja', and I keep 'Abir' during Holi.I keep garlands of God during Diwali and Dusshera. Garlands are available for decorating at home. Stickers and rangoli are also available. Yes. I buy things according to the festivals. I do everything according to 'puja-paath'. I do not do anything extra; I keep something in the shop and not waste it in a year. Sales happen during festivals. But no matter how much we wish, it would never get fulfilled. I am self-satisfied, nice, and healthy. There are no issues.Yes. I have peak seasons during Diwali, Rakshabandhan, Teeja, Navratri, and Holi. I do small business during festivals. I keep something in the shop during 'Teeja', and I keep 'Abir' during Holi.I keep garlands of God during Diwali and Dusshera. Garlands are available for decorating at home. Stickers and rangoli are also available. Yes. I buy things according to the festivals. I do everything according to 'puja-paath'. I do not do anything extra; I keep something in the shop and not waste it in a year. Sales happen during festivals. But no matter how much we wish, it would never get fulfilled. I am self-satisfied, nice, and healthy. There are no issues.

I open the shop in the morning at 10 and close it at 2 in the afternoon. Then I open the shop again at 4 and close it at 8 at night. From 2-4 PM, I go home, sit with my parents, have lunch, and spend some time with my kids and wife. If I have time, I go to the market, buy materials, and maintain stock. My nephew handles the shop between 2-4 PM.

I face a problem in my daily work when I am out of stock. If a customer comes and returns because of the unavailability of material, they face an issue along with me. You come with higher expectations that the material will be available at my place. If it is not available, you get disappointed. It is understood that all materials will be available in the shop. If you get disappointed, we also face an issue. The customer thinks about how they would be able to manage as they have a puja at their home tomorrow. So, I tell them that I will provide the material tomorrow.

Customers come from far places: Handia, Saidabad, Kakra, Kathua, Chhibaiya, and Chusni. If the shop's variety, range, and behavior are good, everyone comes. Quality is also maintained.

Customers tell other people to come to my shop, and that's how they find out about my shop. All customers cooperate with each other. They are suggested to go to Lal Chowk, saying that all puja material will be available there.

Three things are important to bring customers back to the shop: the rate, behavior, and quality should be good. Only then will customers come. If our behavior is not good, the material is not good, or the quality is not good, customers will not come. We choose a good college for education. We consider Bangalore to be the best city for education. It is the best for education.

I know about my customers as they come with a list of things. They come with a list, and I show them the corresponding items accordingly. I will provide the materials I have. If I do not have certain materials, I inform them that I cannot provide them. 2 customers, 5 customers, 10-20 customers come to me daily.

Yes, I note down daily sales and the amount that I need to pay at the place where I purchase items. I buy items on credit from vendors. Yes, I need to maintain an account of payments with vendors. Otherwise, I would not get to know the transactions. Customer sales are noted on paper, whether it's the sale of a day. Then I make payment to the vendor. I have a single notebook for both.

Customers come to my shop repeatedly and they are my regular customers. It depends on quality. As I have maintained quality and rate, customers come to me. Otherwise, there are many shops and customers. There is no rule that you have to buy from me. You can buy things from wherever you want to buy. It does not matter. I have already told you that customers consider behavior, quality, and rate.

I decided to give a 10% discount to customers on the total amount. It has been my nature since the beginning. Guruji suggested that I offer a 10% discount to everyone, regardless of age. Whether it's a small kid or a senior. I decided 10% because the items are different. Some items have a 10% discount, some have a 5% discount, some have a 50% discount, and some have a 20% discount.

I ask for feedback about the products from customers. When a customer comes to me next time, I ask them: "Are you satisfied with my material? Did you get the proper material? Is the person who came to your home for puja happy?" Then the customer explains to me whether the material is good. If the customer is not satisfied or if the material is faulty, I return it to where I bought it and close the account. Then I try to buy something better and maintain the quality. If I have bought something and it is not good, I would not purchase the material from the same place but from another place to maintain the quality of the material. I do not go back to the vendor. If the vendor gives me faulty material, I would not go to them again. If we both do not have a proper conversation, you would not come next time. I would say that the material and rate are not proper. If the vendor behaves very rudely, I would not go back to them. If you behave well, I would also behave similarly. Otherwise, God would do good for us. 'Narayan' is the one who gives and takes. I just know Narayan; nobody else.

Yes, I did home delivery in the beginning. However, I stopped it after 2-3 months. The reason for stopping home delivery was puja. The customer would say, "I have puja at home, I will pay you later; papa is doing puja now. So, I will not visit your home repeatedly. It does not look good. If I come to your shop repeatedly, leaving my business; would you like it?" I did home delivery for 2-3 months, but not for long. I made the decision early and didn't need to think much about it.

When more customers come during festivals, I ask the customer to purchase materials from somewhere else if they have an emergency. I cannot provide fast service due to limited space. If a customer asks for immediate material, I would not be able to provide it. There is someone standing behind you as well. I caught you and left the person behind. Then I caught the person behind. My behavior may become bad if I do not give a proper response. You should give a proper response to someone. I would provide you with some materials and then find someone else. I do not have greed. Satisfaction is the most important. If you have self-satisfaction, God will give you more.

My customer base has increased in the past few years. The reason is that I have gradually increased the materials and maintained quality. Therefore, my customer base has grown.

Yes, I want to increase customer satisfaction. I want to give a gift to my customers. I have not yet thought about it. I would go to the market and see if I can find something better. If I do, I would buy it and provide it to customers. I would also provide this service to my regular customers. This idea came to my mind when I went to Chennai to buy things and saw that gifts were available there. This is specifically for regular customers. I have not planned anything for new customers. I would give a gift to everyone in April, during the start of the Hindu new year.

There are many vendors for every item in Allahabad. I search for vendors. I park the vehicle near the vendor's shop and then, I try to find out where I can get the item. If I want to buy a pen, I try to find out where I can get better quality within the range of Rs.2 to Rs.10. One vendor cooperates with another vendor. There are lots of items that could be sold, but there is no quality.

I have many vendors. I have around 6-7 vendors. One vendor is for 'chandan' (sandalwood), one is for ghee. There is a separate vendor for 'maala' and another separate vendor for utensils, God's bowls, 'ghanti', and 'deepak'. For Diwali and Dussehra, those vendors come from Delhi. I found the vendors in Delhi while traveling. I go by train. A vendor asked me to go to Delhi, saying that I would get a better rate there. How did you come to Allahabad, Prayagraj, from Bangalore? I got to know about the Delhi vendors through other vendors. Sometimes I get to know through apps like Google, but it does not refer to the proper vendor. I need to find him personally. Some items are available in Gandhinagar. It will be for us. If I get the same rates in Delhi and here, I purchase the material from here. I do not run here and there. I buy everything from Prayagraj. I have a small-scale business. I go to Delhi just during Diwali. Everything is available in Prayagraj itself. Yes, God's idols made from clay are delivered here, so I sell them. I pay the purchase rate and divide the profit I get. The supplier comes here. I tell the supplier 1 month prior that I want these many god's idol pieces. He asks me if I need 20-50 pieces. I ordered 30 pieces and all these pieces got sold. Then I would order again. I would make payment for the 30 pieces that got sold.

I build trust with vendors by making timely transactions. If I have purchased something, I make its payment immediately. The vendor asks to pay cash in 3 installments. If you make the payment properly, the vendor asks you to make the payment next time. Then the vendor gets to know that your shop is located there. They get to know based on your quality, whether you are suitable. All vendors cooperate, so they say that better rates, quality, and better materials will be available at their shop.

I make immediate payment to vendors. I purchase materials based on the amount I have. I neither pay in advance nor accept advance payment. If I have Rs.2,000, I purchase materials of the same amount. I create the list accordingly. I know that I only want to buy these specific items because I only have this much money. I don't want to buy anything extra or give anything extra. Yes, it is a quick decision to pay the vendor right then and there. If we have had a long-standing relationship, I will take the materials without making the payment, but the following week the payment will be cleared.

I will use it first to check the quality of the items from vendors. Yes, if I use it and the quality is good, only then will I be able to speak about it confidently. If I provide you with good quality items, then you will also go ahead and tell others that I have good quality items, so that they will come and purchase from me. When it comes to devotional items, we have to use them. Yes, I have used them all. I perform pooja at home, so before I sell them, I use them for Lord Krishna (also known as Thakurji).

If there is a defective product, I take the product back to the vendor and inform them about the problem. I ask them how they will handle this situation for us. They usually say that we can return the product, exchange it for another one, and give it to the customer. We only purchase from reliable vendors. We don't buy from vendors who refuse to accept returns. When I buy products, I make it clear to the vendor that they will be responsible for any defects or damages. I am collecting money from the customer for that product. We don't mind paying more for the product, but the quality has to be good. If the shop's reputation goes down, customers will not come back. Both you and I prefer to go to good doctors. Good doctors prescribe fewer medicines, but they are effective. They provide quality medications. When people visit doctors, they expect to receive good medicines for their treatment.

When the products expire and I am unable to sell them, I distribute them. I distribute them to people who are from the middle class or who are poor and don't have access to everything. For example, there are orphans who study in ashrams, and I give the products to them. It is a form of support. I don't need to take or give anything in return for that.

I haven't hired anyone here; they are just doing the work on their own. They are here because they need to run their homes, and here it is being met, so that is all. He is my friend's nephew, so he is like my nephew too. There is no such rule being applied here. I have to go to the market, and someone has to manage the shop, so I asked him to come here. The qualities that I would look for if I hire someone are: they should behave well, when they remove the product, they should check it and then give it to the customer. They should talk well; when the customer comes, he should ask what they want and what not. I don't plan to hire right now. I don't need them. I have a small shop, how many people will I hire for it? If the business grows by God's grace, then I will hire. The place is small right now, how can we manage? If there is a requirement, then I will hire, but when it is not needed, then why do I need it? I keep track of the holidays the staff took in a notebook.

I decided to use Google Pay because people started asking for G-Pay. Otherwise, they won't come to us. I would tell them that they can take the items and pay later when they have the money. The Lord will remind you to pay me, so don't worry about that. You will be surprised when that happens. They can make payments online using G-Pay, or they can pay in cash. I chose G-Pay because a representative from Google Pay approached me and offered it. The representatives of Google Pay, the volunteers, came to me. It has been about a year now that I have been using G-Pay. They said it is good and that my payments wouldn't be stopped. If there is any issue, they will come soon. They asked if I wanted a sound box, but I declined, as everything will be shown on the mobile. Any payments received will be shown on the mobile these days. I don't have any other UPI apart from G-Pay, and it is good. If I see others using different apps, then I will consider them. I saw that Google Pay was good. Many people I know said that Google Pay is good. The vendors also told me that G-Pay is good. They said it is good, and they are very experienced compared to us, so I thought, okay, let's go ahead with it. No option for card payments.

No, customers used to take loans and then pay later. We have not given anything on credit so far. Initially, I did it. I made a note of it in the notebook and many told me that they will come and give it and but later they did not. I didn't find it right.

There are about one or two vendors from whom I borrow money and repay it to them. I borrow for a maximum of 1 to 2 weeks, not much. Yes, I borrow according to my capacity. Otherwise, the way they talk to us will gradually start changing. They will rudely ask why I didn't give the money and refuse to provide the material. I know how much I can repay, and based on that, I borrow the money. If I repay it on time, the relationship is well maintained. If I don't, they will say that the material is not available at the moment. If I have already given the money somewhere else, they will mention that I haven't paid the previous amount yet and still want more stock, which is not good.

We just take God's name and be normal. Even if no sales are made all day, I am still happy. I am happy whether I get it or not. I will try to be happy and chant Sita Ram. There is this saying that God is always there to watch over you, which is in Ramcharitamanas. The house gets managed. If we are doing good deeds, then God will definitely bless us. He will make sure that you get your daily bread. Nothing changes in the budget as such; we make the necessary compromises immediately. I will work according to my budget and not more than that.

Yes, I have a loan for the shop. I had taken a CC loan of 2 lakhs rupees, and I received an amount of 1.90 lakhs for that. I am managing with that right now. No, this is not my shop; I have taken it on rent. I pay 6000 rupees monthly. The electricity bill is separate. There is a meter reading done, and we pay accordingly based on what is shown.

I would like to make a change in terms of managing finances. I will close one thing. There is another shop that has opened there, and they are making sales there, so we will close the undergarment shop. I will close this shop and focus more on developing the pooja store. This money will be saved, and I will use it for the pooja shop. In this case, the payment is higher. I will concentrate more on the pooja shop. We will gradually make money by selling it. If we get 4 to 5 boxes of undergarments, then I have to spend 5000 rupees. The profit is lower in this case. It is 5 to 10 rupees for one piece and not more. The profit is lower because it is being sold everywhere. There are some branded items for which you don't get a profit. They have mentioned the MRP on it. I can earn more profit on pooja items. The thing is, I have started enjoying the pooja work. I would like to do things that make me happy. The person in the front takes the undergarments to Bangalore, and there it is sold at MRP. Here we get it at half the rate. The quality is different everywhere, but the city is very good.

I took a loan from Bank of Baroda. I prefer bank loans because they are better. They are better because we will honestly work from our end, and the bank will also work honestly from their end. It is a government bank and not a private bank. There are many private banks too, but I like Bank of Baroda because it is good. They cooperate a lot.

It has been a week that I am using a smartphone. Guruji has given this to me. He scolded me a lot and then he bought this for me. He says I have to change with the times. When we go there for an hour or so, they tell us about all of this. He teaches me how to use this phone. He has taught me everything, even how to download apps.

Facebook and YouTube. I listen to devotional songs on YouTube. I don't know what Instagram is. I visit Facebook when they share informative content. I watch devotional rituals and related content where saints share stories. Yes, it is related to business; when it comes to devotional matters, we also learn about the business aspect. If they share good things, we should listen to them. If someone is unaware, they should be informed about it. If a customer comes and asks questions, we need to provide them with the information. I enjoy listening to stories told by the saints. There are saints like Prem Bhushan Maharaj, Rajan Maharaj, and Premanand Maharaj, from whom we keep receiving information. Guruji created my Facebook account. Yes, I only watch devotional songs on YouTube and nothing else.

All the customers who send their list on WhatsApp to us, we keep their items aside. Yes, if there is a pooja being performed at their home, they send me the list on WhatsApp. Then, they inform us 2 days in advance about the items they want, and I will keep them aside. Some order for special occasions, while others order for a demise in their house. We prepare the items accordingly. In addition to that, I use it to talk to my mother.

If they send the list, then I will get the things ready, and that is how the business is being done. That is how WhatsApp has helped me.

There has been a positive change when I started using UPI. If I have to pay any vendor, I can do it using my mobile. If someone asks for help with money, we can tell them that we don't have it, as everything is being done through mobile. Technology has helped me.

No, I didn't put my shop on Amazon or Flipkart. There's no online marketing. You are the first person who has come to talk to me.

This is important. The vendor is important. Without them, our work won't happen. Only when they give us the products, will I be able to give them to the customers. If they are not there, then who will manage? A shop is not made with just 2 people. If the vendor is not there, then we won't be able to work. Without them, we can't do any work. Wherever we go, we can't do any work without the vendor. If they don't provide us with the materials, what will I be able to sell? If we are not available, they will take care of things. If we don't have these items, how will we help the customers? Is it right or wrong? Second is staff, third is inventory, and fourth is the customer.

After me, I don't know who will manage my shop. I have a son, but he will do something else. My son does not need to do what I do. He is very young right now. My first priority is to get him educated. After me, I don't know who will manage my shop. I have a son, but he will do something else. My son does not need to do what I do. He is very young right now. My first priority is to get him educated.

Business has been good. It was good three years ago, and it is still good now (after three years). Customers have increased, maybe because I have added more items. I have increased the inventory by adding more items, so the number of customers has increased. People are getting whatever they want. Yes, they have a list, and they get everything on the list. They know that they can come here and find everything they need.

Nothing in particular. No business-related goals. Nothing in particular. I want to prioritize my children first. If I focus on other things, I won't be able to take care of them. I have two children, and I need to support them first.

Yes, technology will help in expanding the business. Also, the more we work, the more it will benefit us. Technology is a necessity in today's time. It can handle the workload of ten people. Computers are capable of doing the work of ten people due to advanced technology. All the items will be visible on the computer, allowing us to see what is in stock and what is not, providing detailed information. This is the usefulness of technology. Yes, I will use technology later in my business, but first, I will focus on my children.

Online shopping. People order everything online. If they don't like the item, they can return it. Even pooja items are purchased in the same way. The customer is never your buddy; they can spend money anywhere to get their desired item. Their satisfaction is important. If we are paying for something and not happy with it, it doesn't matter what we give, we won't be happy. We should be content with what we receive. We are studying this subject at the institute, where the teacher is instructing. If you are not satisfied with the teaching, neither the teacher nor the student will be satisfied. If the student is not cooperating, how can the teacher be happy?