When I started this business and opened the shop, I didn't think about the future. I didn't open this business thinking that it would earn me a profit. I started this business thinking that it would grow to some extent in the next five or six years. But now, I feel that I have made the wrong choice by entering this cosmetic segment. I should have chosen some other segment. The thing is, there are too many cosmetic companies available in the market right now. There was a time when Lakme used to be the most popular brand. After Lakme, Maybelline became the most popular brand. Now there are too many brands like Sugar and local cosmetic brands in the market. Due to this reason, there is quite a fluctuation in the market.
I wouldn't say that the market condition is stable right now. If I talk about a customer who buys products from the Lakme brand, they won't buy Lakme products all the time. They could buy products from other brands as well. So, I have to keep products from all brands at my shop. The sales of these products go up and down. When I opened my shop, I expected the market conditions to remain good for cosmetic products. But that didn't happen, and then I decided to go into garments. The thing with cosmetic products is that they have an expiration date, which could be one year or two years. On the other hand, garments don't have an expiration date. That's why I decided to get into the garment selling business.
Madam, I am considering closing down my shop. I don't have any other option. People will continue to purchase products online from now on. Online shopping has a strong presence in the market and throughout India. Additionally, people can get discounts of up to 50 percent on products when they buy them from online platforms during Durga Puja, New Year's Eve, Independence Day, or Republic Day. For instance, you can purchase Levi's products with a 50 percent discount from Myntra. Now, if I talk about retailers like myself, we buy products from distributors at a fixed rate. Therefore, it is not possible for us to offer a 50 percent discount on the products.
Selling products at a 50 percent discount would result in no profit and a significant loss in my business. Online shopping has negatively impacted the business of many retailers. Previously, I would buy a pair of earrings for 40 rupees and sell them for 50 rupees, earning a profit of 10 rupees. However, customers can now purchase the same pair of earrings online for 30 rupees.
I have plans to grow my business. But in order to do that, I have to shift my shop to a bigger market where I can attract more customers. I can't increase the customer flow here at this place. The market conditions are not good here. Nowadays, I just come to my shop and sit idly most of the time, waiting for a customer. If I can't get customers, I won't be able to sell the products and pay my staff. So, there are a lot of problems that I am currently facing. I have to run this shop and provide for my family. Even if I invest in my business, I won't attract many customers here at this place. After 6:30 pm, I hardly get 3-4 customers at my shop. If they ask for a product that I don't have in stock, they will leave my shop empty-handed.
I am not getting enough customers at my shop because of online shopping. If I can't make enough sales, it will have an impact on my business and create mental pressure on me.
The biggest challenge for me is these online shopping platforms. When it comes to clothing items, people now prefer to buy them from Amazon or Flipkart. If someone buys a clothing item from a physical shop and encounters a size or fitting issue, they won't receive a refund when they try to return it. Instead, the shop owner would offer them the option to exchange it for another clothing item. However, if someone purchases a clothing item from Amazon or Flipkart and faces a size or fitting issue, they have the option to return it within seven days or a month. So, everything has its pros and cons. This is how the world works.
I don't prefer using QR codes. I prefer asking for cash as my first choice. I don't want to be cheated. If they don't have cash, then I suggest using PhonePe. I ask for cash from 90% of the customers.
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.
The biggest problem I face when it comes to shopping and housework is taking care of my child. I have to leave the child with my mother and pick her up later. I have to cook food early in the morning and wake up early to do the grocery shopping. After that, I come back home and go into the kitchen to cook. I usually return around 7:00 am and then take a bath. I have to do the household chores and look after the child. When we return, we pick her up from my mother's house and I have to cook for her. After that, I have to run the shop.
The biggest challenge I face as a woman is that I am not able to take care of myself and my child. I am unable to cook and eat food on time.
As a woman, I face problems like going back home, getting tired, cooking food, taking care of the kids, feeding them, and then helping them study. It's a lot of work, but it's important to do them all.
I don't have time to do anything. I am in the shop all day. I can't take care of my baby because of the shop.
I started my business in 2016 from home, and after a year or so, I opened a shop. However, there were some problems, such as my husband's business declining. Nevertheless, I decided to proceed with my business despite the lack of support. When I went to Kolkata and saw the fabrics, I liked them and thought I should sell them here. In Surat, the work is not good, but in the whole of Pratapgarh, there are 250-300 Maarwadi families. Maarwadi Chowk has 250-300 families. Therefore, they had to obtain fabrics from Kolkata or through someone else. When people learned that I am selling clothes from Jaipur and Kolkata, they became interested in my products. I mostly have regular customers who appreciate and wear the clothes I sell. Other customers don't usually come because I don't offer affordable options, and they are unfamiliar with pure fabrics. These fabrics are not washed at home; they are only dry cleaned.
I chose this location because all 22 shops here actually belong to my father-in-law. They rented it to me with a proper agreement. They didn't rent it to me without a proper agreement just because I am a daughter-in-law. I made a proper agreement for 11 months and I pay the electricity bill. My husband told me that he won't allow me to do business outside in the Punjabi market. My son was very young, around 5-6 years old. He said there would be problems and advised me to start from here. He said that we'll see when it grows. That's what he said. My husband told me that. The family doesn't want me to go outside and work. They want me to open a business near the house so that I don't have to go far. They think that as a woman, it won't look good if I go out and work.
Yes, in the beginning, my in-laws asked me not to go. They said, "How will you go alone?" My sister-in-law stays in Kolkata, so they asked me to stay at her place. She will take you there. So I did it. Nobody stays in Jaipur. I used to go alone. I got scared in the beginning, but I stayed and bought things in the hotel of my choice. I used to get up at 7 and leave by 9. The market opens up at 10. I used to roam in the market and see. There are problems, but I do it. I took the clothes on my own and didn't use transport for it. I have used transport to get my inventory, but I had a loss of Rs 10k as they used to steal it. I am not a big businessman. I started with getting Rs 1 lakh inventory. So I used to get it on my own in the beginning.
The only problem is that I have to manage a lot. Everyone needs the food timely, there are customers too. Now my husband also has full support in his work since we both do the interior together. So I have three jobs and so I don't have time at all. I teach my child in that too but my schedule is fixed. If I am half an hour late here, then my work will be left there and if it is late here then it will be left there. I do all my work on time. Ma'am, I don't get time for myself. I can't get it at all.
Very few people know about my business. Like you asked me to add my shop on Google. I haven't been able to do it yet. Maybe if people post it, more people will connect with me. But I haven't done it yet. I don't even post about my saris on Facebook so that people know about it. After the lockdown, the online business has improved a lot. Everyone used to do it online. But I couldn't do it because I didn't have time.
Yes, regarding the loan, there is a problem that I am not able to understand: the charges that the banks have. Yes, I don't understand. The bank told me straight away that these things don't happen at the branch level. I saw a charge recently, there was a fee of one advocate, just 15 days ago. The charge is for this month only. The charge was 1500 or 1600 rupees. So I went to the manager and inquired about the charge, what this charge is for? I asked him whether it was an advocate fee. So he told me that the mortgage that you have against CC, that has a valuation every two or three years. So they don't inform us and they charge us directly, and we can't do anything about it. We have to pay it. Yes, the money was deducted. Taking a loan is not the main problem, but it's one of the problems.
I have tried Amazon Seller and I am on India Mart, Just dial, almost on all the platforms. I was there for some time and then I wasn't there. I can't say specifically which one is best for my business, but Amazon also has some cons like a high commission. India Mart is a good thing because it doesn't have any premium; I do have to pay a premium. I have to take a subscription, and as I told you, India Mart also has a small problem, which I will call only a small problem. And India Mart can clear it in the coming year. So I can say India Mart is a good platform. And then Google is there, which directly gives you results.
I am talking about Amazon sellers. Even if I set the lowest price, I still don't appear in the top spot in searches. I don't know what this feature is. Moreover, their customer support is also difficult. I can't call them with a single click. It takes time when you have to add new products. Another problem is that if I want to change the information about a certain product, such as the photo or description, it's not easy to do so. Let me tell you what happened because of this. I received an order from Gujarat for a small product. The photo and name were different. I think this can confuse the customer. If I have complete knowledge about the product, then I can understand. So, I received an inquiry and sent him the product, but he returned it a few days later. He mentioned that the photo was different from what was shown. Amazon charges us for shipping if the product is returned, around 40, 50, or 60 rupees. This is a bit problematic because the high commission already narrows the profit margin. For example, if I have a profit margin of 10 to 12 percent, Amazon keeps around 8% and the rest goes towards the shipping cost, leaving me with just 1 to 2 percent.
I had a significant fear, but despite that, I decided not to quit my job at the age of 32. One advantage I had was that if my business failed, I wouldn't have to worry about paying rent. Additionally, my father is in the police force, so I didn't have many expenses or burdens from the family. With my father's pension, I could manage the expenses for a few days, which means I could survive. If I had to pay rent for the shop and if my father didn't have a pension, I might not have taken this step. Running a business gave me a sense of purpose. Even during the first one or two years when my business didn't do well, I didn't have the burden of paying rent or supporting the family. My father took care of the household expenses, allowing me to survive.
I wasn't married at that time, back in 2016. I got married in 2020. However, I started working at this counter permanently from October 2021. Before that, I had a job in the field. Either my father or a boy used to sit here and manage everything from morning till evening, but the business wasn't doing well. Since I started sitting here permanently, the business has been doing good. The best part was having my father's support. If I hadn't left my job today, I wouldn't have left it even at the age of 36. I would have had more responsibilities, like my child's education. Now, the responsibilities are not much because he is still a small kid, only 2 years old. If I had more responsibilities, I wouldn't have been able to quit my job. I used to earn Rs.30000 there, which was fine for me. Since my father was there and he could take care of the household expenses, I didn't have to worry about paying the rent for the shop, so I saved a lot of money. So, for 6 to 7 months, I managed with those savings. These were the circumstances, and considering the decisions, I have four friends who are all into business. If the business didn't work out, I couldn't afford to take the risk. I took the risk because I had the support of my family. My elder brother was working and my father was taking care of the family. Even if my business didn't work out for one or two years or if it was a failure, I would probably have to go back to work and start with a salary of 10 or 20000. That's what would have happened.
I face stocking the material on rack. We plan to do a lot but it becomes difficult for us to carry that out. Space is short, it should be more. Too much record is to be maintained. I have to do a lot; I have to arrange entirely different set up for that. I myself note it down. There is lack of time; I have to maintain it manually. I send the material written on the paper to the party and party places order for us further.
No, I don't tell the farmers what to use to protect the species. The thing is, they already know what to use. With grains, it depends on the weather conditions, whether it's heavy or light. So, we bring whatever they demand. Sometimes, some varieties do well and some don't, so we have to adjust accordingly. Ankur company's grains are performing very well in the market. No, there are no challenges, but sometimes we face problems like when a farmer is unable to grow a proper harvest. In such cases, we inform the company, and they solve the problem. If a particular variety is not good and doesn't grow or has stunted growth, we inform the company, and they send their people to check it. They also provide reimbursement in such cases.
Initially, we had kept a person for help us, but it didn’t work out. So we didn’t keep. A lot of articles would go missing. Even if I have a camera, I couldn’t do anything about it. There are lots of issues, so I stopped. If it's a small shop, it's okay. It’s a big shop and there are lots of items. We can't check each item. Next day if the customer asks for an item and while searching if it is not there we know about it. Until then, we won't know.
I prioritize my house as a wife, with my family being the most important and the business coming after that. Firstly, I take care of everything at home, and then I come here to do everything. In the morning, my son goes to his school where he is in 5th grade, and my husband leaves at 9:30. Since I don't have a brother, I live with my mom and dad, so I also take care of them. I live with my mother only, while my husband's house is also in the vicinity. I have an elder sister, but she lives far away. So, both my husband and I live there, along with our young son. My husband's house is also nearby, as well as my mother's house.
When I asked my family members about starting a business, they told me that the decision is mine. They are there to support me, but I have to take charge. They believe in me and say that if I want to start this business, they are with me and won't say no.
I listed my shop online a few years ago. However, over the past four or five years, my family has faced some challenges. My mom became paralyzed, and my dad had a heart attack. As a result, I couldn't dedicate much time to my online business. Currently, I'm focusing on taking care of my family. In the past, I used to send photos of dresses to my friends, and if they liked any of them, I would bring it for them. I only did this with my friends, not with anyone else. Eventually, I had to stop doing it because I didn't have enough time to spend on my phone. Taking care of my sick mom, who is also a pastor at our church, became my responsibility. It was difficult for me to balance everything, so I couldn't give enough attention to my online shop.
Instagram is a good platform for publicity, but it is similar to Facebook, which can create some apprehension. I have considered putting my store online, but I have reservations about it. I have tried it once before, but as a woman, I question if I can truly succeed. There are times when I doubt my abilities. However, if I set my mind to it, I believe I can achieve success. Additionally, family responsibilities play a role in my decision-making. Currently, there are two patients in my household, and my son is young, only nine or ten years old. I must prioritize taking care of him. Furthermore, his own career is a consideration. Taking all these factors into account, I often find myself holding back. If I have a reliable support system and feel confident that something is not a scam, I would definitely pursue it.
I cannot give time to my kid. That's the issue. Now, this is the frustration that would be there. I am not able to give her time. That's the issue. I would say life gets adjusted sometimes. In the morning, I have to go out of the house for sure. I may or may not eat, and whether the food is cooked or not, I have to go because I have to open the shop. If I don't do that, then there would be a problem. I can do anything, but for the shop, I have to go out. Then, I have to go back home, eat, take a bath, and then again I have to come back and open the shop. Then I have one focus on shop and business. I would not think of the food at all. I would do the business without eating as well. During the seasonal time, we have to adjust to this. That's all depending on the season.
I have to manage both business and family. Sometimes the brain gets overwhelmed. The external pressure can sometimes affect the family. We both do the household chores. It's not like I do everything alone. He also cooperates. If there is work at home, he helps with that too. I don't spend much time on cleaning and sweeping at home.
I had a UPI QR code, but now I don't want to use it because it is very important to have immediate transactions and it's important to receive payment right away. Not everyone likes to use UPI payments, and I also don't use it very often, which is why I don't prefer to accept payments through UPI. I prefer to accept cash from customers for this reason. Sometimes, when the distributor's representatives come, they cannot determine whether the distributor has received the payment or not. In such cases, they advise me to pay in cash, so I opt for cash transactions. I have that option, but we don't use it, and only a few customers use it. I basically tell them that I prefer cash transactions because I will not be able to operate without cash. If I don't have cash, how will I buy products for the shop? I have used UPI, but you see, I don't receive the payment in my hand. If some representatives of a distributor come to me and ask for cash, then I will have no cash with me. If I tell them that I have online money, they will not agree to that, and I will need to make a payment. If I don't have cash, then how will I make my payment?
I am upset that I have received a lot of goods... I have to pay back a lot of people, and I am not making enough sales... then there are these rains... How do I manage?
After Corona, the business went down. There's a lot of difference. The sale that was there before, now it is not there. It went down. Now there is no job in West Bengal. Everyone is in trouble.
The primary reason why I eventually closed the shops was that I felt that the shops lacked a structured system. We dealt with a variety of accessories that had flexibility in pricing, because it's highly dependent on customer interaction. Without a structured system, I had to employ 40 people. While I was selling recharges and other items at higher rates, employees would offer them at lower prices because there was no system in place. Without an established system, when I sold a product for 40,000 rupees, employees might report selling it for only 20,000 rupees. I lacked a good system and effective management, and it felt like I was losing control. I couldn't accept that, which is why I shut everything down. Now, I've implemented CCTV for all three shops, and I've incorporated more technology, which is under my control. It's no longer a problem, and I'm doing well. You can learn a lot from this experience.
During my initial stages, there was an incident where I reacted harshly to a customer because I was concerned about maintaining my self-respect. They mistakenly assumed I was a staff member and didn't treat me as the owner. I informed them that I'm not their maid servant and requested respect. I also made it clear that I was not interested in their business and refund their money. Whoever it is equal respect is important; we consider all our staffs as siblings and address them as brother and sister.
Yes, customers address me as Papa [baby / young girl] the way I explain they will know, if the bulk order is getting confirmed then I forward it to my father. I feel I have to win and change their thought; I explain them well they even confirm the order too. I don't take it too seriously. There is another aspect to consider – we have a family as well. In this field, there are predominantly more men, whether it's in manufacturing or delivery, whereas I am the only woman here. Working in IT from 9 to 6 this is much better.
We have a peak season. We get good business during summers. Normally, the business is good for 5 days a week. Earlier, the business used to run well. Our daily sales used to be 10,000 rupees. Even on Sundays, the sales were 3,000 to 4,000. But now, the business is dull. So, I want to change the business. When sandals get worn out, people mostly try to buy new ones in summers. After the rainy season, when summer starts, they like to change their old sandals.
Customers come after they decide what to buy online. They ask for a specific item, and we provide it to them. However, they often show us what is available online. When we inform them that we don't have the exact same pattern or design, they simply leave, wasting our time. This leads to a lot of disappointment. Even if we show them a product that matches their expectations, they may ask for a different model. Customers often come with photos, but they don't show the photo right away. Instead, they first ask us to show them the latest model, which we do by displaying everything we have. Then, they specifically show us the photo and request a particular design or model. At this point, we immediately understand that they have not come to make a purchase. When we inform them that we don't have that specific model, they leave and it negatively impacts our business. Additionally, if I am selling a product for 320 rupees, the same item is sold online for 240 rupees. Therefore, customers prefer to buy online. More than the price, design is the issue.
I work continuously. I am not taking any leave. We are open on Sundays. We are open all the days. If we go to a function I close the shop and go. Only one day leave.