What does one do, when a pandemic robs one’s livelihood? You wouldn’t have saved enough money to overcome any kind of emergency with a meager selling of suits and sarees, glass jars, and baked goods. Margins are too narrow and competition is too tight. Working all year around without a break doesn’t seem enough anymore!. Who do you sell to in a lockdown? There is no survival guide for small business owners to overcome the global pandemic, where customers would have disappeared, leaving thinned-out markets; Our resilience and courage was never tested like this before.
Heartywomen is a conscientious initiative taken up during the pandemic by fifty-plus women small business owners who exhibit utmost resilience and courage in their own way. These entrepreneurs are either mothers, wives, or even single ladies from all over India who are tied by two threads. One is meditation and the other is being financially responsible towards self and to the family as well.
Dr. Uma Subbaraman who is a visiting Professor in Financial Economics has meticulously brought these women together and has gently led them on a platform to brainstorm and connect with one other. Will was always there, but the path was not being clear. Keeping in view the pandemic norms, the crusade had to be virtual for sure. However, with zero experience in doing business online to the extent that many members were fearful of social media, the beginning had to be humble – using WhatsApp to find customers. There were many failures. But then, there was the first online sale- an Rs.350/-rupee costume jewelry, and then a few days later a second.
As they say, a journey of thousand steps starts with the first. Along this journey, these entrepreneurs also learned how to create ads & post on Facebook/ Instagram pages with relevant content by using hashtags.
Today, this closely-knit community has taken the shape of a website, where women sellers have their individual product pages. Listing is ever-expanding, from products such as Sarees, suits, customized bakery, organic groceries, to services from makeup artists, yoga teachers, and youth career counselors. There is no commission for the website and sellers pay a nominal amount per month for the maintenance.
Heartywomen are resilient and are venturing into new domains against all odds by building a new kind of eCommerce model. There is trust within the community, irrespective of variations in the profit ratio of the entrepreneurs. They stand by one another in serving the needy. You can support heartywomen at Heartywomen Facebook page and buy something at Heartwomen.in.
For any feedback or inquiries, please post your mails to heartyentrepreneur@gmail.com.
Website: https://heartywomen.in/
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/heartywomen
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heartywomen_org/
*Heartywomen website will soon move to its parent website, https://hfnlife.com/pages/hearty-women