Become A Successful Entrepreneur (6)

Four friends founded e-learning company under their 50s, clocked Rs. 15 cr revenue in FY-23

When four passionate tight-knit work colleagues transformed their friendship into business partnerships they founded a venture called Nuvepro Technologies in Bangalore.

Challenging the conventional thought of settling by the 50s, Jankiraman S, Giridhar LV, Rajesh Menakath Vasudevan, and Moyukh Goswami collectively took the risk of quitting their jobs to focus on their passion for entrepreneurship. Like every startup encompasses stories of struggle and failure, this venture’s tales are no short of it. 

In conversation with Empowering Indians came one of the co-founders of Nuvepro Technologies to share about the brand and their entrepreneurial journey.  

Giridhar LV, speaking about the brand’s journey from when it started in 2014, originating as a spin-off from LTI Mindtree shed light on how their experience of failures and learning molded their vision along the journey. 

Giridhar  said while talking to Empowering Indians, “In the beginning, Nuvepro Technologies was mainly dealing with the multi-cloud management for data centers. Gradually our brand began to focus on helping workers and learners gain the skills they need to do well in projects, tasks, or jobs. We achieve this by filling in skill gaps and providing practical learning opportunities. The shift resulted when we began to recognize the needs of the customers closely, which led to efficient growth in our company as well.”

Nuvepro is a learning lab that helps the workforce to upskill through three stages of learning; real-world training, assessments, and practice environments. 

For the first stage, learners start by learning from an instructor or a faculty. The startup gives learners Practice Playgrounds for this part, which are like ready-to-use practice spaces. Then comes the next step where learners reinforce what they have learned. 

Core team of Nuvepro Technologies

“We offer projects with guidance that are based on real-world scenarios and lastly checking what you’ve learned with tests – again, these tests are like real-world situations done in a practice space. When we have a certain skill we want to teach, we put together these practice spaces, projects, and tests into Skill Bundles,’’ added Giridhar- co-founder of Nuvepro. 

Having collaborated with around 60 to 70 organizations, with 30 active clients monthly, mostly in India. The platform serves three categories: IT service organizations, upskilling platforms, and higher education institutions. 

For enterprises, Nuvepro provides packages of skills that help workers become really good at using cloud technologies. This makes them capable of performing better in their projects and tasks. 

Educational technology (EdTech) companies can easily include Nuvepro’s skill packages in their teaching methods, making learners better at skills and boosting their chances for a successful career. 

Universities can connect what industries need with what they teach using Nuvepro’s complete solutions, training partners, pre-configured sandboxes, and industry projects. 

Read more: With Rs. 4 lakh, two friends launched ‘Cosmofeed’ to help creators monetise contents, made Rs. 200 crore turnover in 2023

Nuvepro Technologies aims to focus on providing B2B training services, working with organizations and not individual users. The company’s major clients include IT service organizations like TCH, Mahindra, Wipro, and global companies like Genpact, and HP. The platform serves three categories: IT service organizations, upskilling platforms, and higher education institutions like Bits Pillani, IIMs, and IITs.

Looking back at their startup journey, Giridhar talked about how they went through the first four years of their startup until they finally figured out what was missing and the business didn’t work out. 

“In 2014, we started with data software, but it didn’t work because we didn’t understand what customers needed. In 2018-19, we switched to training services because people wanted to learn online. During COVID, our team grew to about 70 members. At first, we made a mistake by thinking technology would sell itself, but we learned from it. We used our experience in IT services and managing a team to meet customer needs and changed our platform to provide hands-on training online.”

Continuing with the journey, he also reflected on the growth of customers. He added that before 2019, the data software business had 8-10 customers and made less than $250,000 a year. With training services, Nuvepro managed to have 60-70 customers, with 30 using it regularly each month. 

“But it’s been a bit up and down after this year because of economic challenges. Right now, 40,000 to 60,000 people use our platform every month,” told Gridhar.  

The prices vary, starting at Rs. 30 per hour for some services and going up to several thousand rupees for bigger packages. Sometimes it can even be Rs. 25,000 for one user, considering everything from start to finish. 

Entire team of Nuvepro Technologies

The startup Nuvepro Technologies from Bangalore began with 15 people and found success by learning from their mistakes and listening to what customers needed.

While talking about the financial aspect of the business, Gridhar mentioned during the interview with Empowering Indians that  Nuvepro Technologies was launched with an initial investment of Rs. 6 crores that came from all four co-founders. They aimed to use the investment primarily for product development and building a team for engineering, support, sales, and marketing. 

Mentioning the revenue of Nuvepro Technologies over the years, Giridhar said, “The startup’s growth has been notable, transitioning from annual revenue of one crore before 2019 to Rs. 15 crores now.” 

He further added, “One of the primary reasons for success goes to understanding the needs of the customers to plan your startup, and the second is to find a large customer base willing to pay for the services.”

Upskill yourself: Learn skills from successful personalities and boost your career.

Giridhar believes that the confidence in their valuable skills have motivated them to take the risk of starting a venture  in their middle age when many people are considering retirement. 

He added, “We were intrigued by the emerging technology of cloud systems and saw potential opportunities in the field. All of us were assured of our skills that if we failed at setting up this business, we still had valuable skill sets and the confidence to return to our jobs.”

Intending to carve their name in the start-up ecosystem, Giridhar LV and his three friends, who have been friends for decades, are aspiring to grow their company, Nuvepro Technologies, all around the world to bring significant revenue growth in the future.

Beyond the realm of their entrepreneurial journey, it often makes a reader curious how entrepreneurs manage their work-life while doing a venture that requires a person’s presence in fulfilling the responsibility quite closely. 

In the interview, Giridhar shared pieces of advice as entrepreneurs on putting up with the work-life balance. He emphasized one should be ready to be available based on the demands of the hour, whether it’s for work-related matters or family commitments. 

“As an entrepreneur, the work-life line is always blurry because your presence often revolves around the immediate needs of the business, such as fulfilling customer needs or resolving issues. Rather than striving for a strict work-life balance.” Giridhar has participated in numerous marathons 

Vivek and Vishnu Cosmofeed Founders | Empowering Indians

With Rs. 4 lakh, two friends launched ‘Cosmofeed’ to help creators monetise contents, made Rs. 200 crore turnover in 2023

Unknown to each other, Vivek Yadav and Vishnu Pathak, crossed their paths in an event and became good friends. While exchanging business ideas they came across an idea about starting a digital platform for digital entrepreneurs to run and grow their businesses seamlessly. Hence, the duo launched Cosmofeed in 2021. In less than two years, it has already made Rs. 200 crore in turnover. 

Empowering Indians had an exclusive conversation with Cosmofeed co-founder Vivek Yadav to chronicle the journey of Cosmofeed. 

While researching on various business ideas, Delhi based Ex-investment banker Vivek Yadav and techy Vishnu Pathak found that small digital entrepreneurs such as sellers, coaches, educators face a huge challenge to discover tools, build communities, and monetize their content.

Determined to tackle the challenge, the duo friends toiled away day and night to build a digital platform called Cosmofeed and launched it in December 2021. They initially invested Rs. 4 lakh on the same which was their savings from the corporate jobs they have done for years. Interestingly, Vivek and Vishnu worked on the business from home for the initial six months.   

Also read: Kolkata’s Ayush Sarda empowers thousands of Sundarbans villagers through social enterprises- HumTree

Explaining about the platform, Vivek said during the conversation with Empowering Indians, “Cosmofeed is a platform (Smartphone app) which gives creators tools and infrastructure to launch their own products and services. Let’s say, you have built content around different topics and you have a following on the internet, then you can use our platform to monetise your contents via courses and webinars.” 

He further added that digital entrepreneurs or creators don’t have to use any other tools to monetise and manage their customers’ database. Everything is done automatically on Cosmofeed. 

That is how Cosmofeed app looks like.

For instance, you launch a webinar and promote it across your network. When customers start subscribing to your webinar, the Cosmofeed will take care of everything from customers payment, maintaining the list of customers and updating them about their plans and renewals etc. 

“This automatic process reduces the efforts, time, and cost of the creators who otherwise would do all this stuff manually with the help of multiple resources and tools,” said Vivek. Cosmofeed charges around 10-12% from the creators when users make payments for a subscription. 

To promote the platform, the friends-turned-business partners contacted thousands of small digital entrepreneurs or creators and asked them to use Cosmofeed for free. Since it is easy to use, the first 100 creators got onboard seamlessly. From there, the word spread and more creators began using the digital platform to monetise their products and services. 

In the first three months, Cosmofeed had around  20,000 users and since then the users were doubling down month-on-month. “It’s been two years now and we have got close to around three million users signed up on our platform,” Vivek told Empowering Indains. He is a CEO of Cosmofeed, while Vishu is a CTO. 

Upskill yourself: Learn skills from successful personalities and boost your career.

So far, the platform has more than 25,000 creators spread across India. Users are those who use or subscribe to the services creators are selling on Cosmofeed.  

As the number of users and creators increased, the financial growth of the platform also grew month after month. From December 2021 to March 2022, a business of Rs. 100 crore was done on Cosmofeed. This figure has been doubled down in the financial year 2022-23. “Out of the total business, Rs. 2.5 crore was made in revenue by us (Cosmofeed),” said Vivek. Now, they have an office in Gurgaon where 60 employees are working.  

Vivek and Vishnu have raised Rs. 12.5 crore in seed funding which was led by growx ventures, Waveform Ventures, 9 Unicorns in March 2022. The whopping funding helped Cosmofeed grow exponentially.  

“From India, for the globe. This is the major dream for us. Cosmofeed will be the very strong creators’ brand from India for the globe,” signed off Vivek Yadav.

Sarbjeet Singh I Taekwondo athlete I Tokey Taekwondo Club I Empowering Indians

Chandigarh Taekwondo Coach trained 8000 students, churning out national and international sports champions

Sarbjeet Singh, a 38-year-old Taekwondo coach, with resilience and commitment. In the bustling streets of Chandigarh and the serene town of Mohali, he is a nurturing mentor offering free training in Chandigarh while managing a commercial academy in Roper. He has trained 8000 students through his academy Tokey Taekwondo Club who have participated in national and international games. 

Sarbjeet’s career path took several turns before he found his true calling in sports. Initially aspiring for the merchant navy, he later shifted the gears realising that it wasn’t his true calling. After that, he did a few stints in the telecom sector in 2006 in companies like Reliance and Vodafone but failed to satisfy him. He acknowledged that his heart always belonged to the world of sports.

“No matter what I did, my heart always remained in sports”, said Sarbjeet.

Initially influenced by movies like Kickboxer, Bloodsport, The Legend of Drunken Master, Bollywood movie Jigar and movies starring Bruce Lee, he later guided by his mentor Amit Kumar Joshi and Master Atul Pangotra.  A Taekwondo athlete Sarbjeet discovered his true calling is in Taekwondo. His mentor’s advice resonated, emphasizing that merely mastering the art wasn’t enough. He quotes his mentor, “One must strive to bring pride to their home, village, state, and country through their skills”.

Also read: Ravi Prasad from UP once earned Rs. 15000, now makes Rs. 1.5 lakh per month selling banana fibre products

Before his transition to a full-time Taekwondo coach, Sarbjeet led a typical middle-class life in India, working a 9-to-5 job with modest pay while pursuing Taekwondo as a passion on an informal level.

Tragedy struck in 2010 when Sarbjeet lost his younger brother, a Taekwondo and Karate coach and a UPSC aspirant. This loss became a turning point for Sarbjeet’s determination to carry forward his brother’s legacy. He began coaching his brother’s students, leaving behind his stable job at Wipro, to train them without charging any fees.

Before the loss, Taekwondo was merely a passion for fitness. However, the heartbreaking incident impacted Sarbjeet to transform his approach towards a professional career in Taekwondo coaching.

Talking about his school days, he explained his time management strategy. He said, “I was equally dedicated to studies and training. I used to follow the 8-8-8 rule, 8 hours for school, 8 hours for sports and 8 hours for sleep and personal things”.

Sarbjeet’s dedication and expertise as a referee have earned him significant milestones.

He emphasizes that Taekwondo coaching is an integral part of his life. “Taekwondo is my passion; I can’t leave coaching behind and live my life,” he shares.

Dedicating his days to training young athletes, he recognizes the significance of an indoor academy, offering flexible training hours. 

The journey in Taekwondo begins with the White Belt and progresses through various stages, culminating in the Black Belt, signifying specialization in the renowned martial art known for its kicking and punching techniques.

Sarbjeet’s dedication and expertise as a referee have earned him significant milestones, marking his journey from national to international platforms. In 2018, His involvement as the first Indian Taekwondo referee in the prestigious Grand Prix, introduced by the World Taekwondo Federation in 2018, opened doors for him to numerous international events and seminars.

Also Read: Ilqa EduCare from Mumbai’s slum provides quality education to underprivileged students for 10th, 12th and NEET

The recognition continued as Taekwondo athlete Sarbjeet’s academy Tokey Taekwondo Club received acknowledgement in 2018 and 2019, securing a place among the world’s best Taekwondo academies. Despite the growing support for sports in India through initiatives like Khelo India and Fit India, Sarbjeet highlights the crucial need for financial assistance during a player’s training.

“Taekwondo is a costly game, especially when compared to sports like football,” he notes, highlighting the financial struggles players face with equipment and tournament entry fees. 

Talking about the diets, Tokey Taekwondo Club coach and Referee said that he follows strict diet for better athletic energy. “My diet includes Dry Fruits, Dalia, Ghee, Egg (white part), chicken breast, milk, rice and mixed sprouts. I drink plenty of water for better digestion,” tells Sarbjeet. 

Sarbjeet and his mentor were selected in the list of top 50 referees all over the world at the Para Olympics 2020, yet the pandemic disrupted their chances. 

Sarbjeet Singh’s Tokey Taekwondo Club has trained 8000 students, churning out national and international sports champions.

Sarbjeet’s commitment to Taekwondo has never changed. He briefly explored Karate for two years but was later convinced that no other sport or art could bring him the same satisfaction as Taekwondo.

Sarbjeet attributes his commitment to giving free coaching to his father, who instilled in him the importance of integrity and transparency in teaching. 

“I have seen coaches taking extra money more than fees on the pretext of fees. I don’t know what kind of values they have in life,” Sarbjeet says.

Starting his professional journey with a modest salary of Rs. 7500 in the telecom sector, his academies now cater to around 70-80 students, with some receiving free training based on financial constraints. Sarbjeet shares that he has given training to nearly 8000 students so far. 

Upskill yourself: Learn skills from successful personalities and boost your career.

Students like Rupinder, a three-time national medalist, and others achieving at national levels showcase Sarbjeet’s coaching expertise. He says, “I aspire to establish an indoor stadium for Taekwondo, Right now we don’t have any place. We do our games in basketball and tennis courts”. He reflects his commitment to providing proper training facilities.

Sarbjeet’s mission to popularize Taekwondo and provide financial support for aspiring athletes is evident. He aims to make the sport more accessible and popular across the nation, emphasizing the need for financial support for aspiring athletes. 

His recent appointment as the referee chairman of Taekwondo Education University of India in Gujarat is another testament to his dedication.

Sarbjeet Singh stands as a symbol of perseverance, inspiring a new generation of athletes through his dedication, sacrifice, and unwavering commitment to the sport.

 

Meena Gautam from Uttar Pradesh, Gorakhpur selling vermicompost

Husband faced health issues, wife starts vermicompost business for organic farming, earns Rs. 1.5 lakh month

They say health is wealth. Those who don’t have good health know this better. Husband of  Meena Gautam from Uttar Pradesh faced a health issue three years ago. Doctors suggested that he consume organic food to get rid of his health issues. Today, Meena grows organic veggies on her terrace and also manufactures vermicompost manure to sell with an aim to encourage farmers for organic farming. She makes Rs. 1.5 lakh per month from selling vermicompost. 

Meena’s husband Arjun Kumar Gautam has a government job working as a junior clerk in Maharajganj block of Gorakhpur district in Uttar Pradesh. Arjun’s father is in the revenue department holding a government job. Arjun has always been living a financially comfortable life. However, he developed an allergy three years ago. He consulted a few doctors and observed that all the doctors suggested the same. 

“The doctors said that he (Arjun) has a weak immunity system because of consuming food grown using harmful chemicals. We all consume food that is grown using urea and pesticides, but the health effect is  different for different people. The doctors suggested that unless he does not start eating food that is grown organically he will not get rid of the allergy. Since then we have become more conscious about what we are eating,” said Meena, 32 years old. 

Also read: Ravi Prasad from UP once earned Rs. 15000, now makes Rs. 1.5 lakh per month selling banana fibre products

When humans consume the food that is grown through usage of urea, people do more harm to their body than any good. According to The World Health Organization (WHO) the urea and pesticides are potentially toxic to humans. They may induce adverse health effects including cancer, effects on reproduction, immune or nervous systems. 

Meena and her husband tried sourcing grains and veggies that are grown organically. However, they observed that very few farmers are practicing organic farming. Meena learnt to produce vermicompost and grow veggies organically. She started growing organic veggies on her terrace such as cabbage, peas, okra, palak, tomatoes and other seasonal veggies. 

“Although I was growing organic veggies on my terrace, but I had this urge to promote organic farming amongst the farmers in my village. I realized that if the farmers start using vermicompost manure instead of urea then it will have a huge impact. That is why I planned to produce vermicompost manure on a large scale,” said Meena. 

Meena Gautam in her vermicompost farm.

Meena’s husband took a loan of Rs. 5 lakh and helped Meena setup 100 vermicompost pits in 2020 under Adarsh Vermi Compost banner. She would source dung and worms from the market in the main city of Gorakhpur. Usually, people make beds for vermicompost production, but Meena had to set up compost pits because of the unsuitable weather in Uttar Pradesh. 

“To procure vermicompost manure, you need to have slightly cold weather. But in Uttar Pradesh, most of the months have unbearable hot weather which is detrimental for the vermicompost production. That is why we have compost pits which are 10 feet deep and 3 feet wide each. This way we can save the compost manufacturing process from getting affected by heat,” said Meena.  She is just 8th pass but knows a lot about farming and she is also very social.

Since Meena is social, after setting up the compost pits, she started talking about the advantages of using vermicompost in the farm amongst farmers in her village. Within two months, Meena’s vermicompost was ready to use. A few farmers bought it for the trial. 

Upskill yourself: Learn skills from successful personalities and boost your career.

“When they observed the result of the crops after using vermicompost, the words spread and more and more farmers came forward to buy the vermicompost,” said Meena. 

However, Meena also added that small farmers who have 1-2 acres of land are apprehensive of using the vermicompost. “Since farmers have been using urea fertilizer for years, the fertility of soil has been declining. So the impact of the vermicompost takes time. It takes around 1-2 years to see the better results. But, the small farmers have no patience, as their survival is dependent on that 1 acre land,” Meena told Empowering Indians.  

She further added, “Many farmers are using a small portion of their farm for organic farming where they grow veggies for their own consumption. Because, they clearly understand the harmful effect of food on the human body which is chemically grown.” 

Meena Gautam with her employees at the Vermicompost farm

Erstwhile Joint Secretary in Fertilizer Ministry,  Sham Lal Goyal, Said while talking to a media that urea that is used in farms in the hope of better production actually reduces the fertility of the farm in the long run. In result, farmers keep increasing the usage of urea which has detrimental effects on the farm. 

Meena also resonated the same. “When you see that fertility is reducing, you use more urea. Year by year your urea usage increases. That means your farming expenses are increasing. On the other hand, if you use vermicompost fertilizer, your soil fertility will improve. Hence your expenses on fertilizer will keep reducing. Within 2-3 years, you will observe that your expenses have been reduced to 50%. Moreover, because your crops are organic, you will earn better as compared to inorganic crops,” explained Meena, founder of Adarsh Vermi Compost.  

From the 100 compost pits, Meena procure about 40 metric tones of vermicompost every two months. She sells the compost across Gorakhpur to various farmers. “We sell vermicompost Rs. 7-8 per kilogram. In two months we manage to make around Rs. 3 lakh wherein one third of the revenue goes into expenses from sourcing cow dung, worms and salaries of 4-5 employees we have,” told Meena.  

More than the money she is making from the vermicompost business, Meena is more happy to share that through her business she is able to encourage 100s of farmers for organic farming. “My vermicompost is used by about 100 farmers across different villages in Gorakhpur. That means they are growing organic food which is then consumed by thousands of people. Eventually, we are helping thousands of people consume organic food. Which helps them have better health in the long run. This is the aim of my business,” said Meena.  

Also read: Started with zero investment, Lucknow cousins make Rs. 2.5 crore from online jewelry sale

Apart from this, Meena is also empowering women. She has employed about 5-6 women from her village in her vermicompost plant. They are gaining financial independence. “We pay these women Rs. 200 per day. They work for about 20-25 days and earn around Rs. 4000 a month. Which is good money for them because, earlier, they were doing nothing and were dependent on just their husband’s income. They were struggling financially,” Meena told Empowering Indians.   

She also said that as the business grows she will increase the daily wage of the women and also employ more women. She is also encouraging people to have terrace gardens for those who don’t have farms. “In big cities people are growing organic veggies on the terrace. We can also adopt that culture. This way at least we will be assured that we are consuming some food that is grown organically,” suggested Meena of Adarsh Vermi Compost. 

Tried committing suicide, Pune’s Raj Dagwar is on a mission to make India #DepressionMukt through Listeners Army

Tried committing suicide, Pune’s Raj Dagwar is on a mission to make India #DepressionMukt through Listeners Army

One day, Pune based Raj Dagwar, 25,  was standing on his balcony to commit suicide. Three years down the line, he has a team of people called Listeners Army which helps others deal with mental heath issues such as sadness, depression, suicidal thoughts, overthinking, negative thoughts and many more. Thousands of people have been helped so far. 

Raj is a software engineer and his parents reside in Dubai. He enrolled in Pune Institute of Computer Technology for Bachelor of Engineering- Computer Engineering in 2016. He was living in a hostel. During that time, he was in a romantic relationship with a girl whom he loved very much and had a dream to make her his life partner. But, the relationship turned into a toxic affair.

“I loved her very much. Wanted to marry her. But gradually, the relationship became toxic. I was blamed for every wrong thing happening in the relationship. Which over a period of time made me feel that I am responsible for every wrong thing happening. I began to feel I am not good enough and my self esteem was going down. I began over thinking. Negativity took over me,” shares Raj.

Self blame, over thinking and negativity led to a dangerous state of mind for Raj. He became depressed and often thought of committing suicide. “I became suicidal. I would not eat for days. I would skip college lectures. I would not meet friends. I would be confined to my hostel room. It was so severe,” tells Raj. 

Also read: Ilqa EduCare from Mumbai’s slum provides quality education to underprivileged students for 10th, 12th and NEET

His college attendance was just 10%. The college would inform his parents about his academic performance and his parents would call him to discuss the issue. “I would get angry with my parents when they would discuss my education and academic performance. I would disconnect the call and ignore their calls and messages,” tells Raj. He suffered mentally for about eight months in 2018. 

One day when he visited college, a professor noticed something wrong with Raj. The professor suggested that he should see a psychologist employed in the college. “Since I wanted someone to share what I am going through. I did not share with friends and family fearing getting judged and laughed at. I spoke to the psychologist for about 2:30 hours straight sharing what I went through and what I have been feeling. It was so relieving. I am glad that she was patient enough to listen to me. She was not in hurry,” tells Raj. 

The psychologist helped Raj get over his depression, negative thoughts and overthinking. “She would help me with tips and tricks one by one to deal with my mental health. She helped me to control my emotions, overthinking and negative thoughts. Over a period of time I became a happier and better person,” tells Raj. He discontinued taking therapies in 2019 thinking his mental health got better. 

But, during the coronavirus pandemic, Raj again started feeling the same. Rather it was worse. “I was in Dubai when the pandemic hit. We all were confined to our houses. I was again depressed. Earlier I was having suicidal thoughts, but this time I was actually suicidal. I had no one to talk to. I could not even talk to any psychologist over the phone fearing if someone would hear me,” tells Raj. 

It became so worse that he one day was standing on the balcony of his room to commit suicide. “I was standing there for about half an hour. I was fighting with my thoughts. Nobody would care even if I die. Nobody cares about me and what I am going through. These were thoughts in my head. After a point, a thought popped up in my head about my parents. This though made me refrain from committing suicide. Since then I never tried to commit suicide,” tells Raj. 

Raj Dagwar with his parents

When the pandemic led lockdown got released, Raj came back to Pune and began taking therapies. Over a period of time his mental health got better. 

One day in December 2020, he stumbled upon an Instagram post where a man was standing with a placard written ‘share your story and I will give you $1’. This was the beginning of something new and big for Raj. 

“I saw that and felt an urge to do something like that in India. I also made a placard  which says ‘share your story and I will give you Rs. 10”. I went out and stood on the FC Road with the placard,” tells Raj. 

He started this because he believes that the psychologist in his college listened to him patiently which led him to feel better. He wanted to be a good listener for others going through mental turmoil. 

Also read: Kolkata’s Ayush Sarda empowers thousands of Sundarbans villagers through social enterprises- HumTree

It was not easy for Raj. He was scared and nervous. But then after sometime that day, a girl approached her and shared her story as to what she was going through in life. She turned out to be a psychologist. “She gave me a huge courage to continue what I was trying to do,” says Raj. 

He would do this on weekends, holidays and in the evening as he is also working in a company as a software engineer. He began receiving calls and messages from those who want to share their mental health issues. In 2021, he created a team called Listeners Army where like minded individuals began joining the team one after another. The team also has an Instagram page called Listeners Army where anybody can message if they want to share mental turmoil. One of the team members either connects with a call or message to listen. 

“Through conversations with people who approach us we try to understand whether the person is sad, depressed, or suicidal. Once we understand that, we suggest better options like therapies and all if needed,” tells Raj. There are around 600 volunteers in the Listeners Army team. Thousands of people have been served so far.  Through the team, Raj aims to make India #DepressionMukt. 

A few team members of Listeners Army (PC: Raj Dagwar Instagram)
A few team members of Listeners Army (PC: Raj Dagwar Instagram)

Sharing the impact of his noble work, Raj narrated a story saying one day he received a call from a girl who was standing on her balcony to commit suicide. “I was scared. Did not know what to do. Eventually, I managed to calm her down. I urged her to share what she was going through. After listening to her, I realized that she needed a psychologist so I suggested one,” tells Raj. 

After eight months, I received a call from her thanking me. She was doing better in her life and her mental health was way better. “That was the moment I felt that I have achieved something. I come across suicidal cases almost every week. The urge of helping them keep me going,” says Raj. 

One out of three individuals in India suffers from depression, according to a World Health Organisation (WHO) report. Which makes India rank top when it comes to having depressed individuals compared to other countries. Depression is top most factor for suicides in India.  

Upskill yourself: Learn skills from successful personalities and boost your career.  

Nowadays people are more welcoming of discussions around mental health. Raj says going to a psychologist is not a bad thing. They help you get better at your mental health as doctors help you take care of your physical health. “Moreover, we should be open to our parents and family members. Not sharing what we are going through to our loved ones is also one of the factors many commit suicide. We have to stop judging those who want to share their mental turmoil,” suggests Raj. 

As seen in the case of Raj. His family came to know about his mental health struggle when he was featured by the media for his noble work. “I observed that my parents become supportive and helpful when they come to know me. My mother often says that she feels bad that she was not with me when I was going through mentally. This make me realize that if I would have shared with my parents earlier, the journey of my struggle would have been easier for me,” tells Raj. He has received Youth Inspiration Award from project Visioncy for his impactful work.

Started with zero investment, Lucknow cousins make Rs. 2.5 crore from online jewelry sale

Started with zero investment, Lucknow cousins make Rs. 5 crore from online jewelry sale

Hails from a lower middle class family, taught school going kids for pocket money, lost Rs. 25 lakh in the jewelry business. This 38-year-old Lucknow man started selling jewelry online with zero investment. Two years down the line, his per day revenue is between Rs. 2 to 3 lakh. Empowering Indains brings you the story of Sandeep Singh from struggle to success. 

Sandeep was born to a lower middle class family in Lucknow’s Alambagh area. His father was a government employee in Indian Railways. “I don’t know how much he was earning from his job, but from his pension we can assume that his salary was around Rs. 35000 per month. We are five siblings and we would stay in a small house,” tells Sandeep. His mother was a housewife. 

He did his education until 12th from New Public Inter College, Alambagh in 2003 in second attempt. He then did his Bachelor of Computer Application from Allahabad Agricultural Institute (now Sam Higginbottom University of Agriculture, Technology and Sciences (SHUATS) in 2006 and then pursued MBA in 2008 through distance learning from the same university. 

After 12th, when he was just 18, Sandeep began teaching school going kids at home for pocket money.  “We would have very limited resources as father had to look after all five of us. I would not want my father to worry about my pocket money, so I would teach kids and earn Rs. 800-1000 per month,” tells Sandeep. He taught kids for one year. 

 

Since then, he started earning for himself. He learnt English from a coaching institute and did jobs in call centers from 2004 to 2007 in Gurgaon earning Rs. 18,000 per month. He was also pursuing his education. He came back to Lucknow and began teaching English in a coaching institute for a year.  

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Since he always wanted to do something of his own, Sandeep with his cousin Rishi started a dance and acting institute in 2008 in Lucknow. “Through dance and acting classes, we got to know that the filmmakers give money for arranging gatherings/ crowds. We managed a crowd for a film and that is how we found the Line Production idea and we entered into that segment,” Sandeep tells Empowering Indians.  

While Sandeep was doing good in life, his mother was diagnosed with cancer in 2013. It was so severe that doctors failed to cure the cancer. In 2017, his mother passed away. “That was traumatic mentally as well as financially. My father retired from his service in 2000 and he was receiving Rs. 17000 per month pension. Whatever we were earning, all was going in the mother’s treatment. Bank account was so empty that my father planned to sell his land for the treatment, but then my mother succumbed to cancer,” shares Sandeep. 

While Sandeep’s personal life was facing a tough time, he was doing better professionally. The Line Production idea proved to be good for him. “We would earn in lakhs.  It was good business. We were traveling to different places for the line production projects,” adds Sandeep. However, covid-19 pandemic hit in 2020 and the business got shut down.  

Sandeep Singh, Zevar House, Lucknow.

“I observed that we were not receiving projects for film shooting any further. We did wait for two months. When there was no hope, we (Sandeep and his cousin) invested Rs. 25 lakh to start a gold and imitation jewelry store. We decorated the store beautifully and stocked the inventory,” tells Sandeep. The shop’s name was Zevar House. 

They were hoping for sales, but as time passed, they realised that people are not buying jewelry or any other expensive stuff because of the financial crunch amongst the people led by the covid19 pandemic. “I did not have enough money left to wait and hope for the sales from the jewelry shop. I had just Rs. 50,000 left in my account that time. I had to do something to earn more money. Because household expenses never stop,” Sandeep shares his worries. 

One day, in July 2020, he was scrolling through social media videos and stumbled upon an advertisement about selling products on the Meesho e-commerce app. “I thought why not start selling the imitation jewelleries on the app. I began listing one product after another. My cousin- Rishi was hopeless with the idea of selling online. Since there was no expenses for showcasing the products on the app, I was determined to give it a shot,” shares Sandeep. 

 

 

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After 15 days of listing about 50 products, he began receiving 8-10 orders in a week. “When I was listing one product after another and I did not receive any order after a few days, I was also feeling hopeless. But since there was no money involved in listing the products, I kept listing the products. When I started receiving 8-10 orders a week, I became hopeful,” tells Sandeep. 

The sales gradually increased. From 8-10 orders in a week to 8-10 orders in a day to Rs. 1 lakh orders a day and then there is no looking back for Sandeep and his cousin. “The more products we listed, the more orders we began receiving. In the six months, we began receiving about 100 orders per day. During 2021-22 we were receiving Rs. 10,000  orders per day. During 2022-23 we were receiving Rs. 2 to 3 lakh orders per day,” reveals Sandeep. 

Talking about how he began receiving orders and how the orders increased exponentially, Sandeep said, “I would keep listing the products constantly. I would also share the products link over my social media platforms and share on WhatsApp to my network. Moreover, these e-commerce apps also have some marketing options on the app. We do that marketing too. I believe these are the reasons my sales have been increasing.”

Sandeep Singh with his cousin Rishi

He further added, “In the previous fiscal year, which was 2022-23, we clocked Rs. 5 crore in revenue. We managed to do that in two years. It was unexpected. We invested Rs. 25 lakh to start a jewelry shop where we would hardly receive sales. Here, we invested nothing, just 1-2 hours everyday and we are making crores annually,” says Sandeep. Now, he has 4-5 people working with  him who look after the business operations. 

Apart from Meesho, Sandeep also sells his jewelry products on Flipkart. He also launched the company’s website called ZH Shop where the same products are sold. “It has been three months since I launched the company’s website. Because I am planning to build my own brand. I am also in the process of starting a manufacturing unit to manufacture my own products,” tells Sandeep. 

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Recently, Sandeep won an award from Meesho for being one of the top sellers on Meesho across Uttar Pradesh. He is also one of the top sellers on Flipkart from Uttar Pradesh for which he is already invited. The award ceremony will be held in Mumbai soon. 

Now, Sandeep lives in a Lucknow’s posh area of Lucknow called Ashiyana with his wife, daughter and sister in a 1200 sqft house. On the first floor of his house he has his office.  

“Never settle for what you have. It impedes your growth in life. Always aim for more and you will keep growing and succeeding,” believes Sandeep.  

Ilqa EduCare from Mumbai’s slum provides quality education to underprivileged students for 10th, 12th and NEET

Ilqa EduCare from Mumbai’s slum provides quality education to underprivileged students for 10th, 12th and NEET

Khan Ashfiya Salim, 18, who is a daughter of a rickshaw driver based in Mumbai’s slum- Govandi. “My father earns about Rs. 15,000 per month and he has four family members to take care of,” says Ashfiya who has two siblings. 

Despite hailing from such a humble background, Ashfiya has a big dream to achieve- to become a successful doctor. For that she has been studying hard. “I feel bad whenever I see a poor dying just because he/she can’t afford better treatment. That is why I want to become a doctor and help poor people with affordable and better medical treatment,” says Ashfiya. 

Ashfiya studied hard and secured 88% in her 10th board exam. Her parents had a tough time paying her coaching center fee. “The actual fee of the coaching class was Rs. 10,000 annually.  But because of my family’s financial condition and my interest in studies I got a discount and my fee reduced to Rs. 7000.  My parents paid it in 4-5 installments as and when they had sufficient money,” says Ashfiya. 

She wanted to prepare for NEET (National Eligibility cum Entrance Test ) to pursue medicine. However, she did not have lakhs to pay for the preparation. Eventually she found a coaching class called Ilqa EduCare based in Govandi which made her preparation journey financially worry-less. She prepared for the 12th and NEET exam from the classes for free and appeared for the 12th board exam through distance education securing 89%. 

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“I got all the resources and study help. Such as the best teachers who helped me understand all the concepts better for 12th and NEET exams. The classes also paid a subscription fee for an online NEET course for me. I had freedom to reach out to any teacher anytime for clearing doubts,” says Ashfiya. 

She appeared for NEET in 2022, but could not secure an MBBS seat in government medical college. However, when she appeared for the second time this year- 2023, she secured 594 marks which made her eligible for an MBBS seat in a government college. “With this rank, I am eligible for an MBBS seat. I finally made it! I am really thankful to all the teachers from Ilqa EduCare classes who helped me prepare for the exam without worrying about fees,” says Ashfiya. 

Khan Ashfiya (right) and her NEET exam result

Ashfiya is not the one, but 195 students from Govandi’s slum areas from economically weaker families received quality education with minimal to no fees from Ilqa EduCare . They cleared their 10th and 12th with flying colours which gave them courage for further studies. 

Ilqa EduCare was established by a bunch of six youth who were born and brought up in Govandi. The founding members are Yasir Abdullah, Kashif Shaikh, Obaidurrahman Ansari, Simab Khan, Vikas Saini and Khaleequrrahman Ansari. They have been involved in social work for years and are associated with a student- led non-profit organization called Students Islamic Organisation (SIO). However, the coaching center is an independent body. 

One of the founding members Yasir Abdullah said that many have made education a business and earning lakhs and crores from it. “Hence, this has become one of the major factors for students dropping out of schools and colleges amongst underprivileged areas like Govandi. In Govandi, families struggle hard to put food on the table and provide basic education. Spending thousands and lakhs of rupees on quality education is a distant dream for the families here,” explains Yasir. 

Yasir went on explaining that usually, in Govandi slum coaching classes charge between Rs. 12,000 to Rs. 25,000 annually for 10th, 11th and 12th board exam preparation. “It is unaffordable for families living in Govandi having a household income Rs. 15000-20000 per month to spend so much money only on one child for education,” tells Yasir. 

The founding members have a noble belief. “What we believe is that education should not be a burden for anyone because education is the only way to change someone’s future, especially for underprivileged youth,” says Yasir. 

With this belief, the founding members started a coaching center under the banner Ilqa EduCare in 2015 for NEET preparation with minimal fee. However, it did not work out then. “We failed badly because most of the people were unaware of such competitive exams in Govandi. So we planned to focus on basics- 10th, 11th and 12th,” tells Yasir. It started with just five students. 

They have a place with a capacity of 25 students, a white board and a 43″ smart TV for graphics and online classes. The class has six teachers who hold MSc. Maths, BUMS, MSc and MA degrees and having profound experience in their respective fields. 

Students sitting in Ilqa EduCare coaching institute

 “We have teachers who are well versed in their respective subjects. Moreover, we also have a library where students can come and study as per their convenience. While studying, if they have doubts they can reach out to us directly anytime,” tells Yasir. 

The coaching center charges between Rs. 1500 to Rs. 5000 for 9th to 12th preparation. “Although we charge the lowest without compromising on the quality of education, we also provide education for free to those who can’t afford the fee. But they are treated equally and sit in the same batch as others to make sure they are receiving better education,” says Yasir. 

Ilqa classes started with five students in 2015 and so far, they have catered to 195 students. “All the students are from Govandi slums. Their parents earn through daily wage jobs such as labour, tailoring, embroidery artist works, taxi and autorickshaw driving and such others earning Rs. 15000-20000 per month. Every family has more than two children to take care of,” explains Yasir. He further added that because of low income many parents send their children to government schools or low fee private schools. 

One such student is Mohammed Kaif whose father does hand embroidery art work for a living  and mother has been a housewife. “My father earns about Rs. 15,000 per month. I was looking for affordable coaching classes that provide quality education to clear my 10th with a good score. Fortunately, I found Ilqa EduCare,” tells Kaif. He went to a government school in Govandi as his parents could not afford a private school. 

Despite paying minimal fees Kaif received quality education and cleared the 10th board exam with flying colours.  “I scored 78% in my 10th board exams and I am planning to pursue commerce for further education. With my score, I am sure I will get a decent college for my further studies. I will  keep studying in Ilqa Edcare classes for my 11th and 12th preparation,” adds Kaif. He wants to make his career in the banking profession. 

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Yasir said that, although Ilqa EduCare charges very minimal fees, but it pays teachers a better wage. “We pay teachers Rs. 150-200 per lecture. Which is a fair price for the teachers. Because we don’t want teachers to compromise in providing quality education,” tells Yasir. 

To manage funds, Yasir and his team always look for donations. “We receive donations from individuals to support our cause. We co-founders also contribute money.  We will not make Ilqa EduCare one of those money making businesses as others. It is and it will be a place where students from underprivileged families can come and study without even paying anything if they can’t afford even minimal charges. However, for this we need as many people as possible to fund this cause,” says Yasir. He also said that around Rs. 34 lakh is the yearly expenses to run the coaching classes.