Hubballi :
Suma Jeevannavar isn’t your textbook entrepreneur. From being a restless but diffident homemaker worried about letting her BSc education go to waste to rescuing women in financial distress, the 54-year-old’s journey of self-discovery and social entrepreneurship is, nevertheless, inspirational. In just a few years since the launch of her startup – Elukoti Traders, manufacturer of low-cost detergent powder – Jeevannavar has taken under her wing 30 hard-up women and has been helping them rebuild their lives.
Jeevannavar was moved by the struggles of women from poor families who consulted her husband, a general physician with a modest practice of his own in the city. These served as lessons in self-reliance. She cobbled up an investment of Rs 50,000, bought a mixer and began manufacturing detergent powder at home in 2001. No sooner had she set foot in the world of entrepreneurship than she was stonewalled: She incurred heavy losses as few people were keen on buying an unbranded, homemade detergent powder. Jeevannavar, though, was relentless. She kept supplying her products to hotels and lodges in the city for two years.
Business was slow; yet she summoned the courage to branch out into the manufacture of detergent soaps.
Her husband’s patients were the ones who helped turn the tide. “They began buying the detergent soaps and liked them,” she explains. Marketing began by word of mouth. “Since we don’t spend on advertising, middlemen or expensive packaging, the price of the soap is low – Rs 2.50 per bar – against the cost of others in the market – Rs 5. But, we make no compromise on quality or quantity,” she clarifies.
For someone who started off with a staff of just two women, Jeevannavar has come a long way. Today, she sells soaps to over 100 households in a month in Hubballi-Dharwad, has 30 women employees on the rolls and the startup earns Rs 5 lakh a month.
The entrepreneur’s husband was her pillar of strength through the tough times. Government aid, too, improved the chances of her startup’s survival. “Prior to introducing Ganga Detergent Bar, I was trained by the Small Scale Industries Association. I also got a subsidy of Rs 40,000 from the industries and commerce department,” she says.
For Kasturavva, who has been working at the company for the last 10 years, Elukoti Traders is her second home. “Working here helped my family and I overcome our financial crisis,” she says.
Mangala Patrot, a resident of Anand Nagar who, too, is an employee, says her salary has become a steady source of income for her family. “My husband used to be a bootlegger, and was often arrested. After alcoholism took a toll on his health, we started selling these soaps. Now, I earn Rs 300 a day.”
Rayappa Mishrikoti, a senior citizen in Ravi Nagar who, too, goes door-to-door to sell the soaps, says Jeevannavar’s startup has given him a new lease of life.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Huibballi / TNN / September 06th, 2015
