On the right line

Jasmine Singh

Isn’t salary the best motivation? We bet we’d be getting a 100 per cent approval on that! And if you haven’t thought about it, let the first date of the new month dawn and you’ll be able to answer better. Then there are people who do not wait for their meagre or slightly bloated or decently bloated pay cheques because they want to write one for themselves! And for this, they take the online path and become the online entrepreneurs. 

Working from home or from a cubicle with a decent laptop, these are people who have sold their products online and got back cheques almost every day. With slight hiccups here and there, these online entrepreneurs are making a difference in the world of business.

Eat healthy 

With a PG diploma in food nutrition, Panchkula-based Minki Singla would often look out for healthier options in eating. Even the homemade ‘dabaas’ didn’t appeal to her. So, this young lady decided to start an online healthy food option called Dietshala! This website gets more than 100 orders in a day. “We offer food plans like the detox food for Rs 400, a power breakfast, muscle gain lean plan and organic tiffin for Rs 99.” Dietshala.com caters to the people of tricity, wherein orders can be made online as well through phone calls. 

Even today, most people believe in the ‘see and buy’ concept, and when its health food, it is not too easy to entice them through pictures. “This is a challenge that I have successfully overcome through my delivery,” she says. 

At home 

This young girl started a ‘one-person’ enterprise and with time, she has a display studio and a huge presence on social networking sites. Panchukla-based Prachi Mahajan, the owner of The Turpentine Tunnel, has brought to the Tricity a concept of interior and exterior decoration. “Doing business online helps one rule out the mundane things that one would otherwise have to go through. And of course, it is much more profitable as well.”

Shoe story

Sushant Sood was 17 when he started working and sometime later, he thought of taking the quintessential Punjabi accessory — Punjabi jutti — to not only the Punjabis but non-Punjabis as well, with his online brand Juttichoo, which now offers Punjabi juttis in as many colours and designs as you can think of. However, the decision of putting his products online, rather than putting them on store, was a conscious one. “Firstly, let me tell you that running a store is easier than selling products online. The only way you can capture buyers through clicks is by offering the products, which you show and offer online.” He adds, “The idea was to take a tiny part of our Punjabi tradition to places where it is not easy to source. Now, people sitting in Mumbai or even Hyderabad can buy authentic Punjabi juttis.” 

Sushant constantly upgrades his online business, investing in professional photography of products and more. “Being online is the need of the hour; many women want that they should get products delivered at home. This is what we do; along with the regular size that the customer orders, we send a size smaller and bigger as well. This is the effort we put from our side.” 

Something namkeen 

Bhavna Mishra, from UP, shifted to Panchkula sometime back, but one thing she couldn’t help thinking about was the nakeem and sweets of Indore and Gujarat, which she had savoured. So, started ‘The Milanbhavan’ enterprise, which provides authentic namkeen from Gujarat and Indore to people here! Bhavna, however, feels maketing for the products online is difficult. “For online business, one has to ensure that your address reaches maximum number of people, which is not an easy job.” 

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