“I grew up in a joint family of humble beginnings in a little town in Rajasthan in the 90s. At the time, the highest peak of education was a graduation, and that was if you were lucky. I’ve seen my parents work for their money, and that is exactly why I quit my corporate job after 15 years in the industry.

It all started when I qualified for my chartered accountancy. I was the oldest of 10 siblings and cousins, and strived to be the best role model I could be for them. It was an incredibly proud moment for my family as I was the first to reach that level of education. I got married during my finals, and moved to Hyderabad where my husband lived. Thus began my long journey into corporate life. After my kids were born, I began to acknowledge the lack of independence I had working for someone- asking for permissions to merely spend time with my kids was not something I enjoyed doing in the least. I wanted them to see the process of earning money and inculcate the concept of hard work in them as they grew up. I quit.

It was actually an interesting initiation into the company I own now. Back when my in-laws didn’t live with us, we yearned for the pickle my mother-in-law made all the time! Nowadays, the culture of making homemade pickles, sauces and nutritional wholesome food is lost. There’s several people living away from their homes who don’t have access to non-preservative, non-processed foods. That is how I began this journey. I started tying up with women who made these items at home and began selling them. It started off with selling aam panna in my apartment, and it was a massive hit. It then spread into all kinds of varieties of things, including healthy homemade laddoos of a range of varieties, and now we’ve really increased our sales!

You know, it’s not just about earning money. It’s not easy to leave a profession to start something of your own, but the satisfaction and sense of accomplishment you receive from being your own boss is amazing. Now, my entire family is involved with the income of the household- my kids help me package, my mother in law and I cook, and my husband has been a pillar of support throughout. Your opinions don’t define your reality, your efforts do. I’m so glad I’ve managed to teach my kids this through experience, because now I know that when they’re older, they will be able to take their learnings and make fantastic lives for themselves.”