In an age of fast fashion and multinational corporations creating bulk orders through cheap labour, the concept of small business comes as a relief to the common man. Small businesses provide self-employed individuals with a good income and help them achieve financial independence in their own comfort, unlike the traditional nine-to-five capitalistic hustle. Slowly but surely, the world is beginning to see the importance of supporting small businesses. International fast fashion stores sell ‘cheap’ and ‘affordable’ items under the guise of a ‘sale’. The sale doesn’t feel exciting when we realize it has been made by the labour of children and single mothers. The profit is made at the cost of the workers’ poverty. From an environment-friendly point of view, fast-fashion clothes are dumped after being worn once or twice, filling up the lands that could’ve been used to build a garden. Hence, supporting small businesses is crucial at this point. One cannot afford to buy from the ‘sale’ anymore as the world has come close to understanding that the sales are not always worth it.
Perhaps this is why there has been a surge in small businesses in India lately, especially many of them have been run by teens or young adults. Youngsters who lost themselves while struggling with their careers have now found strength in their small ventures. There is flexibility in working hours, no mortification by a superior, and there’s power in being one’s own boss while starting a small business. Although small business owners may struggle with order deadlines, they know that they are their own managers. This freedom has inspired many young women to step foot into the small business sector, primarily through social media apps like Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp and more. We see young women creating art online and selling them with enthusiasm. The world indeed becomes more welcoming when we allow ourselves a space of our own, and so these young women ventured to create this space in their small businesses.
Diving into the world of women-led small businesses, I interviewed some inspiring young women about their experiences as small business owners. It was marvelous to hear their stories, knowing how much strength it takes to start from scratch and to thrive in a world that keeps convincing you how impossible your dreams are.
First on the list is Twenty-two-year-old Anshika Goel who has built up a creative jewellery and charm store on Instagram all by herself. Her works are original and crafted with love. Anshika started her business with clay charms before extending it to bead necklaces and bracelets. She honestly shares, “I started off very hesitant, but I just decided to share my art and work on the platform (Instagram). It started slow, but that gave me time to navigate what my brand/aesthetic would be.” Anshika seems to be the kind of artist who gets entangled in her art and deeply associates herself with all the magic she creates; her craft and her work are very personal to her. She puts it simply, “I saw the things I naturally inclined to and decided to follow into those more.” Goel is very much aware of the uniqueness of her work when she admits, “Over time, people noticed it (her art) as its own aesthetic and something that you don’t find everywhere and can only find on my business, and with time, more and more people found appreciation for the same things as I did, and my business grew from there.” She is proud of this uniqueness and confidently embraces it: “I can now safely say that my brand reflects my love for the beauty of natural things around us and products inspired by, but not limited to, an organic perspective with a touch of nature.”
Another inspiring personality is a twenty-one-year-old Ulfat an BSc IT graduate currently pursuing her master’s degree. She runs a handmade crochet store on Instagram. Based in Mumbai, they have wonderful crocheted pieces all over India. Although her work mostly involves flowers, plushies, and beanies, she also offers her customers the choice of customization. From keychains to bags, Ulfat proves her expertise in crocheting through her creative work. It’s hard to tell that she only started crocheting during the lockdown in 2020. She frankly admits that she started crocheting solely because she wanted the viral Harry Styles cardigan. Although Ulfat “never really got around to making the cardigan” she so dearly wanted, she created many other great projects and shared them with her “Twitter friends” who encouraged her to start an online business and sell them. Ulfat considered this suggestion and started her business about a year later. When asked about her experience, she confessed, “It’s tough to manage everything alone and to make people trust a small business but I’ve been enjoying every moment, no matter what.”
Jewelry making and crocheting have long been associated with women, and witnessing these women change the narrative by earning from their “feminine hobbies” is heartwarming and empowering at the same time. They have proven to the world that there is power in art, exemplifying that as long as we have ourselves, the world can flourish.
