By Hima Nandan, Partnerships & Marketing; Shruti Anand, Specialist - Marketing and Communication, Udhyam Vyapaar, Udhyam Learning Foundation
When Jeeva first approached Udhyam Vyapaar, she was already someone with tremendous potential. Warm, determined, and deeply committed to supporting her family, she had been running a small food stall. But like many nano-entrepreneurs, her enterprise had come to a standstill during the Covid pandemic. Personal challenges and limited resources had pushed her to pause her food stall, and her monthly income had dropped to under Rs 10,000 as she was then running a small-scale home kitchen, providing lunches to a few PGs in her community. Unfortunately, eventually the PG orders also stopped coming in.
Yet the spark to restart her food stall business had never left her. All she needed was the right nudge and the right kind of support.
The Udhyam Vyapaar team began by doing what we do best: listening. Jeeva shared her challenges honestly - her limited utensils, her hesitation to scale production, and the fear that her business might not grow beyond a single meal service.
The first step we took with Jeeva was to encourage her to restart. But encouragement alone isn’t enough. What Jeeva needed was tailored support that matched her context, her aspirations, and her pace.
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Over the next seven months, the team worked closely with Jeeva, identifying bottlenecks and building practical pathways for growth.
Here’s what made the difference:
Jeeva’s production was restricted because she lacked the vessels needed to cook in larger quantities. With support in buying additional vessels that allowed her to prepare more meals per batch - her operational capacity increased significantly.
With confidence and capacity rising, Jeeva was encouraged to expand her service. From preparing one meal a day, she started offering two meals a day. This expansion opened new opportunities, diversified her income, and made her business more reliable.
To help her business move beyond informal networks, Jeeva was supported in securing her FSSAI license. This not only validated her enterprise but also opened doors to new customers and potential partnerships.
The team also provided practical guidance on maintaining and improving food quality, hygiene, and presentation. These simple habit shifts significantly improved customer satisfaction.
Running a food business from the street meant that weather often disrupted her operations. To ensure she had a stable space regardless of climate, Jeeva set up a canopy to protect her kitchen area from rain and sun. She added chairs for customers to make eating at her stall more comfortable.
These small infrastructural improvements made her service more professional and customer-friendly, increasing footfall and bringing in consistent orders.
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Now, nine months later, Jeeva’s average income now stands at an impressive 3.5 times her initial income.
But beyond the numbers, what truly stands out is Jeeva’s transformation:
Importantly, much of this growth is built on assets she now owns and capabilities that she has mastered, which will continue to support her income long after our intervention ends, making the impact durable.
Jeeva’s journey has also made her a role model within Udhyam’s women’s nano-entrepreneur ecosystem. Her discipline, consistency, and willingness to adopt new practices will inspire other women nano-entrepreneurs, showing them what steady effort can achieve.
And now this impact is reaching the next generation! Inspired by her mother’s success, Jeeva’s daughter has started using the food stall in the evening to sell snacks with the goal to build a food business of her own.
By Hima Nandan, Partnerships & Marketing; Shruti Anand, Specialist - Marketing and Communication, Udhyam Vyapaar, Udhyam Learning Foundation
When Jeeva first approached Udhyam Vyapaar, she was already someone with tremendous potential. Warm, determined, and deeply committed to supporting her family, she had been running a small food stall. But like many nano-entrepreneurs, her enterprise had come to a standstill during the Covid pandemic. Personal challenges and limited resources had pushed her to pause her food stall, and her monthly income had dropped to under Rs 10,000 as she was then running a small-scale home kitchen, providing lunches to a few PGs in her community. Unfortunately, eventually the PG orders also stopped coming in.
Yet the spark to restart her food stall business had never left her. All she needed was the right nudge and the right kind of support.
The Udhyam Vyapaar team began by doing what we do best: listening. Jeeva shared her challenges honestly - her limited utensils, her hesitation to scale production, and the fear that her business might not grow beyond a single meal service.
The first step we took with Jeeva was to encourage her to restart. But encouragement alone isn’t enough. What Jeeva needed was tailored support that matched her context, her aspirations, and her pace.
Over the next seven months, the team worked closely with Jeeva, identifying bottlenecks and building practical pathways for growth.
Here’s what made the difference:
Jeeva’s production was restricted because she lacked the vessels needed to cook in larger quantities. With support in buying additional vessels that allowed her to prepare more meals per batch - her operational capacity increased significantly.
With confidence and capacity rising, Jeeva was encouraged to expand her service. From preparing one meal a day, she started offering two meals a day. This expansion opened new opportunities, diversified her income, and made her business more reliable.
To help her business move beyond informal networks, Jeeva was supported in securing her FSSAI license. This not only validated her enterprise but also opened doors to new customers and potential partnerships.
The team also provided practical guidance on maintaining and improving food quality, hygiene, and presentation. These simple habit shifts significantly improved customer satisfaction.
Running a food business from the street meant that weather often disrupted her operations. To ensure she had a stable space regardless of climate, Jeeva set up a canopy to protect her kitchen area from rain and sun. She added chairs for customers to make eating at her stall more comfortable.
These small infrastructural improvements made her service more professional and customer-friendly, increasing footfall and bringing in consistent orders.
Now, nine months later, Jeeva’s average income now stands at an impressive 3.5 times her initial income.
But beyond the numbers, what truly stands out is Jeeva’s transformation:
Importantly, much of this growth is built on assets she now owns and capabilities that she has mastered, which will continue to support her income long after our intervention ends, making the impact durable.
Jeeva’s journey has also made her a role model within Udhyam’s women’s nano-entrepreneur ecosystem. Her discipline, consistency, and willingness to adopt new practices will inspire other women nano-entrepreneurs, showing them what steady effort can achieve.
And now this impact is reaching the next generation! Inspired by her mother’s success, Jeeva’s daughter has started using the food stall in the evening to sell snacks with the goal to build a food business of her own.
