If setting up a business itself is not easy, to make it work and make a dent in the market and eventually succeed is no child’s play. Knowing well that the task is daunting and full of odds, the city’s homemakers turned entrepreneurs are a determined lot.
Andal Surendran, who set up a spice making and marketing venture, ‘Poornima Enterprises’ says she soon understood that far from making profits, to break even itself could take a significant period of time.
Recalling many challenging moments and several demoralising experiences, she says “When I went to give sample packets of my product at provision stores, they would immediately reject it saying the demand now was for a quality brand. It took a lot of effort to convince people that my product is much better than what is available in the market,” she says.
Right from the start she was determined to offer something that other brands did not have. “What could be better than being cost-effective?” she asks. Also she assures, “I bet on the traditional aroma and flavour in my product,” adding that persistence and understanding the changing needs of the trade and people had been her guiding mantras. “After four long years, now I think my efforts are beginning to pay off,” Andal says with a smile.
What helped the turn around? Andal feels it all boils down to smart publicity which is key in establishing a brand.
This she did by distributing free packets to her friends, neighbours and provision stores.
“Positive reviews started to pour in as soon as the free distribution started. As the word spread, provision stores started to give us a hearing and slowly began to accept the products we offered. So much so that today we receive calls from stores for regular orders, ” she says.
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