My Story: 'After Leaving My Permanent Government Job, I Became An Entrepreneur At Age 56'

Since childhood, I have been inclined towards crafts like knitting, painting, and sketching. While my parents, like everyone else's, told me to focus on my studies, I used to learn various art forms by reading books, seeing my peers and by self-experimenting.

All of this remained a mere hobby. To overcome challenges, I had to take up the primary school teacher job. But it didn't stop me from practising creative art forms. I continued with my art whenever I got time amidst home responsibilities and professional engagements.

'Pursuing My Hobby As Career'

After many years of hustle, in 2019, my daughter posted a picture of a small crochet earring on social media, and people started showing love towards it. Until then, I had never thought of pursuing my hobby as a career. I received the first bulk order of 50 crochet earrings after the photo performed well on social media platforms.

My daughter kept posting photos of my artwork and motivated me to start my own business of handcrafts. We soon started receiving small orders from all around the country, and we completed the orders beautifully, fulfilling the responsibilities of my job as a teacher.

After one and a half years, my work won customers' hearts, and we completed more than 300 orders and started receiving demands from abroad too. At that time, with only three years away from retirement, I left my 27 years old profession as a school teacher.

I left my permanent job, where I gained a high position, tremendous respect and a stable income. It was not an easy decision to take. But I did, and here I am now, owning a brand in my name- Nishtha's Handmade, a Haryana-based entrepreneurial venture. This handicraft business sells a wide range of beautifully handcrafted crochet and macrame products.

'Society Reacts To My Decision'

When I decided to leave my job and pursue my hobby as a career, the scepticism of family and friends around me was enormous, and I was, again and again, asked to reconsider the decision. Society counselled me to roll back my decision as they believed it was just a hobby and that I could never earn more than a few thousand bucks. They said it is a good idea to pass the time in old age. No one, not even my family, offered any money for investment in the business.

I overcame these obstacles with patience, and I never cared about the number of orders but always cared for how people were reacting to my work- are they liking the artwork or wanted to see more. I never hesitated to use my savings as an investment in my business.

Since the beginning, I never said no to an order, no matter how many sleepless nights I had to give for it. With the same determination and perseverance, I am moving towards achieving my goals and overcoming all the challenges.

If you, too, have an inspiring story to tell the world, send us your story at mystory@thelogicalindian.com