Mompreneurs of GreNo West are breaking all barriers

Fortunately, the Covid cases have come under control in the country. Yet, it is still early to forget the hardship caused during the three waves. Many people lost their family members or their sources of livelihood. But as a phoenix rises from the ashes, these women decided to start their businesses as a means to provide for their families.

Meet Anita Chauhan from Supertech Ecovillage 2. She runs “Chauhan Ji ki rasoi- Ghar ka khana”- a food truck for North Indian food at Gaur City with her husband.

She specialises in cooking food like rajma chawal, kadhi chawal and paneer thali. In paneer thali costs 70 INR (shahi paneer + rajma + kadhi sabji + chawal + roti +salad), for regular thali people also considers Rajma+Kadhi Sabji+ Chawal + Roti + Salad). In 2 months, her business has earned a name for itself in Noida.

Also read | Meet the Mompreneurs of Noida extension

For Anita, her business was her hope for survival after Covid hit her family's livelihood. “When covid hit the world, everybody was devasted, my husband lost his job. After several failed attempts at finding relevant work, we decided to start our business."

Every day, the couple prepares North Indian food in their kitchen. Thereafter, they store it in large containers which keep the food fresh and serve it from their food van.

"I wake up at 6 and start with making food, my husband helps me in cutting the vegetables, by 12:30 pm we set our kitchen for the clients and we wind up by 3 pm as the lunch gets over."

Apart from the food truck, she also runs a tiffin service from her home for the regular customers in which breakfast, lunch and dinner are served.

Anita further adds, "My husband cooperates a lot. He helps in putting ghee on chapattis, packing them,  and in cutting salad. This is a major help. This enterprise has not only given us peace of mind but also strengthened our bond."

As a message to fellow budding entrepreneurs, she says, “Concentration is the factor. If you start multiple businesses and simultaneously have a job, you will never see results. Most importantly, never give up. God helps those who help themselves."

Sulbha, a resident of Cherry county is a home-based baker who delivers her items in nearby societies. Sulbha was recently honoured on women's day by NEFOWA.

"I love experimenting with new recipes in my kitchen. I feel that a cake is the best medium to convey your thoughts and creativity simultaneously", says she.

Sulbha shares that she used to bake for her family and friends who always motivated her to start her own business. Thus, she decided to take a step forward and start her own business two years ago. A mother of three, Sulbha works hard to learn more in order to create more designs and techniques to make a perfect cake. She sells cakes, cookies, nan khatai, chocolates and customized gift items.

First, she bakes the base and gives resting time to cool down so that no mistake happens. Sulbha believes in working towards complete hygiene in her services. "We never use unhealthy colours. Even our kids eat those cakes. We will never risk anyone’s life."

She says, “This is the result of the passion and my husband's encouragement who always asked me to utilise my skills, so I started with this baking business. My friends inspired me to turn my hobby into an entrepreneurial business. Soon I planned to start on my own. And today here I am.

Sulbha believes in sharing her art with others. She says, “People do not share original recipes but I love to share my recipes. Last month, I created my Facebook page too, if you follow it you will learn half baking.”

Sulbha faced a difficult time as when she started her business, the second wave of Covid hit and her business was not able to flourish. For fellow mompreneurs, she wants to convey, "There will be difficulties in the beginning. But you must go on."