She wanted to earn some additional income by utilising her time freed from household work. A training in IED made Mrs. Reeta Roy an entrepreneur, despite poor financial base and low level of education. Reeta of Kalyanpur, Phulnakhara got to know about IED from a known person and applied for training. During her interactions in training sessions, she made up her mind to set up a small unit to manufacture made- to- order dresses for babies and school going children. She acquired the skills of dress designing and recruited four female tailors who had some previous experience as designers too.
Established as Barsha Readymade Garments, with an initial investment of Rs 4 lakh, of which Rs 3.5 lakh was financed by the Indian Overseas Bank, the unit has been manufacturing beautiful dresses, made-to-order, mostly catering to the needs of the local area. Yet it is earning enough to pay for the women employed while retaining a good amount to pay the bills and earn reasonable profit.
Customers are happy too as they get choicest dresses for their children at reasonable prices. Reeta, while financially helping her family, has decided to expand her unit with additional investment in new tailoring machines and other equipment. Her success in business has attracted other women in the area to try their hands in enterprises.
