Sunil Kumar Rout of VSS Nagar, Bhubaneswar, with a degree in telecom engineering, was associated with MNCs like Vodafone, ATC, and American Telecom Tower Corporation in different job roles. But he was not satisfied with his career. He had a desire to become an entrepreneur, doing something on his own and creating employment opportunities for others. He was also supported by his father, wife, other family members and teachers, who encouraged him to take forward his inner desire.
He visited District Industries Centre, Bhubaneswar and met the officials. He came to know from them about the EDP training conducted by IED, Bhubaneswar, who also recommended him to join the programme. He joined the EDP programme at IED and successfully completed the programme. The trainers at IED helped him to contact PNB branch who liked his ideas and advised him to prepare a project report and submit for scrutiny. PNB approved his proposal and sanctioned Rs 7.25 lakh as loan.
He procured necessary machines and equipments, hired technical and general staff and started production of paper craft products. He did not face any problem for marketing the product, since he had made his own market survey before setting up the unit.
Within three months of operation, he attained financial break even. Currently he is making adequate profit. As per his business plan he would be earning around Rs. 40,000/- per month after paying off the debt. He is satisfied with the returns. With his excellent client orientation, he is confident to be a market leader in his area of business.
Credit must go to the young lady Trupti Sahu, who after her graduation and marriage, tried to help her parent’s large family. The family liabilities were increasing day by day, since, her father, who was in Govt Service, was the lone income earner for the family. Her family was frantically trying for a decent life. She made a resolve to start a business so that, with additional income, she would help in marriage of her four younger sisters, besides improving her own financial and social status.
Learning from different sources about the EDP training programme conducted by IED, she grabbed the opportunity and got herself trained in the programme. She started her production unit of plastic items with a project cost of Rs. 10 lakh, in Matiapara, Chaura Chhaka, Puri.
The Oriental Bank of Commerce, Puri approved her proposal and sanctioned a loan for Rs. 8 lakh. She procured automated machines by using the bank loan that can produce quality products (Homeopathy medicine bottles & moulded plastic items). She employs 8 male and 19 female workers, who help her in production and marketing of products. Through strict supervision and quality control, she easily sells her products and earns enough revenue to pay bills, carry out debt servicing and earn revenue of around Rs. 35,000/- p.m.
She has a vision to give employment to 100 needy persons by increasing the scale of her business to make a profit of Rs. 1 lakh p.m. She is a role model for girls in her locality.
Persons in similar socio-economic background have different level of business achievement mostly due to differences in their capability to identify opportunities and to exploit them. Although just secondary school educated, Shashanka Sekhar Nayak is a young man with a lot of drive. He came from a poor economic and financial background. He identified the products, he would trade. He made his home town, the place of marketing his products. He participated a training course conducted by IED at Puri and started his business Mahavir Brass Work.
While the IED training provided him with foundational knowledge, he got a good project report prepared and submitted it to Bank of Maharashtra, Puri, a local branch which considered and sanctioned an amount of Rs 7.5 lakh, which included adequate working capital. He opened two outlets for selling fancy brass items procured from distant markets.
Puri, being the citadel of Lord Jagannath, visited by large number of Hindu devotees throughout the year, it offered a good prospect for sale of his products. His business became successful as he ensured procurement of high quality products and offered those products with low margin and increased his turnover. He currently employs 7 persons, six male and a female, engaging them on various assignments, near Sri Jagannath temple and Sri Gundicha temple. He has started paying bank loan. Currently after meeting all expenses, he is earning around Rs.45,000/- per month. He is working towards sustainability of his business. He hopes to get handholding support at the time of crisis in future.
Being able to take risk and manage his business in a visibly efficient way, he has been recognized as a business leader in his trade.
He came to know from a friend about facilities available to young persons in urban areas to become entrepreneur under the Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP). To confirm and to know in detail, Himanshu Sekhar Srichandan of Puri town, contacted DIC and IED, wherefrom he learnt about EDP programme. He enrolled in IED for training and successfully completed it.
He wanted to utilize fly-ash to make bricks, which are eco-friendly. But he needed substantial amount for investment. His capacity to mobilise from his own source the minimum prescribed amount was severely constrained. Yet he did not back out. After consultation with trainers in IED, he got a project report prepared and submitted it to Bank of India, Puri for a loan of Rs 10 lakh. The project was bankable and Bank of India sanctioned it.
He has procured the machinery after identifying location for his unit. The factory is almost complete. Himanshu is getting ready to start production soon. He intends to provide employment to at least 12 persons, while having full time employment for him. The market has good demand for fly-ash bricks. Himanshu has already become an entrepreneur. He is determined to manage his business well to earn reasonable profit.
She managed her household with financial difficulty. Her husband’s income from selling aluminum utensils was not adequate. With just a HSC certificate and no knowledge about business, she was feeling exasperated to think how to get out of this situation. At this juncture, one of her friends advised her that she has the necessary drive of an entrepreneur and she should try to embark on a career as an entrepreneur. After some initial inquiries, she applied for the EDP course at IED, Bhubaneswar. She was selected for the training. And that was the beginning of her career as an entrepreneur.
As she had some idea about utensils, she prepared a project proposal with the help of IED, accessed a loan of Rs 7 lakh from Vijay Bank, Puri and established her unit, Sri Hari Narayan Metal. She procured machinery, deployed skilled and semi-skilled workers and started producing utensils in her own factory.
Her husband helps her in marketing of products and collection of revenues. All her workers are very hard working and honest.
She supervises production as well as marketing activities. With strict supervision, output per worker is also very high. After loan servicing, payment to the workers and expenditure towards input supplies, she makes an earning of around Rs. 65,000/- per month. She has given employment to 7 persons. She is optimistic to enhance the business to a new high making an earning of more than Rs. 2.00 lakhs per month.
Coming from a poor family of the neighbouring district of Khurdha, this 8th class pass, through his indomitable spirit, has become a model entrepreneur providing service greatly in demand by the youth. Bhobani Nayak, with some basic training in music from Kala Vikash Kendra, Cuttack, applied for an EDP course in IED. Getting selected, he seriously took his courses and successfully completed his training. During this short period, he interacted with fellow trainees, faculty and staff and put searching questions on business for discussion. By the time he finished his training, he made up his mind to enter into entertainment industry providing light and sound facilities in Bhubaneswar and nearby areas.
He established Baba Dutikeswar DJ Light and Sound, an enterprise with eight employees, six male and two females. For this he was assisted by Syndicate Bank with a loan of Rs 2 Lakh and IED for coordination at critical times.
He is now a successful business man, organising and providing his services to the liking of his clients while getting reasonable return on his investment. He is considered as a youth leader by the young people of his locality having liking for the music. He wants to provide entertainment to larger audience while earning decent income.
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.
For young Mahesh, becoming police personnel was the dream. While pursuing his studies, he tried his best to have a goodphysique. Despite his efforts, he failed to get into the police service. He was not disappointed. He enrolled himself for the EDP training course in IED. He discussed with his trainers his ideas to become an entrepreneur. Taking into account his interest and acumen, he was suggested during training, to consider getting into a restaurant business in Puri. And there he was, ready with his business plan, to be proposed to the Oriental Bank of Commerce.
The bank scrutinized his plan, held an interactive discussion with him and sanctioned Rs 10 lakh for the venture. Mahesh opened his business, M/S Nawab Rasoi, in Puri with just Rs 25,000/- as initial own capital. His business with 10 male and a female worker provides high quality healthy meal and snacks at reasonable price. With a monthly turnover of Rs. 1.5 lakh, he makes adequate profit after payment of wages and salaries to his employees.
He thinks that the opportunity that he picked up is due to the excellent support he got from IED faculty and management.
One usually comes across craft persons who produce excellent handicraft products but remain poor due to low value realization of their creations. Here is a case of a craftsman, who with managerial training from IED, becomes an entrepreneur and earns a decent income from business.
Kishore Chandra Dora and his spouse are both crafts persons. Kishore, after his EDP training in IED, got the idea of doing business in an innovative way. He decided that he would showcase his products, which are unique, in local market, and state level and national level Tradefairs. He approached a bank for financial assistance and ensured adequate inventory to maintain supply. Participation in several Tradefairs helped him and his spouse to get wider recognition for their products resulting in increased demand.
With a bank loan of Rs. 5 lakh, which includes working capital, he is getting a net average monthly income of Rs. 25,000/-. It is considered as a decent level of earning for a beginner in small business. He has been repaying his loan instalments to bank without fail. What is more important, he has provided employment to 13 persons, 10 female and three male artisans, who would eventually graduate to higher levels with acquired skills.
Innovative way of doing business, which he learnt in the IED training, has helped him to be a successful entrepreneur.
As a home maker Reetanjali Patra of GGP Colony, Bhubaneswar was happy. A small news about IED training completely changed her perspective. She decided to learn some techniques of business and enrolled herself as a trainee in IED during 2016-17. Here she discussed with faculty members possibilities of getting into business and the alternatives that she would face in the competitive tiny and small sector. By the time she finished her course, she decided that she would be in the furniture industry in a slightly different way.
She visited the modern furniture stores and noted down the style and utility of each piece of furniture and their respective prices. She prepared a project proposal in consultation with her faculties. She visited DIC, potential bankers, and made a small projection about the market demand. Her plan was to manufacture utility quality furniture with at least 20% less than the comparative market price. Her plan was approved by the Indian Overseas Bank for a loan amount of Rs. 20 lakh, her own contribution in equity being Rs 5 lakh. Her husband who was a carpenter became a good partner to study market designs, procure quality raw materials and supervise manufacturing including finishing of products.
Acknowledging that being an entrepreneur she faces huge risk, she is determined to carry on business and show her excellence. Her custom-made products have good demand and with lower margin and high turnover, she has started getting handsome profit while employing 20 skilled and unskilled workers and paying back her loan instalments. Although in the initial year of her business, she has made a plan for sustainable development of her enterprise. She gives due credit to IED for expanding her horizon of a home-maker to an empowered business entrepreneur.
