From Balcony Boutique to Business Success: Armina’s Journey to Entrepreneurship

Shouldering both business and family

Armina is a woman living in Baishnabghata Patuli, Kolkata. She resides in her father's house, occupying just one room. Her in-laws' residence is in Murshidabad, while her husband works as a rajmishtri outside of West Bengal. Armina has been running her own business for five years now. She always had a passion for entrepreneurship and started Armina Garments with an initial investment of 2,000 rupees, focusing on low-range women's wear. Utilizing her small balcony space for her business, she presently holds a stock worth 50,000 rupees purchased from Barabazar.    She plans to increase her stock for the upcoming festival season to boost sales and profits, as it's the best time for business. Presently, her monthly sales have risen to 20,000 rupees with a profit margin of 5,000 rupees. The Swabhimaan project provided her with entrepreneurship training and seed funding, enabling her to expand her product range. Currently, she aims to promote her business online via Facebook and obtain a trade license.    Compared to the first year of her business, where she sold only 10 pieces per month, her sales have increased to 20-30 pieces monthly. She initially took a loan from the Bandhan SHG group to kickstart her business. While she couldn't save anything in the previous years, she now manages to save 3,000 to 4,000 rupees monthly. She recently bought a mobile phone for business purposes and also from her business profits, costing 16,000 rupees, through an EMI scheme. Despite her husband not contributing financially, Armina shoulders all household expenses, including two boys' education.