Manish Khandelwal, a 32 year old resident of Jaipur, had to face an unexpected tragedy when his elder brother passed away in 2019. At the time, Manish, who was working in a transportation company and earning ~Rs. 18,000 per month, had to take up the responsibility of supporting both the families. That’s when he thought about turning to e-
commerce, having seen many people talk about how these platforms are enabling them to start their own business with minimal capital and eventually attain financial independence. Manish then stumbled upon Meesho, an online marketplace, where he first registered ‘YouthFirst’ and started selling menswear products like shirts and t-shirts.
Initially, it was a struggle for Manish as he was new to the world of e-commerce and had no
prior experience of selling online. However, support from his nephew Ankit coupled with Meesho’s easy to use platform and its high reach ensured that the business grew gradually. The first product he sold was slippers followed by fabrics and then eventually apparel. At every stage of his journey, Manish’s products kept gaining popularity due to their high quality and affordable pricing. This growth prompted him to increase the production capacity over time and hire people from the local community who shared the same work ethic and enthusiasm as him. Today, ‘YouthFirst’ operates under the company name of ‘Sevanti’ and has created job opportunities for over 250 part & full-time employees, spread across its 3 warehouses in Jaipur which includes a manufacturing unit, dispatching facility and head office. They dispatch close to 1300 orders daily to different parts of the country while also witnessing a 3x increase in order volumes during the festive period.
Elaborating on the experience of starting his business on Meesho, Manish said, “When my nephew Ankit and I first started selling online on Meesho in 2019, we had no idea about the e-commerce industry. But we were determined to succeed. We worked hard, learned from our mistakes and kept improving. In Meesho, we found a platform that could take our products to all corners of the country, thereby helping us scale the business at a phenomenal pace. In our first year we recorded a turnover of Rs. 50 lakhs and since then our business has grown almost 100x in the last 4 years. This growth has not only turned our fortunes around but given a new lease of all the people associated with us. It has also given us confidence to take our business to new heights and we will add more products to our catalog in the near future.”
Today, through the power of e-commerce, many Indian entrepreneurs like Manish have been able to create employment opportunities within their regional communities. It has provided people with a chance to earn a livelihood and gain financial independence regardless of their gender, religion, caste etc. Meesho’s easy to use platform and zero commission policy have especially motivated many sellers from the underserved corners of the country to explore the world of online selling and in turn create jobs for those around them.
Manish’s story is a testimony to the power of resilience and determination. His journey is an
inspiration to all those emerging entrepreneurs who are struggling to make a mark in their lives and are exploring e-commerce as a medium to become ‘Atmanirbhar’. It is a reminder to all of us that if we Indians are determined, we can overcome any obstacle and achieve our dreams.