Leaving behind a steady and stable job is no easy feat but for a lot of entrepreneurs, quitting one job is often the start of another career pursuit! With e-commerce presenting plenty of opportunities for budding entrepreneurs, hundreds of thousands of sellers have been able to start their business, scale and grow financially. In the bustling city of Jaipur,
entrepreneurs Mohit Shekhawat and Naveen Panwar embarked on their entrepreneurial journeys by embracing the online world. Little did they know that their decision to list their businesses online would pave the way for their remarkable success today.
Mohit Shekhawat’s entrepreneurial journey is one that started from selling homemade skirts to now selling products nationwide. He started his business, ‘Rajputana Enterprise’ in 2016, as a first-year college student, armed with an inventory of skirts which his mother stitched at home, a tribute to the rich Rajasthani culture and heritage. Slow and steady, he built a brand from scratch, engaging with customers in a lucrative manner and posting product photos online, which eventually helped him drum up a substantial 10,000+ customers. In the initial years, Mohit balanced his business while working a full-time job as an animator. His dream to go into full-time business came true when he joined Walmart Vriddhi in December 2022. Walmart Vriddhi helped him understand necessary business concepts which he needed to scale his business, including brand value, supply-chain development, and product presentation.
Today, Mohit has come a long way. He now has many design units, staffed by craftsmen and artisans, pushing out a large range of women’s clothing like skirts, lehengas, Kurtis and more to customers across India. With Walmart Vriddhi, he also gained the benefit of getting listed on Flipkart. Says the proud businessman, “I was able to sell my products across the country and show the country the essence of traditional Rajasthani culture through my clothes. My sales have increased, and customers now recognize my company. It helped me build a brand identity.”
Jason Fremstad, Senior Vice President, Supplier Development, Walmart says, “We launched Walmart Vriddhi in 2019 with the intention to equip 50,000 Indian MSMEs with the skills necessary to succeed in business. From streamlining supply chains to implementing data-driven insights, these skills enable them to make informed decisions, identify emerging trends, and seize opportunities for innovation and expansion. Through Vriddhi, we are committed to empowering MSMEs with comprehensive learning opportunities to not only level the playing field, but also ensure that MSMEs can not only survive, but also thrive. Witnessing thousands of MSMEs embrace the digital route is a testament to the significance of equipping them with future-ready skills.”
Naveen Panwar, another Jaipur-based entrepreneur, was on his way to sit for a competitive
government exam, when he suffered from a heat stroke, which thwarted his dream. He wasted no time waiting for another exam and joined a local company, which stemmed his passion for online sales, which according to Panwar, was “planned in his destiny”.
Panwar’s job at the local company got him introduced to the world of selling online, which
ultimately sparked an entrepreneurial zeal in him. He decided to make and sell decorative cushions, covers, bolsters and pillows under his own label, ‘Kavita Traders’. To expand his business, he took a credit loan from Flipkart and onboarded the Flipkart marketplace to reach customers nationwide. Since then, his trust in online channels only grew. He also began attending the Walmart Vriddhi program, which helped him understand the crucial nitty-gritty of business. Says Panwar, “The Vriddhi team helped me understand the technical know-how, identify between fast-moving SKUs and slow-moving SKUs, storing raw materials. I also get to learn a lot of practical processes – from the logical POV to marketing of the products. I find the programme very interactive and informative.” With Vriddhi, Naveen also invested in machinery and was able to cut down on manufacturing costs. He also decided to foray into B2B sales, catering to hospitals and hotels.
Today, Kavita Traders has a lean team of five employees, who together manage 290 products listed online that show healthy sales, which not only helped him pay off the credit loan, but also think about expanding his business. He aspires to add internationally inspired products under his three brands, Racoon, PillowValla and Customer Lifetime Value (CLV).