These 5 women entrepreneurs are earning in crores because they didn’t give up on their dreams

From a housewife to a cancer survivor, meet some women entrepreneurs who started up, despite challenges, and went on to build companies with revenues in crores.

Saturday December 21, 2019 , 4 min Read

Starting up is not easy, and running a profitable business is not every entrepreneur’s cup of tea.

These women entrepreneurs made it happen; from small investments, they now clock revenues in crores. Their persistence and grit have kept them going despite numerous challenges, fuelled by their passion to succeed.

Here are five inspirational women entrepreneurs whose companies are earning revenue in crores.

Jasmine Lulla, Cakes N’ Craft

Jasmine’s story is all about having your cake and eating it too. In 2016 she was undergoing chemotherapy for cancer but didn’t let that come in the way of her business. What started as a baking project from her kitchen has become a full-fledged venture. The company, with more than 15 stores, has clocked a revenue of Rs 8 crore, and she sells around 500-600 cakes daily.

Jasmine bootstrapped the company with Rs 20 lakh.

In an earlier interview, Jasmine told YourStory, "After my cancer diagnosis, I rested only during the chemotherapy process. When I wasn't being treated, I was working and following my passion for baking with Cakes N' Craft."

Jyoti Wadhwa, Sanskriti Village

In 2010, Jyoti Wadhwa, a Delhi housewife, realised she needed to do something if her husband, the sole breadwinner of the family, was going to quit his job and start up. After a lot of research, she decided to start her own vintage sarees business.

In an earlier interview to HerStory she had shared, “I only had Rs 50,000 so I had to be very selective and prudent.”

Jyoti broke even in the first year of operations. From handling operations single-handedly, she now employs 30 people, most of whom are women. She now has an annual turnover of around Rs 10 crore. In 2015, she also received the Niryat Shree award from the President of India.

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Tejal Pimpley, CISB Facility Services

Serial entrepreneur Tejal Pimpley heads companies such as CISB Facility Services Pvt Ltd and Green Eco Environment & Energy Pvt Ltd, and also runs two cafes, Metime Café and Penthouzz, and a dance academy, BYou, in Mumbai.

Her entrepreneurial journey began when she was 20. She leads CISB (CIS Bureaus Facility Services Pvt. Ltd), which provides security and facility management solutions, and is the director of Green Eco Environment & Energy Pvt Ltd, Mudra Power And Cables Limited, Shree Samarth Caterers and Rein Chemicals & Agro Products, and Shree Samarth Caterers.

Across all verticals, Tejal is in charge of 7,000 employees. With an investment of about 80 lakh in various businesses, including the cafe and the dance studio, she has been able to clock Rs 20 crore in revenue.

In an earlier interview to HerStory she shared,

There have been many highs and lows, and there will be more to come. However, her biggest high until now has been when she won a single contract worth Rs 10 crore in spite of facing ample competition. "The lowest low was when I missed a very good business opportunity of a leading company due to unavoidable circumstances".

Sheela Kochouseph, V Star Creations

With no family money to bank on, Sheela Kochouseph took a loan from her husband to start V Star Creations, a high quality innerwear brand. What started with 10 people. In an earlier interview to HerStory she said,

“At that time, I didn’t get any pattern maker who knew the subject. I had to learn it by myself and teach others. And that’s how I entered the lingerie business.”

Now the company has panned into 16 units with 1,000 women working on the products. Last year, the company touched a revenue of Rs 100 crore.

Chinu Kala, Rubans Accessories

When she was 15, Chinu Kala left her home due to family issues and moved to Mumbai. To make a living, she started selling knives knocking on different doors. She was determined to succeed.

In an earlier interview, she told HerStory, “These initial years toughened me up and taught me that nothing comes easy in life. I slowly worked my way up the ladder.”

In 2014, she started Rubans Accessories with Rs 3 lakh in a 70 sq ft kiosk at a mall in Bengaluru. Within five years, the company has clocked a turnover of Rs 7.5 crore.

(Edited by Rekha Balakrishnan)