Kalpana Jha
Mother's Day: Generally, only youth are discussed in the startup ecosystem. It is believed that there is a certain age for starting a business and taking risks. But, in the D2C (direct-to-consumer) market, Kalpana Jha, a resident of Darbhanga, Bihar, has completely changed this perception. On the occasion of this Mother's Day, we are going to tell you the story of a woman entrepreneur who, at the age of retirement, laid the foundation of a business from the kitchen of her home, which is now famous across the country.
The first condition of any successful product is its 'market-fit'. Kalpana ji's business idea also came from direct feedback from customers. Whenever guests came to his house, his only response on return was, 'We don't want a box of sweets, we want a jar of pickles from your hands.' This was a perfect product validation. He made the same old heritage and authentic taste of his village grandmothers as his USP. Initially, there was hesitation in his mind regarding the food industry, but due to its excellent quality, his experiment proved to be a hit in the market.
The most difficult phase for any startup is its 'scale-up'. Kalpana ji started this work with only 6 women during the second wave of Covid (year 2020). In those uncertain times, building a business in a bootstrapped manner (without external investment) was a big challenge. But as the demand for Jha Ji Store's pickles increased in the market, he rapidly expanded his supply chain and production. Today this small household work has turned into a leased factory, where 75 women are working. It is not only strengthening the rural economy but is also presenting an excellent model of employment generation.
Branding is the lifeblood of any business. When Kalpana Jha reached the stage of 'Shark Tank India', the investors (Sharks) also praised her business model and vision. The story behind naming the brand 'Jha Ji Store' is also quite interesting. She kept this name in honor of her husband, whom she calls 'Jha ji'. For a long time, she was not able to start her own business due to her husband's government job and transfers. But after her husband retired, it was only with her strong support that this venture took off.
This journey of Kalpana Jha gives a big lesson to today's youth and new entrepreneurs. He clearly believes that just having an idea is not enough, it is very important to have a solid business plan before execution. Along with this, he recognized the power of e-commerce and online marketplace at the right time. Today in the digital age, if your product is strong and you have a strong business plan, then you can take your brand to the global level from any corner of the world. This success of Kalpana Jha proves that in the world of business, age is just a number in front of skill and strong determination.
