Ujjwala Shanker, is a determined woman who believes in empowering others. Life has shown her many ups and downs but that has not deterred her confidence and zeal to empower others. WomenShine got to interact with her and meet this dynamic personality.
Early Years Of Life: It’s my life
I was a brilliant student, but I got married at 18 (It was a love marriage) and had my first child at 19. My marriage was not very happy, but I stayed in it for my children. I opened a beauty salon in 2002. After my elder son’s demise in 2010, I lost all zest for living and closed down the salon.
However, God blessed me with my younger son and I slowly picked up the pieces of my life. I helped set up a skill development wing at Jagriti in Loreto Convent and teaching underprivileged girls to become self-sufficient somehow healed me from within.
My parents were ill so I took up the care of my mother’s school, Holy Shrine Inter College.
The birth of Holy Shrine Incenses
I run a school where ‘not so privileged’ children study. I feel that they need to undertake skill development besides regular studies so that they are able to earn something. Also, many ladies from neighbouring villages were asking me for jobs. As they say, where there is a will, there is a way and at that time, Mr Sudhanshu Sharma ji, heading Corporate Banking in North India introduced me to Mr Om Pandey ji who wanted to train my children in Agarbatti making. Both of them were instrumental in my entering this field. They were kind enough to provide me with technical support and know-how so that I felt confident in undertaking this venture. In fact, Mr Sudhanshu Sharma suggested that I should start skilling rural women so that they become financially independent. Towards this, I started training them in Agarbatti making. My enterprise, Holy Shrine Incences is geared towards providing employment opportunities to rural women and skill development. This enterprise is totally environmentally friendly. The ingredients used are totally natural, be it charcoal, wood powder, wood bark, guar gum, bamboo sticks or flower petals. In fact, sawdust powder or flower petals are recycled without any pollutants and harmful chemicals into beautiful incense. There is no noise pollution, water pollution, air pollution or soil pollution during the manufacturing process. Incense and aromatherapy have proven psychosomatic benefits. The smoke from our incense does not irritate the eyes or lungs. We use essential oils for our perfumes which promote wellness. Leftover raw materials are recycled so there is negligible wastage.
Major Hurdles and Challenges
Raw incense sticks get damaged so we have to handle them carefully to minimise wastage. Since there are no preservatives or chemicals are used, the incense sticks are prone to getting fungus very quickly and hence need to be dried and stored with stringent precision. To enhance the shelf life they need to be perfumed and packed properly which is an expensive process. Finding buyers and a market for my ready products is a great challenge. As this is an extremely labour intensive business, hence the retention of good workers is a major challenge because when they learn what they need to, they tend to leave.
The Marketing Strategy
a. Creating awareness for my brand through social media via Digital Marketing- Instagram, Facebook and Google.
b. Direct marketing B to B via Sales and Marketing team
c. Pamphlets and roadshows to create awareness.
d. Making Miss India, Pankhuri Gidwani my brand ambassador.
e. Inviting dignitaries for a formal launch.
f. Joined BNI to get business links to wholesalers and C and F agents.
g. A radio campaign for 15 days prior to the formal launch.
h. Targetting Corporate Gifting with my premium range of incense made of flowers.
i. Showcasing my products on Trade India for bulk selling.
j. Planning to sell through Amazon.
k. Making a business website showcasing my complete range with an option for ordering and paying online.
l. My tagline is, ” Jeet tumhari hai” ( Victory is yours) I want incense to be part of daily life, not just religious rituals. I want my consumers to associate Holy Shrine Incenses with victory in whichever form it means to them.
Roadmap:
a. I see making complete inroads into Lucknow in the coming 6 months and entering UP by the end of 12 months.
b. I will enter big retail chains and make inroads into the Indian market by the end of 12 months.
c. I hope to get a slice of the premium Corporate gifting segment where a personalised thoughtful gift makes a difference.
Advice for Women Entrepreneurs:
a. Be very thorough with the production process- procuring raw materials, training the staff, and putting infrastructure in place.
b. Register your firm/NGO
c. Get proper labour clearance, get your PAN and GST number and understand the laws that govern your business.
d. Have a proper marketing strategy.
e. Have patience and faith in God. Be prepared for teething troubles and stumbling blocks. Don’t let them deter you.
The reason behind my happiness:
What truly makes me happy is empowering others.
Written by :Aditi Gupta
Author’s bio:
A vivacious and lively girl living in Delhi, on her voyage for exploration of colours in life. A glimpse of what she does: Read, write, eat, Repeat!
