RISE OF THE HOMEPRENEURS

In urban areas, women-led home enterprises are leveraging the opportunity offered by the digital boom to scale up their aspirations

- Sonal Khetarpal

By the time Kalpana Jha, a resident of Bihar’s Darbhanga city, found the time to carve an identity for herself and attain financial independence, she was 52 years old. The household and family responsibilities that had claimed her younger years were completed—her husband had retired, her two children were busy in careers of their own. And so, with an initial investment of Rs 10 lakh from her husband’s retirement fund, and her sister-in-law Uma as partner, Kalpana gave wing to her entrepreneurial urge by doing what she knew best—cooking. She set up a pickle-making business, JhaJi, in 2020, operating from the ground floor of her residence. The set-up allowed the women to manage household chores while overseeing the business operations. “Bihar is still a conservative state and women venturing out to run their businesses is still uncommon,” she says.

Though it had taken Kalpana five decades to plunge into entrepreneurship, the timing proved to be perfect. With social media aiding promotions and the easy access to digital payment options and e-commerce platforms like Amazon and Flipkart blurring retail boundaries, small businesses like Kalpana’s found the opportunity to tap into a wider customer base. Reality business shows like