Manish Kumar
Post News Network
Bhubaneswar, July 7: Srijeet Mishra is a 29-year-old MBA student from Xavier Institute of Management, Bhubaneswar (XIMB). Srijeet however dons another hat – that of a budding entrepreneur who hit upon an idea to get people’s clothes washed and delivered at their doorsteps through an online service.
Srijeet said after finishing his graduation degree, he told himself he did not want to tread the commonly-taken path of joining a firm run by corporate giants.
In order to exploit the untapped opportunities of an online laundry service in the city, he started out on an innovative plan to provide citizens an opportunity to get their soiled clothes taken from their doorstep, washed and delivered back – all with just a simple online registration that takes very little time.
“I knew in my heart I was not born to take up a regular salaried job. I dreamt of something else, something that I would do on my own. Out of that desire, I started my online laundry firm two years back in the city with the help of two friends. We received an overwhelming response. We are growing rapidly and now I’m planning to set up franchises in other major cities across the country,” says Srijeet, co-founder of dhobiwaale.com.
Is Bhubaneswar conducive for such a venture, we ask the entrepreneur.
“The capital city is a great place to do business as it has a lot of potential. A lot of people are getting attracted to the idea of setting up their own business. NGOs, consulting houses and many more are now coming up in the city, all brainchilds of young, passionate minds,” Srijeet said.
Like Srijeet, there are many from the city who have followed their dreams.
Deepti Ranjan Sahoo is one such young entrepreneur from the city in his late 20s. Although he graduated in engineering in 2011, he is now managing three firms in different sectors and has employed at least 50 people from the city.
“I was determined not to follow the stereotypical path of applying for a job. I wanted to create employment in the state and wanted to employ people from the state. Many people I knew ridiculed my idea of launching a start-up at such a young age and warned me of the consequences, but I put my money where my heart was and I turned out all right,” said Deepti, founder of Derive E-Firm, a digital solutions firm based in the city.
Similar is the story of 30-year-old Ajay Kumar Nanda from the city.
This young graduate was earlier working in UAE in a reputed firm but could not suppress his desire to start something of his own in his home state.
He soon came back to Bhubaneswar and launched a high-end bicycle store named 22 Bikes in Sahid Nagar.
“I noticed that there were hardly any bicycle stores in the city that were catering to the needs of people wanting to buy high-end stuff. All it needed was a little investment and a generous amount of risk. I decided to take the risk and established my store in the city. I thankfully got a great response, and business is a booming,” says Nanda who has modified his cycle store to resemble a bicycle-related book library, a workshop and an information centre for bicycle enthusiasts.
“The love for my state and attachment that I have with my hometown helped me do well,” Nanda adds.
Another passionate entrepreneur is 24-year-old Biplab Parida, who soon after his B Tech degree from Konark Institute of Science and Technology in 2012 decided to foray into online food delivery. With the help of two of his friends, Biplab launched ‘wishanydish.com’ where one can order food online.
“It is never too late to do what you want to do. We were warned by many against such a ‘misadventure’ that could ‘ruin our careers’,” Biplab says.
“But I dared to take the plunge and three years down the line, I’m happy with where I am. I’ve made an entry into the business of online catering in the city. We’re growing, and I expect better days ahead,” Biplab says.
For some, experimenting with ideas in business pushed them to do things in a different way. Narayan Sahoo (28) did his MBA from Techno School from the city and started ‘Big Bites’, a ‘panipuri’ shop near Vani Vihar. What’s new with a panipuri stall, you ask? Narayan has experimented with the dish to give it another dimension altogether – he has been selling chicken and mutton panipuris to his customers and is reporting positive sales.
“After completing studies, I joined a private company but left it after a few months to work on my own idea for a start-up. I came up with an idea of starting a chicken and mutton ‘panipuri’ shop along with Chinese and Indian cuisines,” Narayan says.
“My investment was modest at Rs 3 lakh, but if it works out I will expand it. I believe if someone puts his heart and soul into something, and does it with full dedication, success will always be his,” says Narayan.
