Valarmathi was at the crossroads of life when her husband died suddenly. With three sons and a daughter to support, she knew she had to start a business on her own, as working for daily wages would not be sufficient to provide for her family.
It was at this point in time that Valarmathi became a client with IMED, Opportunity’s partner in India. With the loans she received from IMED she started a business selling food from carts around the city.
Being innovative
Valarmathi’s main strength in business has always been her innovative spirit. Initially, she sold roasted peanuts, but she soon discovered that peanuts topped with spice and shredded mangoes was popular with locals. To make the dish, Valarmathi boils the peanuts, then adds spices and a mixture of shredded mangoes. Finally, she garnishes the snack with lemon and finely cut coriander leaves. Today, Valarmathi is making a daily profit of Rs.200 (A$5.80) from her peanut business alone. But she didn’t stop there! Soon, she introduced puffed rice products to her stock.
Her newest addition is instant cup noodles, which are very popular with school children. The instant noodle suppliers provide Valarmathi with a push-cart and a carton (1,000 packets) of instant cup noodles. Each pack sells for between Rs.10 and Rs.15 (A$0.30-$0.45). From one carton of noodles, Valarmathi keeps approximately 10 percent of the sales. Since starting this business, Valamathi’s profits have increased to between Rs.300 to Rs.350 (A$8.70-$10.15) a day.
Striving for more
Valarmathi feels that she is privileged to be a part of the Trust Bank as it has enabled her to think and work beyond the limits she first set for herself. Being part of a group inspires her to continually forge ahead in her businesses and achieve more than she had previously thought possible.
DSBN is pleased to be involved with Opportunity International as a donor sponsor and we are excited to announce our new initiative - sponsorship of a Trust Bank in West Timor by end 2006. If you are interested in contributing to the DSBN Trust Bank, please contact us.
Empowering small business owners!
