My mother was an entrepreneur too

Just not the kind you hear and read about everyday

We admire entrepreneurs because they inspire us to be fearless and pursue our passion, all while creating jobs and wealth. My mother was an entrepreneur too. Just not the kind you hear and read about everyday.

Belonging to a small community in Agra with a housewife mother and scrap-trading father ('raddiwala'), she was one of four children but the only daughter; this meant that she was put in a local hindi medium school (against her wish) while my uncles went to the best city schools.

At 17, she was sent to Delhi ('bade sheher'), to live with her aunt so she could learn how the affluent cooked and ate and lived. She had to learn these things because she was taught this was the only way for her to attract a wealthy suitor.

She got married to my father at 19. My father was a paper trader in Old Delhi, so were his father and older brother. Street wise but stubborn, my father's family had simple goals and a narrow focus - save, preserve and sustain.

She had my sister at 20. This changed everything.

She always said that exposure is more important than money. And education is the greatest leveler. Her actions always matched her words. Several fights later, she had convinced my father to leave the joint family and move to a better locality (beyond our means but manageable).

I was born five years later. My mother's unconditional love and encouragement motivated my father to focus on growing his business. We all moved to Dehradun so that my sister could get access to the best tutors. She got through to Welham's! And I, DPS!

But good times seldom last. His business came crashing down. Our expense profile assumed steady future earnings. We had to cut back on everything. It is difficult for a 6 year old to understand why things need to be sold - TV, car, etc. Their relationship suffered too.

My father refused to do anything about the situation. Wasn't willing to do anything other than the business my grandfather trained him for. Made bad investments and emptied our savings.

He often blamed my mother for all of it - "I never wanted any of this in the first place."

She was now 30, with two small kids and no formal training or source of income. She refused to accept the situation as is. Couldn't let my father sell the house or take us out of our schools. She borrowed a small sum from my neighbour-aunt and decided to start a business.

The next day, there was a tailor with a sewing machine stationed in our living room. With the money she had, she barely managed to stitch one suit, went door-to-door to display her design and took orders on a notepad. All while running a house and raising two kids!

It worked! The design was a hit, orders poured in. She charged a mere INR100 for plain stitching (the north star metric for small boutiques). In 2 years, there were 15 people working in our house. My childhood was spent with kaarigars and Masterjis - loved every second of it.

My father took a backseat. As she earned more, he worked less and earned and spent even lesser. My mother gave my sister and I a choice - live comfortably now and be on your own (financially) once you're 18 or cut back so that she can save for our future. We chose the former.

We knew we couldn't afford to go to private / foreign universities for our under-grad. My sister went to SSCBS to do BBA and I cleared my law entrance to study at GNLU. She bought a new shop in our local market with the money she earned (saving for our future anyway).

Her business grew. There were 30 boutiques in a 2km radius but none as successful. The USP? She did everything herself - taking measurements, buying cloth and dealing with customers. And post her 14-hour workday, bought groceries and cooked for us. Listened to our problems.

My sister went to Paris for her Master's (on full scholarship). I interned at top law firms. She was our best friend and the provider of the house, and did it all with a smile on her face. She advised her younger brothers to move to Delhi from Agra. They were now flourishing with her support.

I got a job at a leading law firm and a few days later my sister got married in Paris with a dreamy ceremony at Champs-Elysees. She looked down at the street, tears rolling down her cheeks, thanked god and decided to shut shop. Also, her mental health had caught up with her.

She had achieved much more than she set out to. Had only raised a 'small round' from her friend, never scaled or opened a second store and didn't have a bumper exit.

But she changed all our lives and the entire family's fortunes. And inspired countless people along the way!