When the going gets tough, some women take charge and work to turn it around. These women choose to view every challenge as an opportunity and serve as an inspiration to other women looking to build a legacy for their families. Indore-based Sunita Dabi is one among them.
Sunita has been responsible for taking care of her family’s needs for a while now. After separating from her husband a few years, the responsibility of her childrens’ future landed on her shoulders. The earnings from her job as a security guard, however, were meagre and managing her family finances and two childrens’ education was becoming a challenge. She was steadfast in her resolve to give them a brighter future and started helping in her father’s shop, Bhiru Bhai Kirana Store.
Her indomitable spirit saw her exploring other avenues that enabled her to earn an additional income. At this juncture, she came across Amazon’s I Have Space (IHS) program and learnt about the possibilities to scale her father’s business. She immediately enrolled in the program and this is when her entrepreneurial journey began.
The IHS program is a unique initiative that enables local store owners to partner with Amazon and add extra earnings to their regular income while also increasing footfalls to their local shops. Sunita, like many other store owners, provides pickup and delivery services to customers within a 2 -4 kilometer radius of her store.
Working with Amazon as an IHS partner for more than 3 years, Sunita has been able to earn a steady income while managing the store and her personal commitments with ease. The additional income from the program has enabled her to significantly improve her family’s financial condition and give her children the education they deserve. Sunita’s work ethic exemplifies Amazon’s leadership principles and she is known to adopt solution-oriented thinking and a customer-focused approach in all that she does.
Sunita juggles multiple roles and she continues to yearn for more. She starts her day by making deliveries and then moves on to managing the kirana store for the rest of the day.
Speaking about her experience, Sunita says, “The support and independence that I have received from Amazon has enabled me to secure my family’s future and give my children a better education. The biggest win is the respect and recognition with which I am accorded in society and when other people look at me as a pillar of support. This gives me the confidence and motivation to keep going. Becoming an IHS partner with Amazon has been a turning point in my life.”
Amazon India has successfully unlocked the entrepreneurial potential of such women store owners, allowing them to supplement their regular income and generate more footfalls in their stores. The program is open to all store owners who have the ability to service on foot or a two-wheeler. The only requirement to be an ‘I Have Space’ partner is for the store owner to have sufficient time to make local deliveries during their off-peak hours, and space to store packages.
This story of entrepreneurship is not just about Sunita but thousands of women who want to explore their potential to be successful career women, earn a living of their own, and uplift others in the process. This momentum is also indicative of the progress women are making to build their own businesses and actively participating in strengthening and positively impacting the country, at large.
