From a teacher to an entrepreneur

BANGALORE: Meet Shamala S, who firmly believes that hard work and dedication are the main qualifications to become a somebody in the society. She makes cloth bags in a small venture and aims to make it big in the future.Born and raised in Chickmagalur, Shamala moved to Bangalore after her marriage. She worked as a teacher at St. Philomena’s High School for seven years but quit to become an entrepreneur. “I attended an entrepreneurship development programme organised by AWAKE. The programme gave me the necessary push and knowledge to start making cloth bags,” recalls Shamala.She had succeeded in saving `25,000 in her seven years of work and invested it in making cloth bags and purses in 2010. “I had no money except the savings. I made 30 bags and sold them. The good response and demand for cloth bags encouraged me to continue,” she says.After her initial success, there was no looking back. She participated in exhibitions organised by various associations in Bangalore and other cities. “Currently, I am marketing the cloth bags and purses under the name Banashree Creations. Within a year, the turnover crossed `2.50 lakh. My aim is to increase it to `30 lakh per year and export the cloth bags and purses to other countries. I also plan to venture into making silk and cotton kurtas over the next few months,” she says. Shamala does not want to restrict to just making profits. She intends to give something back to the society. “I want to involve myself in social service and work for the betterment of women in the state,” she says. To make that true, she is planning to provide free training for  girls from economically poor families in making cloth bags and purses.