Saumya Gupta Success Story As A Commercial Pilot To Crorepati Fashion Designer
Image: Source: Facebook
There is a time in everyone’s life when we have to re-consider every decision that we have ever made. One failure, and it almost seems like the world is coming down on us. And, to add to that pressure, the wonderful society never fails to point at Sharma ji’s daughter and Gupta uncle’s son for a role model.
Against this backdrop, today’s generation is constantly battling the pressure and competition around them. However, as much as we are taught physics, chemistry, and biology, the present generation is not taught about handling stress and failure. And, the outcome of this is visible in our newspapers with news of youngsters taking to suicides and other extreme measures nearly every day.
While there are cases of youngsters taking such extreme decisions to escape a challenge, there are also instances of people who have faced the odds to come out triumphant. One such story is that of Saumya Gupta.
Who Is She?
She was one of the millions of people who lost her job in the dark ages of recession. And, with that, she was also prey to faces in the society that mocked her for an unexpected downfall. However, that was not the end of her. Rather than staying fixated on a single plan, Saumya diversified her vision, which turned out to be her tryst with destiny. Read on to know more.
Hailing from the city of Mumbai, Saumya carried the city’s spirit in her heart. Having completed her education in India, she set her eyes on the sky and decided to move to the U.S. to take her life where the eyes were — the sky. She aspired to be a commercial pilot. After training, when she returned home in 2008, the economic recession struck. This left Saumya devastated, since pilot jobs were hit hard, and she was left with neither a degree nor a job.
Without giving up hope, Saumya applied at several airlines and did not hear back for over a year. With the fear of being called a failure, guilt of the exorbitant course fee, and the inability to move forward, she hit a dead end. Around now, with her parents hinting the end of possible pocket money, Saumya had her back against the wall to find a source of income. For the lack of options, she landed herself into a call center job that paid her a decent sum that supported her sustenance. While this may have seemed to be a turning point for many, Saumya knew one thing from the very beginning—she did not belong there at all. Over the course of the next eight months, she saved up money for a possible escape route.
The Turning Point
While she tried to survive the work and irregular late-night work hours, at one point she reached saturation. As she spent several nights crying herself to sleep, her mother motivated her to take a different route. Having constantly been complimented for her sense of fashion, Saumya could think of nothing else, but to sell apparel. And, when her mother approved of her decision, little did Saumya Gupta think that it would be the beginning of her entrepreneurial life.
Although her parents were not financially sound to support, their approval in her choice of career gave her a renewed lease of strength to progress. And, from there, the rest was history. Or, was it?
10 On 10 Is Born…
Saumya approached a garment exporter and bought around 30 pieces of export surplus, with the plan of selling them at their home-exhibition. As they spread the word to friends and relatives about the date of the exhibition, Saumya realized that the clothes got sold out a day before the planned date.
Toggling between taking order calls and buying clothes, Saumya’s hard work caused the sales to increase over time—increased enough to turn her survival gig into an actual business venture. Now, she had set her eyes on expanding the venture further.
Learning the basics of business and driven by the urge to capitalize, Saumya turned to e-commerce portals for better sales. With the help of a photographer friend and a model, who agreed to do a portfolio for free, Saumya got onboarded onto a fashion portal.
And, The Rest Was History…
Over the next few months, Saumya cut corners in her personal and social life to bring a bigger picture to life. With a few student models, a professional photoshoot was done, and that finally put 10 on 10 online. In no time, garments worth six hundred thousand rupees were sold out. What followed from here proved to Saumya that there was no turning back. In due course of time, they shifted out of a garage into a corporate set up and also got an ISO certification, and today, 10 on 10 has an annual turn over of over 10 crores.
In the year 2015, Saumya Gupta was awarded the “Woman Entrepreneur of the Year – 2015.” And, when asked for the secret sauce, she points at passion, discipline, conviction and absolute fearlessness.
So, think you are having a bad day? Think again. No matter how bad things are going, remember this. This is not the end. Merely a bend. Take life by the reigns and steer it the way you want to go. Feeling inspired? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.
