Our guest of the week Neha Thapa hails from the town of the captain cool Mahindra Singh Dhoni, Ranchi. A graduate from Gossener college had never thought that she would ever take up jewellery designing as a business. But destiny had other plans for her.
Designing jewellery was something that always grabbed her interest since she was in school. She never missed an opportunity that could showcase her creativity, be it fabric painting, designing,or just drawing. But she finds her solace in Jewellery Design. She remarks, that she would still be designing jewellery if there is no one to buy it!
Her motive behind her dedication isn't limited to earning as she could take care of her family and personal needs but she wants to use it as a means through which she could create jobs for females of all walks of life. She strengthened more than 500 women by imparting them her knowledge through workshops in collaboration with Pidilite and teaching.
But was her journey as easy as a walk on the cake...?
No, it took her almost a decade to realise her worth and observe her passion. After five years of nuptial life, she was shivered by some personal ordeals that made her realize that it was not the life she had dreamt of. She then concluded to stride toward her inner satisfaction. In the year 2018, She sent entry to the Pidilite, but as she was inexperienced, she couldn't get through. But as our beloved President, Mr Kalam said, FAIL stands for the First Attempt At Learning, and she nailed it.
The same year she again sent her entry to Pidilite and won the contract by winning against other around 30 competitors. Since then she has been working with Pidilite and doing workshops under them.
Philanthropist Neha was also working for those who lost their jobs during the Covid pandemic. This side of her is also visible while dealing with customers when she doesn't charge much if someone likes her jewellery but is unable to pay the actual prices. She says that one should never give up and cease learning. It is what helped her.
Though it was her journey it is incomplete without mentioning one of her childhood chums Neha Upadhyaya who never left her alone in her high and low. She provided her with moral and emotional support. It was she who kept her motivated until she got there. Her parents and husband also support her unconditionally. Some of her friends were also always there and she felt blessed and thankful for that.
She does a lot of artwork like Fabric Painting( Tie n Dye), Wall Hanging, Cushion Work, Oxidised Jewellery, and Bags but her expertise is in Thread Jewellery Design.
Though Neha has been selling her handmade jewellery for more than a decade she is still in her initial stage, she says. Things do take time but 10 years is a long time. On asking what made things setback so long? She replied that she has never been exposed to Social Media Marketing ever before.
Secondly, sourcing for Jewellery trims has always been a problem, since there's no variety of artificial trims in Ranchi. She has been sourcing materials from different sources,but has had a difficult time sourcing small amount of materials , not in bulk. "Every time it was not possible for her to buy materials in lot " , says Neha.So she had to look for someone who could provide her in retail. The next thing is she is entirely unknown to the process of branding and pricing.
After connecting with Designs Insiders she came to know about things that could take her business to next level. She learnt Photo Styling from a professional Photographer introduced by the platform for small businesses. She claimed that even though she has been putting the pics of her articles on WhatsApp status she is getting better responses after applying new techniques.And the journey continues to be better with each passing day , as she has always been an optimist whether it be life , relationships or her own entrepreneurial journey.
Visit the collection at : https://www.instagram.com/neha_designs1/
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