Hyderabad: It is not very often that a professional chartered accountant (CA) becomes an entrepreneur to help homemakers realize their dreams from the comfort of their homes.
Nishtha Yogesh, founder and CEO of Hunar Online Courses, struggled with entrepreneurship after working at KPMG’s audit department for three years. However, she sells the first business and goes back to start something closer to her home. After seeing her mother learn fashion design and realizing that many homemakers wanted to set up their boutique, she saw it as an opportunity.
‘I saw the transformation in the lives of students who learned fashion design from my mother. It was a driving force for me to start Hunar – in which we offer 30 plus courses that include not only fashion design but also clothing, fashion illustration, fashion style, embroidery, material design, bag making, home decoration, jewelry design, and boutique management. Everything that satisfies the creative side of an individual is taught by us, ‘says the entrepreneur in Hyderabad.
In addition to offering basic courses, the platform also offers pre-recorded video lessons of 20 minutes each, making it easier for the student to learn in their spare time. The certification is granted by the National Skill Development Corporation and for the design of fashion, the essay designer Neeta Lulla not only gives the course but also gives the mentor for the students to set up their boutique.
‘Not only online courses, but we also offer a complete package to students, depending on their choice of courses included in our fees. We had more than 10 lakh download programs and about 10,000 students learned on the platform, of which 65 percent are homemakers, ”says Nishtha.
She shares some success stories. Manju Pillalamarri, a 36-year-old homemaker from Hyderabad and mother of two children, felt it was time for her to continue her studies. It was then that she enrolled for Hunar Online’s boutique management course one and a half years ago and then became part of My Boutique program that supported her to create and sell her own collections online. She has been taking orders online and offline for the past few months and plans to set up a store now.
A dentist from Hyderabad, Dr M Namrata, did not have the
option to join the college for a fashion design course. The mother of two came across Hunar Online courses, which gave her the luxury of sitting at home and at her own pace. After completing courses at Hunar, she started her own business and created a brand Etnic Closet. She promotes and sells most of her collections on Instagram and other social media platforms.
Source: Telangana Today