Udhyam

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Udhyam Vyapaar’s Rural and Peri-Urban Women Entrepreneurship Program supports nano-entrepreneurs, or Vyapaaris, across business segments in Textile, Food, Service, Agro-Based, or Forest-Based sectors. These Vyapaaris often earn less than Rs. 10,000 per month, with some earning just INR 1,000 per month.

OUR APPROACH

We work closely with each Vyapaari for 3-6 months to solve the business bottlenecks and find new growth opportunities. Our aim is to enable significant income uplift and enhance their entrepreneurial mindset by enhancing their businesses.

  • 1 : Identification

We identify women Vyapaaris from various business segments, who would benefit from this program and also show keen interest. We do this through our on-ground staff as well as via Partnership with other CSOs operating in these villages.

  • 2: Business Mentoring & Solutioning
  • Analyzing the local business landscape
  • Assessing the Vyapaari’s current involvement and business maturity
  • Evaluating market potential in the area
  • Creating a solutioning plan customized for the individual Vyapaari
  • Initial hand-holding to help overcome risk aversion and inertia, while trying new business ideas
  • Continuous business monitoring & mentoring for assessing outcomes and impact

Personalized 1-on-1 mentoring and business-specific solutioning is the cornerstone of our approach. While foundational training in basic business management and entrepreneurial skills are also provided. Where relevant and possible, targeted group training sessions, are also used.

Solution Matrix : For each of the business segments we work with, we’ve developed a “Solution Matrix” categorizing the business interventions across four pillars. This works as a dynamic ready-reckoner for the field teams, providing them with a bank of ideas to try with each of the new entrepreneurs they work with.

This matrix aggregates potential solutions, considering factors like customer location and type, to facilitate program expansion and partnerships with similar organisations.

  • 3: Unique Approaches for Rural Women-run Nano-entreprises

A. Collaborations for

Skill and Efficiency

For these nano or home-based women Vyapaaris, one of the challenges is to enable them to grow without being limited by their own lack of mobility, digital or financial literacy and more importantly, without sacrificing their flexibility of work. We partner Vyapaaris with market-based aggregators to complement their skills and needs. For example, tailors connected to market via Shaktijhola.com in Madhya Pradesh, enabling them to access demand hitherto inaccessible.

B. Cluster-Based

Aggregation

Vyapaaris are linked in clusters to efficiently source, innovate, or market their products. For example, tailors are aggregated at the village level and connected as a group with the market to provide scale and efficiency.

C. Common

Branding

Similar products are brought under a common brand to build awareness, achieve rapid recognition, and command better prices. For example, home-based food entrepreneurs in a village are brought under a common branding and connected with local retailers, providing them scale and leverage.

OUTCOMES & IMPACT

The Key anchors of our program are

Sustainable income uplift post-intervention

Enhanced entrepreneurial mindset for continues innovation and problem-solving

  • Impact Snapshot

In a cohort of 100 Vyapaaris in our project in Rural Indore in Madhya Pradesh

0 %

Implemented at least one new business-enhancing idea

0 %

showed income uplift during the project phase

We are working with ~1000 vyapaaris in the rural and peri-urban areas, as of Feb 2025.

  • Long-Term Goals

By 2028, we aim to reach 70,000 Vyapaaris, through a combination of scaling our teams, partnering with other organizations, and leveraging technology.

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