Today’s ‘The Winged Women’ story is about Asha Khatri. A woman who dared to kickstart a small crochet toys business after completing her Masters in History simply because she wanted to be more independent and build something that she could call her own.
The Winged Women interviewed this small business women entrepreneur who is now working to make ashi.toys.studio even bigger. Let’s take you to the interview
Hi Asha, tell us something about yourself
Hello, my name is Asha Khatri. I belong to Chittorgarh, which is a small city in Rajasthan. I completed my B.Ed in 2014 and also finished my Masters in History in 2016. Currently, I am running a small crochet toy making business that I started in December 2021.
How did you get the idea of starting a crochet toys business?
It was actually quite random. There was some leftover wool form a sweater made by my mother and my niece asked me to make a toy for her. I did some research on YouTube, saw endless amigurumi tutorials and started making a toy for her. She loved the final outcome.
After that I made some more toys and set up a stall in an exhibition. The amount of love that people gave to my handmade toys was overwhelming. We got sold out in the first exhibition itself. It was then that I became even more confident about taking up amigurumi as a full-time business.
Do you manage the entire business alone? From handling raw materials to social media
As of now, I handle the business alone. I am focusing on everything from handling inventory to managing the social media content. My brother helps me with packaging and shipping the products.
How do you manage crochet toys business along with your other chores?
It is challenging to handle everything at once, so I prepare weekly to-do lists that help me manage my time efficiently. My family helps me manage the house work, so it becomes easier.
Tell us about the best moment of this business so far
Having something of my own has boosted my confidence like nothing else. I started work in early December 2021 and spotted an Instagram ad about an upcoming night market in Jaipur. After a lot of thought, I decided to give myself a chance and bought stall in the exhibition although it was quite pricey.
For almost 10 days and nights before the exhibition, I worked really hard to make enough toys to sell.
When we finally set up the stall on my ‘big day’, we were disappointed as there were no sales in the initial two hours. The event was supposed to last just four hours in total. Surprisingly, the last two hours went really well for us and we were sold out. This has been the best moment so far as it was totally unexpected.
Tell us how you got your first client and how is the business going now.
I got the first client for my crochet toys business at the Jaipur exhibition and first-custom order came via Instagram. A client asked me to make a cute bunny with a special name on it for her fiancé.
What is that one thing you would advise to all women who always think about doing something of their own but are not able to start because of various problems related to family or anything else?
To all the women who dream about starting their own business, I’d like to say – ‘believe in yourself’. Women are stronger than they know. They can often do and manage many things unknowingly even with full-time jobs.
If your loved ones aren’t supporting your dreams, convince them to at least give you a chance and then outshine their beliefs.
Like thousands of other women, Asha also dreamed to do something of her own. It was because of her confidence in herself that she was able to take the leap of faith and start her small amigurumi business.
If you liked reading this story and wish to share your own, connect with us at @thewingedwomen on Instagram or e-mail at thewingedwomen@gmail.com
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