Terracotta Business- An Entrepreneur’s Dream Come True

Most small and micro-entrepreneurs are part of unorganized sectors and lack the business know-how, marketing and technology skills to start and run successful businesses. Navodyami addresses these challenges and so far training more than 4,000 micro-entrepreneurs. About 30 percent of Navodyamis have grown their business by three times, reaching a turnover of up to INR 60 lakh per annum. This has turned many entrepreneurs’ dreams come true.

To Nagaraj Chakrasali, his terracotta business was an incidental occupation- his ancestors were terracotta artists and eventually he also landed in this craft for his livelihood. Hailing from Hamsabhavi of Haveri District, Nagaraj made household utensils and items like Nandi pots, trays, and animal models of terracotta to make ends meet.

Starting with a basic idea about an enterprise and with a dream to sustain his family, Nagaraj never thought of expanding or giving a creative touch to his work. Through a training in Ramanagar, he tried his hands on terracotta and spent six months getting trained to make varieties of terracotta items like nandi pots, trays, bowl, vase, animals, etc. In 2011, when Nagaraj enrolled in the Navodyami program, he realized it was a “turning point” in his life.

It changed his perception about running a business. The boot camp and the training sessions made him a better marketer and equipped him with market orientation, technical knowledge, and knowledge of modern accounting practices and logistics management. “The program gave the right direction to my business. I was helped with marketing strategies, technical excellence through training and workshops, finance and stock maintenance and many other things that never seemed to be important to me until then. Navodyami helped me not just to be creative but also self-sustained and confident”, he says.

Now his products have reached all over Karnataka, Maharashtra, and Goa. Navodyami sessions made Nagaraj a true entrepreneur and helped change the face of his business.

He concludes his aims on a very ambitious note. He says “In the next five years, I plan to reach a turnover of 3 times of what it is now. My attitude has changed so much that instead of complaining about the labor shortage, I am training more people. Navodyami has changed my life.”