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By Vituna K Yeptho
Five years ago, Ben Pamei was studying to crack the NEET as she always wanted to become a doctor.
Fast forward to 2023, she is now a trailblazing entrepreneur running a lucrative licensed clothing store.
The 25-year-old entreprenuer initially started her small clothing business ‘P7 Allure’ to meet her basic personal needs, but little did she know that it would blow up in less than two years.
During an interaction with Eastern Mirror, Pamei shared that she started the business ‘to cope with depression’.
‘My goal was to study MBBS, so I started taking coaching in 2018. I was quite good academically, so my NEET marks were enough to secure me a seat for dental and veterinary studies, but not enough to get me a government-funded seat for MBBS as the cutoffs were skyrocketing for Manipur tribals. Yet, I was very persistent to secure a seat for myself,’ Pamei shared.
Though she was eligible for private medical institutions, she could only imagine the amount of money her parents would have to spend for her MBBS studies.
‘I come from a very humble, middle class family, so my parents did not have enough money to support my education. By 2021, it had already been my third attempt to clear NEET and study MBBS. I got mentally frustrated and tired with the same circle over and over again. That was when I decided to do something on my own,’ she stated.
Pamei mentioned that she was fond of fashion since childhood. She owned a book where she would draw all the dresses and clothes that she wanted to wear when she grew up. Gradually, she became ‘quite good’ and would thrift clothes, redesign them and wear them out and would receive compliments from her friends. She decided to do something out of that skill during the pandemic lockdown.
‘On July 2021, I thrifted some clothes and sold them online through a friend's thrift store account on Instagram. I received a profit of INR 5000. With that amount, I thrifted some clothes again and sold them, earning a profit of INR 20,000.
‘I already knew that there was so much power in social media. For a business to run well, if you know how to create good content through the products using pictures and videos, it's definitely going to reach a large audience. I knew that digital media, if used in a positive way, could create a network. With the INR 20,000 profit I received from the thrift business, I bought a sewing machine.
And on August 12, 2021, I officially launched ‘p7 allure’ on Instagram where I sold clothes that were designed and made by myself.
‘Within a month, I hired an employee under me because I noticed that my business was growing rapidly and I was receiving many orders on a daily basis’, narrated Pamei during an interview with this newspaper.
Pamei said that the idea behind the brand name was taken from the seven members of her family, adding that p7_allure is now officially licensed.
On reasons why she wanted to go digital, she said, ‘With the world getting busier day by day, people don't have the time to go to physical stores to shop. So I thought that with online shopping, one could get the products delivered right at the doorstep.
‘I noticed that people usually go for online shopping because the prices of the products were more affordable as compared to the physical stores.
‘Since I could take good pictures and videos, I thought of using that in a positive way to showcase and promote my products; and also because running a small business on Instagram would not cost me much of my capital investments.’
P7 Allure is a brand targeted for a niche group of customers, especially 18-25-year-old girls. The store can be accessed through the Instagram account @p7_allure.
‘I even have a website now - www.p7allure.com. People who don't use Instagram can visit that link to shop. If they want customisation, they can chat with us. I will be personally handling the chats’, Pamei mentioned.
The price of the products ranges from INR 1000-3000; but for customisations, the price ranges from INR 6000-8000 depending on the pattern, material, fabric and design required.
She asserted that she is planning to make the rates more affordable.
Pamei, who started her business with INR 5000, now earns a profit of approx. INR 80,000 to INR 2.5 lakh per month, after deducting the salaries, rents and investments in assets.
When asked about the uniqueness of her brand that makes it stand out in the fashion market, she said, ‘We already have so many clothes in the market that are affordable yet similar to each other. And the ones that are unique would be very expensive. So the strategy was to make those kinds of expensive clothing and sell them at affordable rates, keeping in mind that they should be of good quality as well’.
Pamei is confident about her business growth. She shared that out of 100 orders, she receives at least 98 satisfactory responses from the customers.
She makes sure to cross-check the deliveries herself, make the products as affordable as it can be, uses high-quality materials, adds a lot of freebies with the orders and also keep good customer relations by responding positively and instantly to their queries and feedback.
‘Sometimes when I pack big orders, I just throw in bags and shoes as freebies. The intention is to make the customers happy. Maybe that's how I gain customers' loyalty, ' Pamei added.
She said that the proudest thing about the business is that she provides employment to four families, who had no source of income. She has also helped many college students by rendering her service as an entrepreneur in their academic thesis, giving out donations to many organisations and churches and most importantly, supporting her family and friends financially.
‘P7 Allure’ ships around 70 to 150 orders per month. The brand does both national and international shipping. ‘I've delivered products to Canada, US, UK, Germany and recently took an order for UAE as well,’ Pamei informed.
It takes one to two weeks to deliver a product pan India depending on the distance of the customers. It also depends on the customer's urgency, she said.
‘If they want a delivery sooner than the expected time, priorities are made for which it also comes with a few extra charges,’ Pamei added.
‘The only drawback of the business would be the time it takes for shipping the products. It is difficult for a product to get shipped in just a couple of days if it is to be delivered somewhere far. Also, because of the unavailability of enough rail transportation, shipping charges are quite high than those mainland businesses,’ Pamei said.
“I was not born with a silver spoon. The thing I notice in young people of middle class families is that we usually complain about financial problems believing money alone is the way to make us successful. We always find ourselves stuck in a labyrinth of ‘what ifs’. But if I, who come from a middle class family, can start up a business with just INR 5000 in my hand then anybody can. It's all about how passionate and disciplined we are in our work.
“The reason I'm saying that we don't need to be rich to start a business is because I've seen many rich privileged people doing big businesses that aren't doing well in the market.
“I believe it's not only about the financial investments but of one's passion for their work, how the products are created and delivered, how dedicated and goal-oriented they are towards a certain goal,” she shared.
Coming from a conservative society, the idea that she was selling clothes after years of coaching for NEET wasn’t received positively by many people.
“Coaching loi thakina itya kapra bekai ase (Was taking coaching classes, now selling clothes) was what people would tell me’. But I had already mastered being persistent. I know that if I set my mind on something, I would give it my all. It was not easy having to be in a room full of hopelessness and finally come out of it successfully,” she said.
Pamei shared that many people would question her dad about letting her start this business after taking years of coaching for NEET exams but her dad never lost hope in her. “She's independently doing it so let her” was what her dad would humbly reply because he always trusted her.
“Please don’t keep your children in a box. There are more ways to become successful other than becoming just IAS and Engineers. That's what I learned”, Pamei said.
“But amidst everything, I give all my credit to God. God saw me struggling, but not giving up. I never stopped praying and I never stopped trying,” she shared.
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