Today we’d like to introduce you to Gautami Joglekar.
Hi Gautami, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
When pandemic lockdown happened around March 2020, I started thinking how I can help the community and I started making face masks calling for the need of time. I had some sewing skills from my childhood but in last 23 years, I have been in this country, never thought of making use of those skills. When mask mandate was in place and supply-demand situation started to get worse, I bought a very basic sewing machine and made my first mask which I am still using this date.
I started making masks for senior groups and my friends. Meantime a local group was looking for volunteers to sew surgical caps for a nearby hospital so I started making those caps. I was fortunate enough to raise the funds from my friends for the fabric and other material needed to make these caps. ‘Till date, I have made about 1000 face masks and surgical caps together. Now that I had the sewing machine, I wanted to put it to good use further so I started making practical fabric items that every household needs. Items like microwavable bowl cozies, hot pot holders, tea coasters, oven mittens, hanging towels, aprons, table runners, placemats are few of the products that I make under FabArtG brand that are durable and reusable. More products are available at www.FabArtG.com
Around Sep 2020, an idea came to my mind about collaborating with few of my close friends who have some side hustles of their own. We launched Panchakanya Gift Bundles where each bundle had a product from each of our businesses and there was something for everyone in the family. We did few more collaborations after that and every collaboration we did, we supported a local charity with a certain % from our earnings. The main goal was to empower the women-owned businesses and support the charities when we can and not when the need arises. This is the core concept behind my next side hustle Herbiznet. It is a digital collaboration platform for women-owned businesses who have handmade/handcrafted products. Many people like to shop small, shop local to find those unique handmade items to gift to their family and friends on many occasions. Herbiznet brings together such like-minded women-owned businesses and gives them a platform to collaborate and empower each other.
Herbiznet’s unique feature of supporting the local charities through this collaboration still holds true in this digital platform as well. Herbiznet will select a few charities on a yearly basis that will be supported by these women-owned businesses by selling their handcrafted products through this platform and customers like you by buying these products for your next gift-giving. Herbiznet believes in this tri-fold WIN-WIN-WIN for vendors, customers, and charities. If you run or are part of any “not for profit” organization, you can be part of this collaboration through referral that way your organization will be supported.
More details are available here. https://www.herbiznet.com/how-it-works
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
When I decided to take our collaboration from manual to digital form, the first struggle was the seed money needed to get the digital platform up and running with basic customizations that were needed to support vendors, customer, and charities. The platform will be updated and enhanced with more functionality as we progress.
This being a side hustle along with family (including four-legged member), full-time job, another side hustle, community service, etc was a roller coaster ride.
Now that the website is launched, I am working on getting more and more women-owned businesses come forward and register on this platform to empower other women. People really like this interwoven concept of supporting each other and I am looking forward to onboard many such businesses. It will take time but I am very positive and hopeful that other like-minded women will come forward to help each other and set a good example for their next generation.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I have been working as a Software professional for past more than 25 years back in India and in US. Many jobs were full-time, contracts, or consulting, so have lot of experience on different technologies and domains.
But the most important thing I learned while working in software is any software platform should be very user-friendly, less clumsy. The process of delivering any platform should be iterative meaning small functionalities should be delivered on more frequent basis. This allows you to find a good balance of what the expectation is and what is being delivered.
Besides my job and side hustles, I love volunteering and helping whenever and wherever possible. Probably that was the spine of my businesses that CSR is always a part of it.
I am proud of my parents who gave me the freedom to choose what is best in my life without asking why, when, who, how, where? Also, they instilled the good qualities by their actions and not words.
I am a born Libran so I always try to find a balance in everything I do as much as I can but at the same time, keep the mindset of moving on a spectrum when and if needed.
Do you have recommendations for books, apps, blogs, etc?
I love “Outliers” by Malcolm Gladwell. I like to hear the audiobooks while driving, watching any thought-provoking movies & tv shows, playing board games & puzzles, and drawing rangoli (sand art).
I like to adopt good practices and put them to work in professional as well as non-professional life.
Contact Info:
- Email: contact@herbiznet.com
- Website: https://www.herbiznet.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/herbiznet2020/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/herbiznet
