Overcoming the Pandemic with determination and patience
Kamal ji welcomed the FAME team to his home and sports goods manufacturing unit in Nayee basti, Meerut for a meeting. My team members and I were a bit apprehensive and unwilling for this visit as we have not been able to do much for them during the Pandemic situation.
Laying down the road
Just before the hit of the pandemic in March 2020, we had started to work very closely with these groups of sports good manufacturers. We had promised to provide them continuous advisory services through AYE finance’s CSR arm – FAME (Foundation for Advancement of Micro Enterprises). We conducted a survey of the sports goods cluster, performed diagnostic studies, and even visited Jalandhar sports cluster for understanding the differences in the demand, supply, and market dynamics. After a thorough analysis, we came out with a few actions/ interventions which included awareness and registration of these sports good manufacturers for GST and other compliance matters. Apart from GST and compliance matters, the FAME team also conducted sessions for helping them register for online sales through business portals like Amazon, Flipkart, etc. However, the work got stalled in a few months due to the Covid 19 pandemic.
Struggle is most potent when it is undeniably real
It was after a long gap that Kamal ji and his group had gathered for a meeting with the FAME team. Kamal ji informed that the first few months of the corona were very tough as it was a complete lockdown, and they hardly had any orders or manufacturing work. All the laborers had gone, and it was complete negativity all around.
But as the lockdown started easing out, the demand for sports goods started climbing up. People stuck at home have started using more and more sports goods like bat, balls, badminton, shuttlecock, etc. Kamal ji realized that this was the right time, and luckily, he had already done GST registration and online sales registration and was completely market ready. He restarted manufacturing the sports goods with all his energy, and this time gave a lot of attention to the marketing side. He paid special attention to the quality of sports goods like cricket gloves, leg pads, wicket keeping gloves and made them to perfection.
Walking down your road to success
By the end of one year of his struggle, his work had doubled. He thanked the FAME Team for the support we had provided him by giving advisory and hand-holding support for GST registration and online registration. He says that due to GST registration, he is getting more orders from reputed clients and he is able to sell at distant markets as well. He has now invited many new manufacturers to join FAME’s program and take their businesses to the next level. He is enthusiastic and willing to work closely with the FAME team and organize social and economic development programs in the area for larger community benefits. We are all proud of his comeback.
Written by
Ravi Agarwal
Head CSR
FAME (Foundation for Advancement of Micro Enterprises)
A CSR Initiative of AYE Finance
