It often starts with a simple idea — a soap handcrafted in a home kitchen, a puzzle designed at the dining table, or a small store on a bustling street deciding to take the plunge online. Ahead of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSME) Day (June 27), it’s these stories that deserve the spotlight, stories of humble beginnings that dared to grow, adapt, and dream bigger.
“Earthy Sapo started as a passion project, not a business plan,” shares Sheetal Kabra Mohanty, founder of the Hyderabad-based personal care brand. “When I first began making soaps, I shared them with friends and family and participated in farmers’ markets around the city. My goal was simple, to connect with people, understand their skin and hair care concerns, and see if my products could genuinely help. I wasn’t in a rush. I spent nearly two to three years just doing that — listening, learning, and gathering honest feedback,” adds Sheetal.
What followed was no overnight transformation. Sheetal spent years refining formulations and deepening her understanding of what customers truly needed. “The response I received was not just positive, it was heartwarming. That’s when I began thinking of Earthy Sapo not just as a passion but as a business,” she says.
A key turning point came in 2017–18, when a loyal customer encouraged her to explore online retail. “Amazon was the first e-commerce platform I joined. Their onboarding was seamless, and their vast reach — both across India and internationally which helped me take Earthy Sapo beyond local markets. Their robust logistics, user-friendly tech tools, and deep expertise in online selling made a huge difference. For me, Amazon became the launchpad that transformed Earthy Sapo from a farmers’ market brand into one serving customers nationwide and beyond,” she notes.
But growth brought its own challenges. “Managing resources, financial and human, became difficult. When you work from home, costs are low. But as you scale, expenses rise faster than sales sometimes. Another hurdle was handling everything alone at first, but growth required me to delegate and build a reliable team structure,” she admits.
For Sohan Surya M, co-founder of 91Knots, the spark came from his own community. “We noticed many puzzle enthusiasts in our neighbourhood were importing products because of the superior quality available abroad. That insight became the foundation for 91Knots,” he shares. Once their product was ready, the decision to launch online on platform lfelt natural. “The platform we chose stood out for its approachable seller support and simplified policies compared to others,” he explains.
Staying authentic while scaling is something the brand consciously prioritises. “We’ve always strived to be honest with our products. Every new launch aims to be our best yet, hopefully the best in the market. We deeply value feedback, even the smallest suggestions, because they help us improve. It keeps us grounded and ensures we’re not building in a bubble,” Sohan adds.
Meanwhile, in the heart of Hyderabad, V Ramanuja Chary, founder of Adithelectronics, was running a modest home appliances store when he ventured online. “I was running a store in Ameerpet and experimenting with a few online platforms. I decided to test online retail on a small scale and within three months, the response was phenomenal. That’s when I realised the massive potential of online business,” he recalls.
Gradually expanding his product range and strengthening logistics, Adithelectronics grew from a neighborhood store to a trusted brand supplying appliances across India. “No matter how much we grow, we’ve stayed rooted in the same values — trust, personal care, and commitment. We treat every customer with the same attention we gave back in our Ameerpet store,” says Chary.
From homes and local bazaars to virtual storefronts with nationwide reach, these MSMEs are living proof that starting small isn’t a limitation, it’s a strength. Because when purpose meets patience, small doesn’t stay small for long.