KOCHI: While growing up, Nisha Pradeep loved attending abacus classes. And so it didn’t come as any surprise to her family when she decided to become an abacus teacher who would spend hours teaching kids how to calculate numbers with immense speed. But her passion didn’t end there.
Realising that many women like her who loved teaching abacus couldn’t venture into the job due to financial constraints or lack of space, Nisha decided to start a venture of her, where she would bring educated housewives like herself under one umbrella and help them start abacus institutes inside the confines of their own home.
The edu-startup named Goto Abacus is only three months old, but today, it has over 15 branches in Kerala - seven in Thrissur, seven in Ernakulam and one in Thiruvananthapuram.
“Today, to start an abacus class as a franchise, over Rs 65,000 has to be shelled out for training classes alone. Then you need to find your own office space, complete with chairs and tables, to start an abacus classroom. The amount you receive will have to be shared to the brand under whom you start. Many young women have told me about these constraints, which is why, I decided to start this venture,” says Nisha.
Under her initiative, women will receive training and textbooks, for which they will have to spend only Rs 5,000. Nisha and her team will advertise the ventures of the housewives through Facebook. They will also print and handover 500 pamphlets to the women who can advertise it anywhere they want.
“These women can start the classes at their home. They can make do with a dining table and can expand anywhere within the house. We have specifically told them that they can only take 10 students per batch. The fee is fixed between Rs 450-Rs 650 per month,” she added.
“Learning abacus keeps your mind mentally fit and healthy. I would recommend it to all parents who wish to send their children for some activity during the holidays,” adds Nisha.