Geeta runs a tea business. After her graduation, she tried working for a few firms and eventually decided to start her own business. Initially, there weren’t shops that sold varieties of tea in Thamel (a tourist hotspot in Kathmandu). Geeta decided to open a store to sell regular and herbal teas in Thamel targeting tourists which became an instant hit. Her self-motivation helped in running her business for over 11 years now. With the growing popularity of consuming organic products, there is a rise of competitors in the tea business and she is willing to grow her skills to become more competitive and successful.

Disaster Experience 

“Earthquake in 2015 affected the business but nothing can be compared to the current pandemic COVID-19” shared Geeta. Targeting tourists, she had opened a store in Thamel to sell organic herbal tea that contributed about 95% to her business. When the pandemic hit, the tourism business was severely affected. Thamel area became dead with no tourists and still isn't as vibrant as it used to be, even after 2 years. This pandemic has created havoc and Geeta is facing a challenge to get her business back on track. She feels that COVID-19 is like a nightmare that is taking forever to end. She feels fortunate to have been selected as a beneficiary in the project which also gave her an opportunity to not only grow her knowledge but helped promote her products under the Udhyami Utthan (UU) campaign.

“Fostering Resilience of Women-Led Businesses (including home-based women producers) and Consumers” is a project being implemented by Thulo.Com and Enterprise for Management, Economic Reform, and Gender Equality (EMERGE). The project is supported by United States Agency for International Development (USAID)’s Tayar Nepal - Improved Disaster Risk Management Project and also contributes to Udhyami Utthan (UU - https://udhyamiutthan.com/about-us/ ), an entrepreneurship empowerment initiative.
 

Experience as a Project Beneficiary

Be it pandemic, earthquakes, floods, or landslides, Nepal being one of the disaster-prone countries, is continuously exposed to numerous natural disasters. As an entrepreneur, Geeta feels that undertaking a business is equivalent to taking a risk and disasters always magnify the risk. Becoming a project beneficiary, Geeta has learned that one has to constantly look out for minimizing business risks, build a system and develop digital skills to build a resilient business. According to her, training on Business Continuity Management made her aware and realized that she hadn’t been managing her business properly. Working on her Business Continuity Plan was the first-ever strategic plan she worked on for her business. She now follows what she learnt from the training and has initiated to keep records of her customers and is looking to shift her store from her old-structured building considering the safety of her staff and business. The project was indeed a worthwhile experience for her.

In order to grow her business in the past, Geeta had tried her hands on online promotions without any success. After attending the training on digital literacy, she understood the correct way of promoting, presenting products online, and boosting social media posts. Geeta shared that her e-commerce experience with Udhyami Utthan (UU) Online Shop is exciting as this has given her a promising business opportunity.

She is very happy with the learning she acquired as a project beneficiary. It was her first-ever experience to be able to interact with multiple banks firsthand and understand their services. As there is a saying “better late than never”, she is now aware of the banking services and confident in comparing and choosing the right institution for her business. Geeta is willing to approach one of the banks she interacted with for a business loan. She stated, “I found Rashtriya Banijya Bank’s facility ideal for my business”.

Future Plan

Earlier Geeta had explored other e-commerce platforms as well but her experience with UU Online Shop is far more satisfying. She, therefore, plans to continue her association with UU and Thulo.Com. As for disaster preparedness, she has undertaken insurance for her family and business and she plans to continue the policy in the future as well. With the knowledge she acquired on the importance of preparedness, Geeta plans to keep an emergency Go-Bag handy at home as well. 

Geeta Regmi runs Lumbini Tea House in Thamel, Kathmandu.
Visit her Online Shop at https://thulo.com/lumbini-tea-house/