Nepal has been witnessing an entrepreneurial wave for a very long time now. Many entrepreneurs have been contributing for its consistency with their peculiar ideas. Although there has been a significant development in the grocery marketing in Nepal, this is the first time that someone has come up with an idea to take in online. Sulabh basket is one such initiative to redefine the traditional grocery marketing system.
Chandan Kumar Jha, the director of Sulabh Basket dedicated 17 years of his life in the marketing field to openly understand the entrepreneurial ecosystem in Nepal. His venture, Sulabh Basket is first-of-its-kind and is aimed to reinterpret the grocery marketing system in Nepal. Sulabh basket is a transparent mediator between customer and products. Sulabh basket is all set to establish convenient grocery marketing with concise strategies and dedicated team members.
Inspiration
Jha says that his grandfather had always been inclined towards service-oriented activities. He had been highly influenced by his grandfather’s work ethics. Starting right from the time when his grandfather decided to build a school in Janakpur, Jha knew that he had to do something equally remarkable in his life too.
It took Jha 17 years to analyze the marketing scopes and strategies and the same time to decide what he wanted out of his life. “I quit my job and came up with this startup idea of Sulab Basket. In these 17 years, the analytical experience taught me that there is something that needs to be changed in the grocery market. Business is about problems. In fact, it has always been about problems.”, says Jha.
According to Jha, the cost of the products comes out being filtered to the customers through mediators in forms of wholesale market and stuffs. Jha doesn’t like this idea. Jha indicates, “Problems lead to solutions after all. If you don’t like something, there are always two things to deal with it. Either you complain and ignore the problem or face it and come up with an alternative. I happened to go with the idea of doing something.”
Jha says that he thought if he could directly link the customers to the products they wanted to purchase, this would match up his alternative. This idea of self-exploration led to the initiation of Sulabh Basket.
Sulabh Basket
Sulabh Basket is an online grocery marketing concept that provides you with the facility of Tax and VAT bills. Sulabh Basket is the medium for the customers to save the small mass of amount that gradually makes a huge sum from being wasted on the mediators, by directly linking them to the products. Sulabh Basket is less about sales and more about service.
Currently, Sulabh Basket is in its initial phase and has been able to earn the trust of many customers from hostels to hotels. Sulabh Basket believes that trust is the only foundation of loyal customers.
Jha also believes in the power of teamwork. He says that the team that stays together, grows together. Jha says that there’s only a lifetime to leave back your traces and so, he wants every youth entrepreneur in the country to understand their share of responsibility in shaping the country’s future.
“The people that trusted me on this journey of bringing about a change are who I call my team members now”, the director says. There’s a dedicated team of IT enthusiasts, a delivery team, and a marketing team.
Jha believes if only today’s youths could be more concerned about how they can contribute from their side rather than how they could be contributed by other means, the entrepreneurial scenario would be at its best.
Challenges
The major challenge for the enterprise right now is to leave a trace on Nepalese customers having the traditional concept of grocery shopping. The awareness that Sulabh Basket is trying to bring about among the public will cost the proprietor himself a huge loss in terms of links and connections. The constricted ideology about e-commerce among the customers has also been an obstacle to their business. However, Jha believes that something like business takes risks but then, there’s nothing as exciting as taking risks in life.
Future Goals
Jha has clear visions for the future of Sulabh Basket. He sees Sulabh Basket being able to reach a wider range of customers from all over the country within 5 years. Moreover, he has also plans for launching the local products inside the country to create a domestic entrepreneurial ecosystem. He says that he wants to mobilize the local products and wants to see the local products occupying a huge space in the market.
To the aspiring entrepreneurs
There are opportunities everywhere. Opportunities flourish into lifetime achievement if driven by visions and precise work ethics. Entrepreneurs are the backbone of country’s development.
Startups for Better Nepal!
Presented by: Brigid Shrestha
