I don’t think Kiran would have heard that 1986 hit or of the all-women band. For one she was born in the nineties, and her choice of music may not stretch to English pop since hailing from an Indian village she has limited exposure to the language.
But Kiran Lakhera sure knows about bangles. “We hail from the Lakhera community. As the name implies we are lac-workers, and we are into making lac bangles.” The skills and traditions are handed over from one generation to the next. “My grandmother taught my mother, my sister and I learnt bangle-making from my mother.”
Kiran has completed her schooling, while her younger sister is still studying. “I do most of the bangle-making now. Every morning my mother helps me with the heating and mixing of colours on the oven. When my sister is back from school in the afternoon, she joins me in the shop and helps me handle customers.”
@Sirsi Village, Near Jaipur
Their’s is an integrated enterprise with a shop on the village lane where they live, to display their products. What about the menfolk? “My father goes to town everyday, where he works in their civic services department. My brother has completed college, he too is interested in taking up a job in the city.”
So how does she describe her core offering? “We make custom-made lac bangles for young girls and women in our village. We can design the bangles, including shape, size and colour as per your likes and preference.”
Yes she can. While talking to me, she also moulded and fitted the bangles that I bought from her, perfectly to my liking. But I’m not her typical customer, so which is her target group? “Primarily school-girls, who like to buy fancy stuff. I stock bangles as well as other affordable knick knacks like hair clips, earrings, nail paints etc.”
A Businesswoman In The Making
That’s smart, she offers a range of accessories that complements her core offering and helps her expand her business. “I never thought of it as a business, making bangles is something I’ve grown up with. Then again we would know almost all the families around here, it’s a small village, and I’ve grown up with the girls who come to my shop.”
“I also like to try out new designs and take their feedback. At times the girls would show me pictures from magazines that they like, and ask me if I could design something like that. That’s how I keep improving my offering, otherwise I would have to keep repeating the designs that my mother taught me.” Innovation, customer satisfaction nay delight, has Kiran been going to a B-school on the sly?
Kiran finds my question hilarious. “You need to give the customers what they want, that’s what they pay you for.” Simple isn’t it, so why do we pay those horrendous fees and listen to professors (most of whom have never even run a small shop by themselves) offering these gems of wisdom?
“I have increased our prices recently, since I spent a lot of time developing these new designs. My mother says our shop is doing better now. I liked her saying that,” Kiran ended the conversation with a shy smile. And I came back with my learning of enterprise and empowerment from the most unlikeliest of B-school, B for bangles in case you haven’t guessed it already!
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