Most people who are talented at something don’t often see it that way themselves. Since drawing, sketching and painting had always been a second nature, the thought to package the talent she had never crossed her mind. So when everyone at her hostel loved the cushion cover art she made for herself and lined up to have her make one for them too, Susaita Sharma realized that she could turn her DIY idea into a business. At the age of 22, a year ago, she posted pictures of her products on Instagram and began her business journey as Jossyo_Nepal and now has over two thousand followers.
Here she joins The Week to talk about the challenges of running her own business and how she chooses to overcome them.
How it all started
I have always been artistic and in my spare time I always found myself doodling, sketching and painting. One day I came across a really cool cushion cover art on the internet and decided to make one for myself. I used to live in a hostel and everyone there started coming to my room and begging me to make one for them. A girl even came up to me and said she was willing to pay me for my hard work. That was when I realized this could become more than just a hobby for me.
After finishing my undergrads, a friend and I were just hanging out at a café wishing for a way to make more pocket money and decided that it was time to get moving and get the business set up. The two of us had a heated discussion and became energized and motivated to take that step and that is where the term ‘Jossyo’ came from. While making an Instagram page we found out that the username Jossyo was not available and that gave birth to the name Jossyo_Nepal.
The challenges along the way
I started Jossyo as a passion and I love the response I have got so far, but I haven’t been able to give the business as much time as I would have liked to since I’m occupied by my day job and I usually find myself preparing for exams at night.
In the beginning when there were two of us, I used to be responsible for the core work that was designing and painting the cushions and my friend would look after the finances and handle the social media. However, now that I’m handling everything on my own it gets a little tough. But there’s a good thing about operating a business through Instagram.
Madhes movement made businesses go bust
Anytime I find myself free, I can easily upload pictures and reply to direct messages and comments, which make handling a business relatively hassle free. I like the fact that I can directly talk to my customers through Instagram and receive feedback as well. It makes all the sleepless nights and the work I put into each of my products worth it.
The biggest challenge for me while handling the business by myself is that I need to push myself to work hard. At the end of the day, it is a challenge to sit down and work on the orders instead of putting it off. I think of myself as a last minute person who relaxes all day long and gets to work only when the panic sets in. As my own boss, since I don’t have to answer to anyone else, I find that I cheat often and even if I have a week to finish a cushion, I end up pulling an all night-er to complete it at the last minute. It’s a habit I really need to change in the future.
Where she gets her inspiration
I usually get inspiration from many things around me – movies, cartoons and sometimes just random patterns that come to mind that I think will work. When I feel like I’m running out of ideas, you can usually see me scrolling through Pinterest for a burst of inspiration. I recently ventured from cushions to flowerpots and shoes, and that has been well received by my customers too.
We are all trying to find things that set us apart from the rest, even fashion wise, and I believe that wearing a pair of hand painted shoes will help you be unique. I have many more ideas that I want to introduce this year and I hope they will be as well received as my other ideas have been so far.
The journey so far
My journey hasn’t been an easy one. I had nobody to give me any advice when I started out. My parents and I have lived so far away from one another for so long that I didn’t want to bother them with my worries. I have had to learn the hard way for almost everything and one of the biggest lessons I learnt was that you need to have a strong group of people supporting you when you are starting out. It didn’t take me a long time to figure out that I needed to have strong wings before trying to fly off a cliff. I don’t know if I would have kept at it if it weren’t for my friends who supported me and even bought cushions from me to encourage me to keep going.
Photos Courtesy: Jossyo_Nepal
There was once an order in the beginning where I had to make a pattern of polygons. It was one of my first ever orders and it took me two weeks to finish. I layered colors on top of colors not knowing that the top layer would eventually wash off. It taught me a big lesson on how I need to mix colors on the palate and not on the fabric and I thank my stars everyday that I learnt this invaluable lesson while working on a friend’s order and didn’t disappoint a customer.
(As told to Isha Upadhyay)
