Navnoor Kaur, defying family expectations, left her banking job to start a jaggery business. Overcoming initial challenges, she partnered with Kaushal to extend the shelf life of their product, leading to a thriving multi-crore enterprise.
Navnoor Kaur, a resident of Ludhiana, took a transformative decision early in her career that would later define her success. She left behind her stable bank job, going against her family's wishes, to venture into the food industry. This courageous move transformed her life, and today, she is the proud owner of a thriving multi-crore business. Let's explore her inspiring journey to success.
Background
Born and raised in Ludhiana, Navnoor Kaur comes from a family of academicians. Her father works as a professor and her mother as a school principal. From a young age, Navnoor excelled in her studies, and her dedication led her to earn an MBA from IMT Ghaziabad in 2019. Following her MBA, she secured a well-paying job at Kotak Bank in Gurgaon. Despite enjoying a stable career and a good salary, Navnoor always harboured a desire to pursue something different and far more ambitious.
Business ideas
Several members of Navnoor's family were struggling with diabetes, which led her to notice a significant gap in the market, the lack of chemical-free and healthy jaggery options. This observation sparked the idea for her to start a jaggery business. With her savings, Navnoor launched the startup 'Jaggercane', specialising in jaggery and related products. While her decision to leave her secure job was met with resistance from her family, Navnoor first took the time to gain their support before fully committing to her new venture.
Business success
In the early days, Navnoor took on the responsibility of marketing her products herself. She went door-to-door to promote her jaggery and faced rejection from shopkeepers who were deterred by the short shelf life and low profit margins. During this challenging period, Kaushal, a student of her father, stepped in to help.
Kaushal, who ran a manufacturing plant in Punjab, partnered with Navnoor to take the business forward. While Kaushal focused on improving the manufacturing process, Navnoor handled branding and marketing. Kaushal managed to extend the shelf life of the jaggery from just one month to an impressive nine months, giving their business a significant boost. Today, their products are not only in high demand locally but are also exported. The success of this venture has provided 25 jobs, and the business now generates an annual revenue of Rs 2 crore.
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