Q1. Tell us about yourself, your family.
I have been a homemaker all my adult life with 3 beautiful kids. Now all grown up and settled in different parts of the world. I have always had an entrepreneurial mindset from the very beginning. I was always very active and wanted to do more, be it within the family or small ventures around like Diwali mela’s or organising events for our community or social work etc.
Be it any event or any family gathering I was always the first to reach and get involved in whatever capacity possible. It gave me a lot of pleasure to be with and around people.
Q2. Did cooking and trying different recipes always attract you?
Yes. I was always fond of cooking and considering I come from a Punjabi (North Indian) Family and then married into one, food is just part of our life. We love our food and we love feeding our friends and family.
Q3. Did you gain any kind of formal training earlier and why pickles (Achar in Hindi)?
All girls of our generation was taught how to cook. In fact we all helped our mothers / grandmothers in the kitchen everyday. So no format training but when you do something over and over and you look at your adults do it over and over, you do kind of get trained.
Pickles have a very special place in the Indian food, its not the main dish but can be a deal breaker if not done right. Each part of India has its own recipe and each season has its speciality. Almost all families have a traditional pickle recipe that’s being used generation over generation. So I too picked some tricks from my grandmother and mother, and then like I said I was a very social person I use to help my friends make pickle at home. In fact I would go to their house and help them do it.
You can call it, our playdate in those times :).
So I guess the idea got germinated around that time and then with a lot of encouragement from my friends and family I started taking small orders, again mainly from friends and family. To now when I have formally launched my venture ‘KNs Achar’ and I have a huge list of over 25 types of pickles and some seasonal drinks. 100% hand made by me, under my supervision, certified, I leave no stone unturned when it comes to quality.
I now send my products all over India and hope to grow this business further.
Q4. Looking back would you do anything differently?
I should have started my venture ‘KNs Achar’ much earlier.
Like many others I too was busy just taking care of family and its daily requirements. Though I have to say I am blessed to have a family that supports me and every venture I ever choose to try.
But at the same time I do not regret the time I got with my children, the undivided attention I could offer them and all the social work I did. I am passionate about being part of the community, giving back in our small way. Be it organising a small festive event, or a big donation drive or just simply helping another family. I am glad I got to do all that all my life without worrying about anything.
Now life has given me a chance to fulfil my dream of owning my own business, of being financially independent and I am happy for that.
Q5. If you have to give one piece of advice to someone who’s looking to reinvent themselves, what will that be?
I will say just go for it. God has given us one life and its our duty to make the most of it. Be it small or big it doesn't matter, and it doesn't have to be a business. What's important is to have a purpose in life a goal and we must try and achieve it.
You can reach KNsAchar at the following address or follow her story at Insta / FB: @KNsAchar
Address: NRI Complex, 39 Mandakini 3rd, Gk4, New Delhi, Delhi 110019
Team SOROR
( Singapore )