Bhubaneswar, Dec. 7: From homemakers to management graduates, women from diverse backgrounds are nurturing their passion and creative pursuits to turn into entrepreneurs. And they are leaving an indelible mark on the state's economy with their innovative ideas and hard work.

Dessert queen

Shruti Narula's customised cupcakes and cakes have become quite popular in Bhubaneswar these days. The 29-year-old homemaker-turned-entrepreneur, who once used to make designer cakes for her friends and families, now runs a baking corner from her home that receives over 100 orders every month.

"My sister encouraged me to make my creations commercial. We started by promoting them on social networking sites. Now, I have a steady income and, more importantly, I am doing what I love to do," said Shruti who started Cupcakes-n-More in August this year. Her husband helped her set up the business.

What sets her baked goods apart is that there is no use of preservatives and stabilisers in her baking and the innovative themes and designs she uses to catch the fancy of her clients.

From children to teenagers to adults, from simple to designer ones, Shruti serves a variety of customers with different tastes.

"I make cakes on different topics such as cartoon characters, popular soccer teams and Halloween. I have also got orders from people to make cakes themed on the popular English TV series Friends or for a girl who loves to use make-up or from children who wanted customised cupcakes for their father working in the army. The demands are quite varied," she said.

The price of her cakes ranges between Rs 400 and 1,000 for a pound, while the price of cupcakes starts from Rs 60. She makes a profit of around 15 per cent from each of her products. "I do not want a huge profit as I am doing this out of interest. But, my earnings are good enough for my financial independence," said Shruti.

Dairy drive

Supreety Mishra, a 27-year-old entrepreneur based in Balasore, has not only turned herself independent with her venture, but is also making women from villages in the district self-sufficient. She started a co-operative firm last year that provides sustainable livelihood opportunities to women by involving them in sectors such as handicrafts, agriculture and horticulture.

Her Go Vikash venture is a dairy-farming programme where destitute women are provided with cows to generate livelihood opportunities. The women also make lacquer crafts that are sold to various online shopping portals.

"My father was a businessman and I got the inspiration of starting something on my own from him. But, I also wanted to empower rural women in the process of establishing myself and started the firm that would serve a dual purpose," said Supreety, a master's degree holder from Cardiff Business School.

Supreety's initial tryst as an entrepreneur began when she took over the family business of manufacturing LPG cylinders and regulators. The profit that she earned from the business helped her set up the co-operative society.

Supreety's Go Vikash not only caters to the needs of rural people, but she also has a wide customer base online.

Gaming champion

Ankita Pattanayak, a 26-year-old engineering graduate, is passionate about console gaming. In a genre that is mainly dominated by men, she wanted to ensure that more and more women try their hands in the field of gaming through her venture. She recently opened her gaming parlour Let's Go Bananas at Ravi Talkies in Bhubaneswar.

"I was never into nine-to-five jobs and the idea of doing something on my own was always there in my mind. Moreover, there are very few gaming zones in the city where youngsters can relax and engage themselves in various games. Both of these worked simultaneously," said Ankita.

She was lucky enough to have met investors through mutual friends who helped her realise her dream.

Those turning up at her parlour can try their hands at leisure gaming such as pool and darts. The young entrepreneur is now planning to start air hockey and set up a snooker table at the joint.

Her joint has become popular with college students and IT professionals. She charges Rs 150 for an hour at the pool table and Rs 200 per hour for the console. Ankita, who invested around Rs 3.5 lakh for setting up the parlour, is still recovering her investments. She has also invested in a food joint at the parlour that she runs with two of her friends.

Food revolutionary

Sushree Sangita Nanda, a 32-year-old MBA graduate from IIT Kharagpur wanted to introduce the popular western concept of mobile food trucks in the state and started her venture So Yummy four months ago.

"The food truck business will become a huge over the next two years in Bhubaneswar. So one has a lot of opportunity to grow here. I am planning a mobile food van in Patia next year," said Sushree, who received funding from interested investors. Her truck shells out Chinese fare but her non-vegetarian items, especially fish and prawn items, are very popular with the customers. Like the others, she also stayed shy of talking about her profit margins.

Tomorrow's teacher

Actress Yukta Rakshit is set to turn into an educational entrepreneur. She is planning to set up an international school in Bhubaneswar. "The overall plan for the school is on and it will get operational from the next academic year. I have zeroed in on the location and the infrastructure work is on process," said Yukta, who considers this to be her dream project.