Ms. Puttamma from Kanakapura, Karnataka has been a CA Grameen customer for 19 years. She is a tailor and runs a tailoring training centre for a living.

Initially, Puttamma helped her husband manage their coconut-supply business. Speaking about the venture, she says, “Before starting this business, my husband worked as a coolie and his income wasn’t enough to make ends meet. But we were determined to improve our earnings. So, we decided to sell coconuts by sourcing them directly from local farmers, as it gives good profits.” She adds, “To support the business, I took out loans in increments of INR 7,000, INR 10,000, and INR 15,000 from the company and used them to purchase required inventories. Through our hard work and the support of loans from the company, our business scaled up gradually, and we started making profits. To supplement our income, I decided to take up tailoring, while my husband continued to manage the business. For this, I took out a loan of INR 20,000 from the company and purchased a tailoring machine. I then, started catering to local orders and my earnings improved steadily.”

After a few years, Puttamma decided to take the next big leap. With the help of the Unnati loan (the company’s high-ticket business loan of INR 2,50,000), she purchased 5 tailoring machines and started a tailoring training centre. She happily shares, “I now teach tailoring to 10 women. The best part of this job is that it enables me to earn while empowering these women to secure jobs. Thank you, CA Grameen, for all the support!”