“Confidence comes from taking small steps and putting in the work”
Connecting Northeast India's artisans with a national market for their craft.
Parashmoni, a communication and marketing professional, co-founded ChikniMitti in 2020 as a side-hustle bridging skilled rural artisans in Northeast India with national and international markets. Launched during the pandemic, she helped develop contemporary designs that preserved traditional craftsmanship while appealing to modern consumers, working closely with 10 rural artisans to sell over 500 products across India.
Parashmoni has since moved on to other ventures, but the artisans she partnered with still benefit from the designs, market access, and demand the initiative built.
The spark
Home decor was a casual hobby of mine until I moved to Delhi for my studies and had a space of my own to decorate. My interiors were filled with rural handicrafts from back home, and when people started complimenting them, a thought crossed my mind: maybe I could do this seriously. Not many people were aware of the beautiful, sustainable products that Northeast India had to offer. I felt there was an opportunity not only to share these products with a wider audience, but also to create more opportunities for the immensely talented artisans behind them.
Their first steps
I started researching the home decor market and reached out to family friends to connect me with skilled cane and bamboo artisans in villages across Assam. Once I found the right makers, I realised that the craftsmanship was amazing, but some of the designs felt dated. I began by co-creating just a few modern designs with the artisans and ordered a small batch of products to test the market. The inventory quickly sold out. That first success gave me confidence that there was real demand and that I could take the idea further.
Starting a business, however, was intimidating. The logistics, sourcing, financial risk, and uncertainty all scared me. My biggest fear was failure. But I learned that confidence comes from taking small steps and putting in the work.
Proudest moment & advice
As a young woman entrepreneur, there were times when I wasn't taken seriously. Combined with my self-doubt, there were moments where I was second guessing myself. I'm proud that I ran a bootstrap business that generated income for artisans in my home region, while taking their products across India.
The biggest piece of advice I'd give is start small, learn as you go, don't let self-doubt stop you. A lot of the time entrepreneurship relies on building connections, which is a gradual process.