Svakarma’s first Customer Knowledge Series was held in Nagde, near Yeola/Nashik. This event was organized with a specific focus on the Paithani handloom weavers, many of whom are Svakarma’s earliest customers. To provide support for this cluster, GST and e-commerce were identified as relevant areas where our partners could provide services to help formalize and expand our customers’ businesses.

Three partners were invited to address the entrepreneurs and show case their services:

Sunil Chandak, from Udyogwardhini Entrepreneurship Development Academy, spoke on marketing and branding. He spoke about the importance of a brand name, good packaging, and mentioned several expos and exhibitions across the country where entrepreneurs could consider showcasing their products.

Santosh Maurya, an experienced CA and Managing Partner of Adventes Tax Advisors, provided a simple introduction to GST. He explained the basic principles of GST, provided some examples to explain input tax credit, and emphasized that registering for GST is easy.

Deepak Kumar introduced the Amazon Kala Haat Program (now called Amazon Karigar), which he has been involved with from its inception. This program helps artisans and craftspeople across India learn about e-commerce. They provide support with a full range of services, from imaging and cataloguing to forming an e-commerce strategy – all free of charge.