The Himalayan Times- Perspectives

March 6,2016

Young and trendy

Abhilasha Rayamajhi
Kathmandu
Teenage is a phase of life when most people are confused and are trying to figure out their identity and meaning of life. However, a few people understand their purpose of life early on. Nikita Acharya, in her teens, had already started her online business, Urban Girl ( UG). Today UG has successfully completed three years of operation. The experimental business initiated by two friends in 2012, now stands as one of the most popular e- commerce sites in Nepal. UG has established itself as a platform where girls and women in Nepal can buy, share, express and even sell trendy accessories, dresses, cakes and many more.
Acharya says, “ Urban Girl was started with a small capital and a vision to be a one stop platform for women and girls to shop. My partner, Kiran Timsina and I invested in the venture initially.” The main idea was to create a common space where young girls could shop conveniently and save their time.
“ The market for e- commerce in Nepal is small. Further, there are many challenges created due to political unrest, natural disasters and fuel crisis. However, these challenges have made us more creative and persistent,” she says. According to her, she and her team are constantly delivery of their products to customers. Even during the crisis, they delivered their orders by bicycles. She says, “ We do not have time to think about the crisis. When there are people who wait for their orders, you must act immediately.” She adds, “ The support we are getting from our families, customers and media keeps us motivated.” Numerous online businesses have evolved over the years. However, they have not sustained in the market. Citing the competitors in the market she says, “ Everyday there is a new page created on social media that sells products. However, most of them are created without a vision or plan and they sell low quality products.” She exclaims, “ There is scope for online business in Nepal as many new things can be tried out.
I would encourage young people to come up with a proper business plan and take the industry to new heights rather than ruining the image of the business by randomly functioning without a plan.” helping boost the economy by providing direct employment to people and it promotes Nepal made products too. “ We are selling T- shirts and accessories that are designed and manufactured in Nepal itself,” she says.
UG sources all the products from trusted suppliers. Moreover, they make sure that there is zero customer complaints and in case of complaints, they make immediate service recovery according to her. “ Unlike other online businesses there is money back or exchange facility at UG,” she says.
According to her, UG focuses on employee satisfaction along with customer satisfation. She says, “ It is difficult to retain talented human resource. We make sure that our employees’ are happy and satisfied. We provide bonuses and commissions along with salary and make sure that they are comfortable working with us.” She claims that working with a start up is more beneficial for a young person as they get to closely work on every function of business.
She finds inspiration in everyone and everything around her. However, her work inspires her more than anything does. She adds, “ I started the company as a teenager and I am growing with it.” Acharya concludes, “ I feel every person has the potential to do something that is extra ordinary. Do not be afraid to take small steps and make decisions of your life. You might get success or failure, but you should not stop, you live only once.” young guns “ It is difficult to retain talented human resource. We make sure our employees’ are happy and satisfied. We provide bonuses and commissions along with a salary and make sure that they are comfortable working with us.”