Slice of Life: ‘Though competition is high, customised gift trade is profitable’

I was born and brought up in Chennai. When I was pursuing BSc computer science, I worked part-time at a friend’s gift shop. After completing my course, I opened my own shop on MC Road at Old Washermenpet in 2018. I do both online and offline customised gifts. 

Though the competition is high, especially the online business, I have a few regular customers known through social media and friends. The business is quite profitable. I am able to make a living out of it. The business is self-sustaining. When comes to online shopping, we get advance payment because there is no guarantee that the buyers will pay up after delivery of the product. There is a price difference between online and offline business, too. 

My monthly income is around Rs 15,000 to Rs 20,000. My parents were not very happy when I started the business. Even after a year, they are still not convinced that I can make a living out of it. I have plans to expand the business and introduce new items at the shop.