Client Stories

Satyawati and Satyaprakash from Pagroi village in Sitapur district, Uttar Pradesh—a couple whose remarkable journey from traditional farming to successful entrepreneurship is a true testament to resilience and vision. Initially working as farmers, Satyaprakash and Satyawati sought to transform their lives and embraced the opportunity for change with the help of a loan from Samasta. They took their first step by investing in a flour machine, which marked the beginning of their entrepreneurial adventure. This initial loan was a catalyst, enabling them to expand their operations. Building on their success, they further enhanced their business by adding a polisher machine and an expeller machine, which significantly boosted their production capabilities. Their continued growth led to the successful establishment of a Kirana store, managed skillfully by Satyawati.Satyaprakash shares their journey with pride: “With our first loan from Samasta, we were able to install a flour machine, which was a game-changer for us. As our business grew, we expanded by adding a polisher and an expeller machine. Now, my wife runs a thriving Kirana store, and our venture has brought a new dimension to our lives.”

Savitaben and her husband own a tea stall in Bilpad, Gujrat. They sell morning snacks, tea, and other food items. Along with running the tea stall, Savitaben ventured into her own business of making farsaan snacks. Savitaben’s shop has become famous in the locality for its unique taste and quality. Savitaben took a loan from IIFL Samasta in 2018 and used it to buy ingredients to make more snacks and expand the range of products. She started getting many orders for snacks and used subsequent loans from IIFL Samasta to buy ingredients in bulk and ensure timely delivery. Today, she sells around 30 varieties of snacks and has a constant income to support her family. Earlier, life was not this smooth for the couple. They have a daughter and a son. Their daughter is married and the son had to discontinue his studies due to difficulties at home. Now with a steady income from her business, Savitaben hopes her son will complete his graduation and have a secure future. Savitaben is happy with where she is today. She proudly says, “more than the success of this business, the self-confidence that I gained over these years matters a lot. I have not studied much and I always feared whether I would succeed or not. But, at the same time, I also knew that sitting idle would not help us improve our situation. That is how I ventured into this business.” Savitaben is excited when speaking about her association with IIFL Samasta. “IIFL Samasta has always treated me like a valued customer and supports me in the loan process. They encourage me to grow my business and my experience with each staff in IIFL Samasta has always been very good.”

On a narrow winding road in the interior areas of Yelahanka, Bangalore, Lakshmidevi runs a tiny shop selling sarees and blouse material. Her shop is easy to find – just look for the brightly coloured sarees hanging on a line alongside a matching array of chips packets. A series of unfortunate events in Lakshmidevi’s life led to her becoming an entrepreneur. Following her son’s failed shamiana business and husband’s stroke, Lakshmi started a small business from home by selling sarees to temples where they are used to decorate the deities. As sales improved, she looked to expand, and with a loan from IIFL Samasta, Lakshmidevi rented a small shop with larger stock of sarees and blouse material. Business is doing well, she says, and her customers are largely devotees visiting temples. She also sells chips to hungry passers by. Lakshmidevi’s income helped pull the family out of their financial distress and has improved their living standards.They built their own home and the business is doing well, she said. Lakshmidevi’s daughter-in-law is studying for a M.A. and plans to work after graduation, and her son is now an auto driver. While her husband has recovered physically, he is still unable to speak. Lakshmidevi’s grandson, Niranjan, a bright-eyed boy with a wide smile, spends his school holidays with his grandparents in the shop, and proudly says he dusts and helps keep the shop tidy. He is a good student and will be going to std. 4 once school reopens in June. His grandmother wants him to study hard and have a promising future. “I want to be an astronaut,” Niranjan says.