CA. Dashmeet Kaur Saluja & CA. Pragya Porwal

I always wanted to fly higher, wanted to become a business tycoon, hence had the dream to take admission in Shri Ram College of Commerce, New Delhi to pursue an entrepreneurship course which could push me closer to my dream. Hi, this is CA. Dashmeet Kaur Saluja narrating this success story of GharTak: a venture of two independent women CAs - my business partner, CA. Pragya Porwal and me - to inspire women Chartered Accountants to achieve their goals, irrespective of how tough it can be.

Being the youngest and most loved child of my family, my father was reluctant of me travelling away at an early age. I had to be in Indore, so decided to take over Chartered Accountancy as it would keep me going towards my goal. Understanding various business processes and auditing their techniques helped me gain knowledge of the practical aspects of various industries. I cleared Chartered Accountancy at an age of 22 and was immediately selected in one of the Big Fours, Deloitte, Bengaluru. It was then when I crossed paths with my to-be business partner and also a partner in aspirations, CA.Pragya Porwal, from Indore.

New city, new experiences and a new beginning.

Being on the payroll of the Big Four is very fascinating, especially when you crack the interviews at once. Work culture is hectic but gives you immense knowledge and exposure in your field. We never thought we could do something big together in the initial days of our job. I started preparing for CAT along with the job and Pragya had silent dreams to do something of her own.

Pragya’s silent dreams & my aspirations soon got us together to our home town, Indore, to start a new venture; something which gives us sparks & glows every morning.  Life is uncertain but whatever happens, happens for good. I got married within a month of returning and just after that, the idea of having the need to provide pick and drop services in our home town, banged on our heads at the same time. I am thankful to my husband for supporting me every time and for being a co-founder of our startup, GharTak. GharTak started in October 2019, provides pick and drop to send or receive packages from anywhere across the city. These services can be used to send documents to banks, government offices and are very useful for professionals as well.

In the inception, we participated in delivering the orders on our own for having a better understanding of customer requirements and knowing the on-field challenges faced by our riders. It became very difficult for us as we had now switched from a fat salaried job to a newly started venture. It was more difficult as we had to keep a healthy balance between personal and professional life. It was quite challenging managing day to day affairs, recruitment of employees, partnership with multiple vendors, marketing, accounting, everything which a company has to do for its sustenance and growth. We personally met multiple vendors across the city in order to procure orders and generate more business. We were completely indulged in the business activities, gradually achieving and clearing hurdles on the way.

Coping with the Pandemic

It was becoming easier but then all of a sudden, the world got hit by COVID 19, a pandemic that shook every nook & cranny. Businesses were getting worse except few, which includes delivery services, most crucial for the lockdown. We captured the opportunity and put in our 100% efforts to serve the people. During the lockdown, we identified the need to create an e-commerce

platform to have a user-friendly experience with the name ghartak.in wherein people could place orders for any kind of essentials, be it grocery, fruits, vegetables, dairy, poultry, medicine & other daily needs. We have collaborated with big giants of Indore and helped them deliver their products through our platform. When everyone was protecting their life, the GharTak team was working tirelessly day and night to serve families during the pandemic. We feel proud to be covered in the Times of India at an early stage. We were among the only delivery companies in Indore to serve during the lockdown. It was hard for us to manage deliveries during those times due to widespread disease and uncertain changes in government laws & restrictions but we coped up really well.

We are developing our technology in order to keep pace with the business dynamics and have plans to expand to other cities very soon. Chartered Accountancy helps us to understand government laws & regulations and its impact on our business more clearly. It helps us to understand various economic activities and gives us an insight into every business dynamic.

-       CA. Dashmeet Kaur Saluja & CA. Pragya Porwal

Both the CAs are founders of Indore-based startup, GharTak