Afzal Shah, a father of 3, hails from Surat, the land of his forefathers. Back in the day, Afzal worked as a … at a multinational company, but as luck would have it, he had to leave his job due to unforeseen circumstances. A man of grit, Afzal, decided not to give up and took a dive into selling batteries, after leaving his job, and was eventually driven to start his own food-business. However, both his endeavors eventually reached a dead-end. A few years ago, Afzal found a ray of hope when he discovered a chance to work as a kirana delivery partner with Flipkart, after being advised by a friend.
Reminiscing about his journey with Flipkart, Afzal said, “It has been a great journey with Flipkart. My life has drastically improved. After my food company business failed, a friend suggested I join Flipkart as its Kirana delivery partner, and that was the best advice I ever got. Everything worked out for the best; I can now send all of my children to a reputed English-medium school. My son is in the eleventh grade, and although his educational costs are substantial, I am able to cover them fully, which as a father makes me feel really proud and happy.”
Soon after joining hands with Flipkart, Afzal began making an average of Rs. 25,000 each month. Every year during Flipkart’s annual flagship event the Big Billion Days, his income doubles and he manages to earn about Rs. 40,000 in just one week. This helps him in not only meeting his daily expenses but it also enables him to lead a happy and fulfilled life as he provides his family with the kind of lifestyle he had always desired.
Speaking about his long-held dreams, Afzal said, “Despite the fact that I only finished the 12th grade of my schooling, I am determined to provide my children the best education possible. As my wife and I work together to realize this dream, we also want to provide our children with the greatest possible life. In addition to that, I also have a wish to construct a larger house for my family. And I can tell that working with Flipkart has helped me get closer to achieving my dreams.”
His drive to not give up and improve his life was pushed further by Flipkart’s assistance, which provided Afzal with a way to attain his ambitions.
Another such inspiring story is of, Vikas Gupta who is an ambitious and hardworking young man from Surat, the commercial capital of Gujarat. As the youngest member in the family of 4, he was a pampered child who always got his wishes granted as compared to his older sibling. His father, who works as a compounder at a government hospital, always encouraged him to do what he really wanted. When it came to education, he was given the liberty to choose a course of his own choice, so after completing 10th grade, he pursued ITA and had a career planned out for him. But as luck would have it, securing a decent job was next to impossible due to high competition in the field. It was the disappointment of not finding a job that made him realize his true calling towards owning his own business.
At the tender age of 18, he started his own shop in the neighborhood market at Surat. Now as a young adult he is single handedly running his own shop as well as delivering products to Flipkart consumers on the side. His association with Flipkart started in 2018, when his knowledge of being a kirana delivery partner was limited. He recalls how efficient and fast track the onboarding process was that helped him juggle his own business with product deliveries parallelly.
“I can’t thank Flipkart enough for hand holding me when my business and knowledge around e-commerce deliveries was very nascent. Regular engagement sessions, virtual as well as in person training helped me throughout. I was happy to witness a positive change and growth in my income. Witnessing Flipkarts’ people-centric approach I recommended many of my friends to partner with the platform as Kirana partners. Flipkart has not only touched my life but made an impact in the lives of people I closely know.” he added.
He is now a happy earning member in the family and the fear of not making it in his career like others, subsided long back. Today his average pay is around INR 30,000 which doubles during the festive season. Since he has been part of the last two Big Billion Days, he recalls the excitement and the rush he witnesses among his neighboring areas. According to him, the excitement is infectious and keeps him motivated.
As a mobile accessories shop owner he has kept himself updated with the latest technology, gadgets and evidently around mobile handset accessories. He is excited to put his knowledge into use and make some purchases on behalf of the whole family by the end of this year. He wishes that more individuals realize the potential of e-commerce and join hands with Flipkart to be a part of the positive change.
