Sonia Khatri Anand, founder of ‘Monk & Mei’, once thrived as a corporate professional. However, a life-changing moment during her career made her rethink her life plans.
“I remember these young girls, all of 12 or 14 years of age sitting with guns in their hands. They told me my reality was far removed from theirs,” Sonia says.
Determined to make a difference, Sonia decided to leave her corporate career and follow her true calling — empowering artisans in rural India. Monk & Mei was born to help these communities thrive.
Sonia recalls meeting tribal women artisans in Odisha outside the Chief Minister’s office. “These were trained tailors who had returned from Tirupur, Tamil Nadu, looking for job opportunities in their own hometown,” she says.
In 2019, cyclone Fani hit, causing significant financial losses. Sonia restarted the operations out of her home garage in Mumbai with just one artisan.
Ayub Masterji, one of the first artisans, shares, “The work I got enabled me to hire eight more tailors whose homes were running because of the work they did with me.”
Sonia also has some advice for entrepreneurs looking to raise capital: 1: Use the first year to stabilise operations before seeking investors. 2: Be passionate about your business, not just profit.
3: Be mindful of data. Basic analytics help when pitching to investors. 4: Favour debt over equity to build credit and unlock funding opportunities.