Tea serves as great refreshment or in fact, it’s not less than nectar (Amrit) if a person is tired. What’s more, it brings a feeling of freshness when taken early morning, however if we talk about Indians, they can have tea just anytime in the day.
But for Uppma Virdi, tea or chai is not just a drink but her passion and quite amazingly, this passion has now turned her from a successful lawyer to a dynamic entrepreneur.
Uppma, who is just 26 yrs old, is an Indian-Australian lawyer who gave a rude shock to her parents and family when she informed them about her decision to enter the business of selling tea.
In her words,
“My parents and family were totally against it. They said I was a lawyer, why did I want to be a tea seller? I said I wanted to show that tea sellers can do something. All the chai walas and chai walis in India are doing something entrepreneurial even if they are not well educated, at least they have a business spirit.”
Uppma founded Chai Walli, a retail business, and just recently, she has been named as Businesswoman of the Year 2016 in a grand event conducted in Sydney by the Indian Australian Business and Community Awards (IABCA). Wonderful, isn’t it?
Uppma’s grandfather was a doctor and an expert in herbs and spices. In fact, it was he who taught her the art of Ayurvedic tea and hence, it can be said that Uppma’s love for tea goes back to the days when she was a little kid and used to spend time with her grandfather.
Now she wants to spread this mesmerizing tradition of Indian tea across the whole world through her business, as she says,
“In the Indian culture people come together through tea. Whether it’s a happy occasion or a difficult moment, tea is all pervasive. I tried, but couldn’t find many good tea places in Australia.”
Her special blends were a hit very soon when she was selling tea herself at the market!
And then she started an online store, selling at wholesale prices to local stores. Not only this, she also began classes for “The Art of Chai”.
It’s been nearly two years now that she is running her business successfully, which she has developed through relationships, dedication, devotion, hard work and social media networks.
She still works as a lawyer in daytime and is pondering when to become a full-time entrepreneur.
Uppma is an inspiration to all the ladies who want to make big in their lives. She has proved that you just need to work on your passion and good results will come sooner or later.
You go girl!
Isn’t her story too motivating? Do you also have any such passion? Share with us in the comments section below.
Source: Instagram