Highly popular among students, Arjun is an astute small-scale businessman. Here’s the story of this famous sugarcane juice vendor in Vizag
“I first started out in the business as a 20 year old looking to earn a livelihood. After my first job at Jagadamba, I set up my own stall beside St Joseph’s College at Gnanapuram. It has been 10 years since then and in hindsight, I could not have asked for more.
My day starts quite early when I set up my stall around 6 AM. I pretty much manage everything at the stall by myself with the occasional help from my brother, Appa Rao. I enjoy a customer base spread across varied age groups, with the major chunk being students. High profile officials also visit my stall for a glass of their favourite ‘Ganne ka Ras’.
Summers prove to be my peak season when I keep getting customers until 11 PM. The hot months see my earnings go up to Rs 2,000 per day whereas the colder ones cause them to drop to around Rs 800 per day.
Apart from the dip in income during winters, being located on the highway proves to be the other major obstacle for my business. I need to keep shifting my locale due to persistent traffic issues as well.
All said and done, I am determined to overcome these few obstacles and eventually succeed in my business. I have plans of expanding this current setup as I continue to take care of my parents and keep them happy.”
Come summer in Vizag and the sugarcane juice vendor’s stall will once again be flocked with customers wanting to quench their thirst and we wish him the best.
With inputs from Shekinah Sam
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