Well, its a favorite for many of you and you’d be lying if you say you’ve not visited it more than 10 times already. And if you’re like me, your friends and colleagues must be half pissed with you already because you ALWAYS have to call them for meetings, outings, meals or just any random plans at Cappi. So, if they repeatedly ask you WHY do you do that, share this post with them because its a direct answer to all our pals out there! Cappuccino Blast (famously called ‘Cappi’) was started back in 2000 (so that’s 16 long yeas from now) by a young lady Puja Vaid. Belonging to a conservative Marwari family, she had to outstrip her family notions and follow her passion for coffee. She borrowed a sum of 25,000 from her father and started a small cafe with just 4…

You visit a nice Boutique restaurant, get thrilled by its ambience and the lovely decor, the first thing that probably comes to mind is ‘oh wow what a beautiful family business’, but knock knock, not this one. This has been set up by this ambitious Marwari women, not trying to be casteist but you now how in India each community is known for its special traits. In Puja’s community women are supposed to get married by the age of 20, but here she was all set, to set up her own business with dreams larger than life. She wanted to live life on her own terms and conditions breaking all the shackles of age-old traditions of her community. She dared to dream big, wanted to be independent and pursued it so tenaciously that today it’s her beautiful reality. Meet Puja Vaid Nemani owner of…

Lucknow: The tropical aroma of ‘coffea’ (the plant which bears the coffee seed) seems to be blending well with the poise Lucknow’s culture is known for. The city has seen a notable increase in the number of coffee shops and lounges in the past couple of years, says statistic with UP Hotels And Restaurants Association. Their estimates show there are more than 100 reasonably good coffee shops/joints/lounges doing fair business as of now. The fact that “almost a third of these units have come up in the past two years” establishes the trend further. Endorsing the trend, Prateek Hira of Indian Association of Tour Operators said, “Take a visit to Gomtinagar… a coffee shop serving more than espresso can be seen every 10 meters and each one is doing substantial business.” One of the first in the city to open a coffee shop in…

Arti Vaid made her favorite pastime her business passion! This woman found an opportune space for her a bakery at a popular restaurant and cafe lounge, and made best use of the opportunity she got. Without any formal training in baking, she is able to prepare the best fondant cakes, pastries, waffles and all things English. What makes her business unique is her constant drive to innovate and come up with new items that keep her clients wanting to come back for more, quite literally! My biggest challenge has been retaining my staff specially chefs. I really don’t know how we could improve this but either the chefs I train run away after learning or someone poaches them from me.  Read More Here source: ShethePeople TV, http://shethepeople.tv/5-supercool-women-entrepreneurs-to-watch-out-for-in-lucknow/

For women entrepreneurs of Lucknow the challenges didn’t come in terms of funding or ideas. Changing mindsets and breaking away from traditions was the key held-up for women to unleash their potential. In what was a rare women entrepreneurs meet up in Lucknow, female foundersshared candidly that the city’s ‘log kya kahengey’ attitude was the reason most women hadn’t put their dreams to work. The SheThePeople meet up was unique because it was the first time that these women got to converge together and discuss the gendered challenges and the way one could cope with them. From boot-strappers to newly funded and those with longstanding legacies, the hi-noon session highlighted a real assortment of business-views. The conclusion – that the really well off and upcoming entrepreneur had similar stories of struggle. “I literally started my business with 4000 rupees. Chikan work was dying here….

Puja Nemani

“The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” – Eleanor Roosevelt 39-year-old Puja Vaid Nemani not just dared to dream but she pursued it tenaciously to turn it into her reality. Born into the illustrious Vaid family on February 16, 1977, Puja did her education from Loreto Convent in Lucknow, B.Com from the University of Lucknow and her Master’s from Greenwich University, U.K. Life for Puja would have been like the many girls from typical Marwadi families, where it is customary for them to get married as soon as they reach their 20s. However, it was not to be. Back from the U.K., young Puja was eager to live life on her own terms, breaking the shackles of age-old traditions and daring to dream big and emerge a confident woman. The year was 1998, when the creative world of…