“True wellness can come about through empowerment and social change.”
Jayasree Madhu
(Founder & MD, Aamodini India)
It is often said adversities are inevitably carriers of opportunities and Jayasree Madhu, Founder and Managing Director of AAMODINI INDIA-a social entrepreneurship project of Aamodini Insights Private Limited, a company registered under MCA has built her entrepreneurial spirit along the above lines.
Jayasree Madhu kick started her professional journey in 2006 and went on carving a niche for herself in the medical device industry till 2018. Bitten by the entrepreneurial bug in 2019, Jayasree laid the foundation of her venture ‘AAMODINI ‘in the realm of Ayurveda cosmetics. Born and brought up in the Indian state Kerala, Ayurveda has been an integral aspect of her formative years. Fuelled by the conviction in the healing power of Ayurveda, Jayasree embarked on the journey of promoting Ayurveda cosmetics in modern form with medical approval. In short span of time, the product saw a surge in demand and the brand was entered in Mexico, Canada and USA along with India.
Just when the brand was getting momentum, the outbreak of Covid in 2020 wreaked havoc on the proprietary’s trajectory as supply chain disruption impacted the cosmetic industry as a whole and Aamodini in particular had to shut shop. The adversities of closing down a venture within one year of operations were colossal on a financial and operational level resulting in acute financial distress. However, it was the adversities faced through the downfall of Aamodini that presented opportunities and led to the idea of setting up ‘AAMODINI INDIA’ under the company Aamodini Insights Private Limited in 2021.
Amid Covid lockdown, Jayasree spent a few months in her village and had a chance encounter with woman struggling to sell homegrown fresh gambooche. Proficient in handling digital platforms, Jayasree listed gambooche (Kerala Kudampuli) on a leading E-commerce website and successfully sold 18 Kgs of gambooche in less than 2 days. This incident along with many other instances of successfully selling local organic produce through online platforms in record periods of time set the ball rolling for Jayasree as she saw the immense potential within Indian villages to offer unadulterated produce to a global audience through digital platforms.
Building further on this thought and driven by the intention of bringing rural women the benefits of financial inclusion, intelligence, independence & literacy, the seed of thought for ‘AAMODINI INDIA’ was sown. To be true to the vision of blending quality unadulterated products from the rural villages to the mainstream market, Jayasree embraced a leadership philosophy that reaches out to the rural population in a language they understand and chose to place their trust in it. The ethos of ‘AAMODINI INDIA’ is to create a space where rural women can build their entrepreneurial spirit leveraging the natural resources that are at their disposal at competitive prices- eliminating the struggles of middleman costs. In case you didn’t know, ‘Aamodini’ is the Sanskrit term for a happy woman and in the post pandemic landscape it is imperative that a financially intelligent happy woman is the core of every family unit to drive the economic growth of our country’s rural economy. Due to lack of higher education and oppressive social systems, women get the raw end of the deal. Jayasree is on a journey to lead clusters of rural women towards building their own financial ecosystem which will empower them to be self-sufficient.
AAMODINI INDIA
We live in times of rapid digitalization and while the urban economy has fully embraced digital platforms, there is a sense of reticence within the rural population to adopt digital payments, digital business models and digital transactions. Aamodini India came into being to be the wind beneath the wings of rural India. The company Aamodini Insights Private Limited officially registered under MCA offers unadulterated products that have undergone rigorous checks to meet approved standards under one brand “Aamodini India” on one E-commerce platform. The strategy of assembling every category of product under one canopy is possible through the successful formation of clusters, comprising teams of women who lead focus groups that handle product management with an effective and quality centric approach. Value added product garners demand in the market. A raw product gains value only when it undergoes processes including new licenses, financial involvement, branding etc. backed by a marketing strategy. Aamodini offers the rural population, support in not only selling the raw product but also developing diverse set of products from it as their individual venture gains momentum.
Any and every person in the rural set up who wants to start out on their own can reach out to an Aamodini India Cluster unit to assess whether their products meet the established quality standards and can find their foothold on Aamodini India’s digital platform. Designed in a way to cater to an individual’s entrepreneurial spirit, Aamodini India Clusters pave the way for internal B2B transactions. Any person who nurtures aspirations to be “Their own boss”and builds a product of value using the everyday natural resources that our country is abundantly blessed with, will find meaning in joining Aamodini India and contributing to the bigger picture, that is central to the purpose of Aamodini India. Aamodini India’s USP is the foundation on which the business has been built aiming to serve the rural population, empower rural women, nurture their entrepreneurial spirit and educate them in areas of financial intelligence.
What sets Aamodini India apart from other e-commerce counterparts?
Typically e-commerce platforms pose problems for the end customers as quality issues are often unattended, complex return policies create hassles and unclear information regarding the authentic source of the products leaves customers wanting to know more. From a seller’s perspective, key challenges posing roadblocks for the population are complex seller registration processes, branding their products, lack of market knowledge on areas of licensing, designing, packing etc. and managing accessibility to the village products.
All of the above pain points are addressed by Aamodini India project as the platform proudly exhibits the source and manufacturer of the product and the authenticity of the produce while promising top-notch quality with each product offered. Every element of the Aamodini India journey reinforces the brand’s commitment to its mission. From its inception till the last mile delivery, Aamodini India fulfills its mission to tap in to the potential of the rural population and their produce and handhold their journey as they transition to be part of the mainstream digital ecosystem. At the heart of Aamodini India’s key offering are a quality product and the opportunity to make rural women from our country- more empowered, more financially educated, more entrepreneurial and eventually independent.
The Awards and Accolades
Since the brand’s inception in 2021, Team Aamodini has been successful in being in the spotlight for all the right reasons among the MSME sector in India. In her capacity as Founder and Managing Director of Aamodini India, Jayasree was invited for a conference with Honorable Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi by the Udyami Bharat program. This opportunity served well in aligning her entrepreneurial vision to the vision that the Country’s leadership has for its burgeoning MSME sector. Within two years of coming into being, the Laghu Udyog Bharati turned the spotlight on the Aamodini India project and presented it at the MSME national conference held in New Delhi. Each time the visionary leadership of India and the government authorities provide budding entrepreneurs a platform to showcase the intention behind entrepreneurial venture and encourage the part played in driving the ‘Make in India’ vision forward, it is a reassurance, as a first time entrepreneur.
Aamodini India’s ‘Bring The Cup Home’ Campaign
Aiming to uplift women in every space of their life, Aamodini India breathed life into the ‘Bring the cup home campaign’- a genuine attempt aimed at delivering medical grade menstrual cups to women from every strata of society. This campaign was inaugurated by Ex. Rajya Sabha MP and actor par excellence Shri Suresh Gopi. Aligned to his philanthropic ideals the first homes where Aamodini India branded menstrual cups reached were the tribal villages of Edamalakkudy –in a bid to make the menstruating journey cost effective, hygienic and sustainable for women who face diverse struggles in their everyday mundane life.
Nurturing The Vision –Of Women, By Women And For Women
In her personal life, Jayasree is a single woman who chose to take the road less travelled to live an unapologetic life that allows her to nurture her dreams, realize her vision and build a brand that at its very is –for women, by women and of women.
The famous quote by Abraham Lincoln, “In the end it’s not the years in your life that count but the life in your years” resonates deeply with the life ethos that Jayasree embraces. From being a successful professional in the field of medical devices with a cushy job to embarking on a challenging journey to become a startup entrepreneur, Jayasree navigated through the challenges that came her way because she truly believes “making the life in your years count” is what will eventually matter at the end of the road in this lifetime. Committed to creating a strong sense of unifying sisterhood among the rural population, Jayasree believes the opportunities provided through the right channels give rural India a facelift it has never seen before.
Women are born with the innate skill of multiplying whatever is handed to them. Through Aamodini India, Jayasree is confident, rural women in India will be handed an opportunity to come in to their own, deliver value through their unique skillsets and learn essential life skills that will make them financially intelligent and aware. There is no escaping from the fact that if India’s growth story must transcend to the next level, the 64.6% people living in rural villages must be initiated in to mainstream financial ecosystem. Most of all, it is the rural women population that has dealt with oppressive social norms for years at the end and there is a compelling need to change the course of the story. While Jayasree’s vision alone will not be enough to transform the lives of rural women in India, Aamodini India led by Jayasree Madhu is definitely a step in the right direction to help rural women rewrite a new chapter in their life story.
