Overcoming Hardships: Sabaah Sheikh, 33

Sabaah is proprietor, illuminatii, that produces handmade candles and employs several people giving their families both stability and security

At five, she knew she wanted to run her own factory. Years later, the motivation changed but the goal did not. Hailing from an arts background, Sheikh blended creativity with manufacturing and stepped into the world of candles. "I ventured into the business of candlemaking 13 years back. I feel creating employment is greater than charity because it gives an avenue for someone to work with dignity and I reached out to people who'd work for my company. It also gives employees and their families stability and security. By providing employment for 100 people you are feeding at least 400 people," says Sheikh.

At present, Sheikh is planning to open showrooms in Dubai, London and across India but says that the start-up process was not easy. "Candlemaking sounds simple and fun, but its not. Technical know-how behind exporting candles is overwhelming for a beginner," she continues, "My start-up process involved a lot of testing and formulating, it was like a science laboratory for the first few months. I did not take any course and the challenge was figuring things out on my own. Finances were also a challenge as I did not take any money from my family."

At 17, Sheikh generated the capital money by selling the paintings she made and started her own manufacturing unit. She faced many hardships and believes in a famous quote of Mahatma Gandhi gave her the strength, "If you feed a man fish you feed him once, but if you teach him how to fish you feed him for life."

Sneak peek

• Sheikh started the business 13 years ago. She is based in New Delhi and has no formal training in candlemaking.

• She believes that you learn from your failures so you should never let failure discouraged you.

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