Shital Sharma: A Today Woman

Shital Sharma, a driven and enterprising 27-year-old, hails from Labasa but currently resides in Suva.

Happily married, her journey into entrepreneurship took a unique turn with the inception of Nidhish Kava, a business venture that emerged from a stroke of coincidence.

Nidhish Kava traces back to an unexpected opportunity in 2020 when her son was born, Ms Sharma received a call from Nasinu Town Council regarding a stall application made in 2017.

She was allocated stall B17/B18, where her young son coincidentally had decided to go and sit, and so marked the beginning of her venture, aptly named after her firstborn, Nidhish.

What started as an unexplainable encounter at a market stall has evolved into a thriving business with a devoted customer base, still based from stall B17/B18.

Reflecting on her journey, Ms Sharma firmly believes, “If there is no struggle, there is no progress.”

Her business predominantly sources grog from Savusavu and Labasa.

Leveraging her family’s heritage and business savvy in the Gatta sweets business established by her grandparents 60 years ago, Ms Sharma proudly runs Nidhish Kava independently with unwavering support from her husband and mother-in-law.

The kava industry

Amidst the evolution of the kava industry, Ms Sharma has observed shifts in customer reliance on her business for quality grog and increased home deliveries of powdered grog.

However, challenges persist during the wet seasons, affecting grog drying and pricing stability over the years. She emphasised the need for more quality yaqona producers to meet the industry’s demand.

“People now have a lot of faith in me for providing the best grog and I try my very best to reach out to farmers and get the best produce. All the hard work and dedication is slowly paying off. I can pay for my son’s better education” Ms Sharma said.

In a market filled with kava stalls at Laqere, Ms Sharma stands out as the only young married Indo-Fijian lady present daily, greeting customers with warmth and professionalism. Her unique approach includes labelled products and visible branding, ready for local consumption as well as export.

Website building

When asked about her decision to establish a website for her business, Ms Sharma asserts the necessity of adapting to the digital age for effective advertisement and streamlined operations.

“I decided to build a website because the digital world needs digital advertisement. I am a ‘today’ woman and I believe in walking with the generation” Ms Sharma said.

Feeling empowered after building her website, Ms Sharma emphasised the ease of the process due to her familiarity with computers and university studies.

She encouraged fellow entrepreneurs to embrace online platforms for their business expansion.

Her advice for aspiring business owners revolves around humility, as she said: “There is no age to start a new business.

“What you need is a good heart to treat all customers like God.”

She believes anyone can succeed in business with dedication and a customer-centric approach, irrespective of educational qualifications.

By: Shenal Harakh

• Shenal Harakh is the founder of her eponymous software development agency Shenal (www.shenal.online), which builds tech products for startup clients around the world.She is currently based in Fiji and is running workshops to digitally upskill communities. Head to https://fiji.shenal.online/ to sign up and keep up to date with new workshops, or follow her work on Linkedin: Shenal Harakh or Twitter: @shenalyo.

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