How Entrepreneur Sandhya Hegde Quadrupled Her Income by Taking Her Business Online

Sandhya Hegde wanted to change her life and digital brought her the answer. After marriage and motherhood, Sandhya had more demands on her time and her career took a back seat. But wanting to be self-reliant never changed. self-reliance led Sandhya to start her online business in kids' products. Stepping outside of her comfort zone was not easy but Hegde wanted to prove to herself that she could build something new. Here’s her journey of overcoming challenges and upskilling with digital tools. 

Sandhya comes from a small village in Karnataka. She completed her higher education in biotechnology and started a well-paying job in Bangalore's IT sector. She worked for eight years before embracing motherhood when like many Indian women she prioritized her family over her career. 

Entrepreneurship post motherhood

While she loved being a mum to her children, Hegde missed being self-reliant and busy. The void of not making her own money kept tugging at her over the years. She wanted to restart her career and regain financial independence.

Sandhya started looking for work-from-home options to pivot her career and be able to take care of her family. And so she started a work-from-home business in children’s products.

How she harnessed the power of digital

Sandhya started running her online store and earning money from the comfort of her home. But with no background in business, she got stuck building outreach for new customers, and marketing her products. She again looked online and found a course in business, WomenWill by Google. From the basics of digital marketing to online selling and even learning how to apply for business documents like a PAN card, she learnt it all through the program, for free

She applied what she learnt and slowly her business started expanding. She gained confidence and improved her communication skills. Her earnings also grew. “I started using everything I learned from the WomenWill program to run my business. I am so glad I did it! You know my children now ask me to buy them toys instead of going to their dad. I feel like I have achieved something significant,” she shares.

With thanks to Google for permission to publish this series of stories about women entrepreneurs who have benefited from the WomenWill platform