Dehradun-based Nisha Gupta and Guddi Thapliyal had absolutely no knowledge of establishing an online business.

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The two housewives started Geekmonkey, an online platform for unique and quirky gifting, in their fifties with an investment of Rs 50,000 each.

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While Guddi studied till Class 5, Nisha is a graduate who used to sell gift items from her house and later at a shop.

“I remember once I ended up with several return gifts post a party, so I decided to distribute them in my social circle,” says Nisha.

She says this was the start of her ‘hobby’ of procuring items from local vendors and selling them to customers.

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“I enjoyed the process so much that I decided to open a small shop. The experience accumulated during these years gave me the confidence to increase my reach,” she adds.

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Meanwhile, for Guddi, it was the excitement and anticipation of seeing a person’s reaction after receiving a thought-provoking gift that ignited her interest in starting a venture.

The mothers who had never operated a computer till 2017, were sceptical about running a business.

But their children stepped in to help! Anil (Guddi’s son) worked on setting up the website and listing the products.

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After months of research, sample testing, and trust-building to find the right gifts and vendors across India, the mothers collaborated with local artisans and handicraft makers to give them a wider platform to sell their products at the right price.

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“We did not want to be just another gifting website and wanted to offer items that are either unique or not commonly available and accessible,” says Nisha, mentioning their custom-made bobblehead dolls and 3D illusion lamps.

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Geekmonkey started with four to five orders daily and gradually worked its way up to a multicrore venture. 

With gifts spanning almost 40 categories, the mothers say they have something for everyone.

The biggest learning for the founders has been to invest in one arena, analyse if it is working, and then invest more instead of risking it all.

Nisha and Guddi’s entrepreneurial journey shows that having degrees and years of experience is not mandatory to achieve your dreams, but rather the willingness to learn, work hard, and be sincere.

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