From Struggle to Success: Seven Female Partners Who Turned Their Lives Around at Urban Company

Meet Preeti Dua, Bhavya Sharma, Asha Thakur, Rabiya Begum, Preeti Kharade, Manisha and Rekha Rajput.

All seven of them come from different worlds and have faced different challenges, each one more difficult than the other.

What binds them together, however, is their pursuit of a place for themselves in this largely inequitable society, so that they can spread their wings and fly high.

Read about the challenges that each of them faced, the qualities that set them apart, and their dreams for themselves and their loved ones around them.

PREETI DUA

Preeti Dua, from Delhi-NCR, Urban Company’s Salon Luxe partner, a loving mother of two, is the backbone of her family — both financially and mentally. She joined Urban Company 5 years ago out of lack of flexibility and money to sustain, working at a salon.

Since then, Preeti and her family have only looked forward. Her income has grown exponentially. She is able to dedicate enough time for her children, while managing her career. She is the reason her family has been able to move into a bigger apartment. Her husband and people around her laud her for her hard work at supporting the family in every way she can.

Yet, there’s no stopping Preeti’s determination. She dreams of building her own house in the next two years and wants to become a role model for her children.

Today, she stands shoulder to shoulder with her husband, manages her entire household, and is able to ensure quality education for her children.

Hear Preeti speak about her 5 year-long journey and her successes: https://youtu.be/ToubRivH5Kg

BHAVYA SHARMA

On the other end of the country, in Bengaluru, resides Bhavya Sharma, Urban Company’s first female RO technician.

Bhavya’s story is a testament to the power of resilience, determination, and hard work. Bhavya’s husband, who was a senior RO technician, passed away in 2021.

Shortly after, she chased her husband’s legacy, got trained as an RO technician in an otherwise all-male category, and rose to the position of UC’s first female RO technician.

Bhavya saw her adversity not as a stumbling block but as a stepping stone to her success. Her courage and her love for her children took over her fears and gave her the strength to face one of life’s toughest phases.

Bhavya wishes to see more women break barriers and make a place for themselves in these largely male-dominated spheres.

Watch Bhavya narrate her hardships and how she overcame them: https://youtu.be/MQJ2vnkBjoQ

ASHA THAKUR

Asha Thakur calls herself a “self-dependent” woman. With her husband being away on duty in the army, the onus of taking care of her family fell on Asha.

The last 5 years for Asha have been a life-changer. She moved away from the non-flexible and hectic life of working in a salon to become a Salon Luxe partner with Urban Company.

More earnings and more flexibility in work have only added to Asha’s strong personality. Over the years, she has supported her brother-in-law in his pursuit of joining the Merchant Navy by funding his education and is now helping her son prepare for JEE Mains and NDA exams.

Asha does not just earn but is also prudent in how she makes good use of it. She dives neck-deep into finance options and is known in her locality for investing and building her finances to support herself and her family.

Her next pit-stop for her dreams is to travel outside of India and build a career there.

Hear from Asha herself: https://youtu.be/IY3HKjh91-A

RABIYA BEGUM

Life hadn’t been easy for Rabiya Begum from Hyderabad either. Joining Urban Company was like seeing light at the end of a dark tunnel for Rabiya.

Rabiya was known in her locality for offering massage services for newborns and new mothers. Little did she know, her skills were going to make her one of the top partners in the spa category at Urban Company.

Rabiya is now the sole breadwinner in the family. She pays her children’s school fees and manages every expense at home. Her husband supports her by looking after their children at home while Rabiya is away building her career.

Even Rabiya’s husband is all praises for her. Watch Rabiya and her husband speak: https://youtu.be/HVcT21hU_So

PREETI KHARADE

While Rabiya has a strong support system in her family, Preeti Kharade managed to find the strength within herself to beat all odds and show up for her 47-year old sister with special needs.

Before joining Urban Company, Preeti used to go door to door to deliver massage services. She didn’t earn enough, nor was she able to look after her sister, who needs constant assistance.

Even then, giving up is not one of Preeti’s traits. She found Urban Company which gave her the flexibility to choose her work hours and earn enough income to support her family.

Preeti dreams of the day her son becomes an automobile engineer and stands on his own two feet. She resolves to never leave her sister’s side and provide her with everything that she needs.

Meet Preeti’s family and hear her speak: https://youtu.be/67cS7DbkmjE

MANISHA

It’s difficult to miss out on the story of Manisha from Bengaluru while speaking about tales of persistence.

Manisha used to work at a salon chain where her earnings were not enough to support her family. However, she rose to the occasion to demand what she truly deserved — good earnings and an improved lifestyle.

Manisha broke all barriers to become the “son” that her parents had always wanted. Today, she looks after her parents and is the sole breadwinner in her family.

REKHA RAJPUT

In Delhi-NCR is another story of a salon professional who has a daughter with special needs. A few years back, as her daughter was growing older, Rekha Rajput had to make the choice that unfortunately most women in India face with — family over career. The lack of flexibility at work was her reason to do so.

Over time, debts began to pile up, and that’s when she joined Urban Company. Her strength and grit, coupled with a mother’s love for her children, are her two biggest sources of motivation.

Today, she can have the best of both worlds, grooming her career while fulfilling her responsibilities towards her children. All the while making enough money to support her family.

These are not the stories of just seven women. These are the stories of thousands of women out of the ~12,000 Urban Company women partners who have beaten all odds to pursue what they truly believed in.

At Urban Company, we are creating opportunities to empower women by embracing equality and social equity through flexibility, accessibility, and training and skilling across our business models.

Our call to #EmbraceEquity stands true in every decision we take. We aim to create a world where women from all walks of life can reach their full potential.

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