Is Modi’s pakoda mantra lucrative?

So how profitable is bajji selling as a business proposition? Viable, with potential to expand, as DT Next found out from this two-year-old ‘bajjipreneur’, who operates only four hours on any given day

BUSINESS PROPOSITION: Tempting molaga bajjis to alltime favourite vazhakai bajjis, and tiny bondas that are favourite accompaniments for coffee and tea. Bajjis are priced at Rs 10, bondas cost Rs 5 

INITIAL INVESTMENT: Rs 10,000. “It went into buying stove, kerosene, storage trays. To save cost, we opted for newspaper pieces instead of plates to serve the snacks.”

HOURS OF WORK: Four hours - two each in the morning (8 am to 10 am) and evening (5 pm to 7pm)

NUMBER OF CUSTOMERS: On an average, the stall gets about 60 customers a day office-goers, school children and residents nearby. “Most of them are regular customers.”

MONTHLY SALES: Rs 40,000. “Overall, we sell for about Rs 1,000 every day. Our stall sees the maximum number of customers on Friday and Saturday evening, when the sales go up to Rs 3,000.”

PROFIT: Rs 18,000. “This is a manageable income, but not entirely adequate, as we are a family of five. If we wish to expand sales by hiring labourers for making bajjis, the cost incurred would be exponential compared to the present. We will have to spare at least 5,000 per month for it. That is a huge sum, given our profit.”