Maheeja Vallabhaneni, an HR-turned-entrepreneur, launched First Cradle in June 2020.
Hyderabad: Necessity is the mother of invention, so goes the saying. When the need for something becomes essential, one is forced to find ways of achieving it. And this exactly is what happened in the case of Maheeja Vallabhaneni, an ex-HR and now the proud owner of First Cradle. Maheeja who likes to celebrate all traditional functions and customs always had the feeling of not celebrating a special day- the cradle ceremony of her first child due to some inconveniences at home. But she didn’t want to miss that for her second child, who was born in the month of May when the lockdown was in force.
“When I delivered my second kid in the month of May, coronavirus scare was at its peak. As all shops were closed due to lockdown, we really had to struggle to purchase a cradle,” she says. Maheeja’s husband and her brother had to go searching for a cradle and after much efforts and going around, could purchase one for the cradle ceremony. It was this search for a cradle that sow the seeds for what ultimately turned out to her venture- First Cradle.
“It was my husband who suggested starting a business for parents who want to celebrate their moments happily and without having to spend a lot of time and energy for a cradle. I too fell in love with that idea and we started off the cradle business,” says Maheeja who launched the activity in the month of June.
At First Cradle, she provides cradles on 24 hours rental basis and depending on the designs the charges vary. “We started off with two cradles initially and over the months have added six more,” says Maheeja. From traditional to modern and contemporary, and from lightweight cradles to those made with teak wood and iron, the options vary.
“We are getting positive response and are supplying cradles to at least five to six clients every month. We are available on Facebook and WhatsApp,” says Maheeja. The chosen cradle is provided to the client a day ahead of the ceremony. Apart from this, Maheeja is also into a farm-fresh honey business and supplies honey from single flora and multiflora. In demand these days are the plain honey, Tulasi honey, Ajwain honey and coffee honey, she says.
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