Is this really my business I dreamed of, or is it just another job?
It’s been quite a ride. I’m Dapinder, born and raised in Jammu, and ever since I was a kid, I’ve been hooked on the idea of business. Nobody in my family was into it, so I was kind of charting my own course. I still remember this one day, I must’ve been 12 or 13, when a friend of my dad’s casually said to him, “Sardars aren’t good at business.” It was just a passing comment, but it hit me hard.
After the uncle left, I turned to my dad and asked, “Why do they say that?” He didn’t have a solid answer, and honestly, that bugged me.
Right then, I made a promise to him—and myself—that one day, I’d become a successful businessman, not just in Jammu or anywhere, but in the whole world. That moment stuck with me.Growing up, I had no clue how to make that dream real.
My family and I didn’t know the first thing about business. But I kept at it. At 18, I started working—first as a collection agent for local shops, then for big telecoms like Idea and Vodafone.
Earning my own money felt amazing, but deep down, I wasn’t satisfied. It wasn’t the big dream I had in mind. So, after a couple of years, I switched to being an insurance advisor. Two years later, I took a leap and opened my own insurance office. That first year, we hit ₹1 crore in revenue—pretty wild, right? The money was good, but I kept asking myself, “Is this really my business I dreamed of, or is it just another job?” I was confused about the whole “self-employed vs. business” thing.
Still, I pushed on, all while juggling my graduation and then an MBA.In 2019, I tried something totally different—delivery—a delivery service for fruits and vegetables. But things got rough. The scrapping of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir messed things up, and then COVID hit in 2020. My startup didn’t survive. But I wasn’t done.
In 2021, I jumped into urban farming with my company, Umaaha Solutions. It felt right—like something that could make a real difference. People loved it too. We got recognition, warm wishes, and in our first year, we made ₹11 lakh. By the second year, we were at ₹1.22 crore. I’d touch my heart and think, “This is it. This is what I dreamed of.”But man, entrepreneurship isn’t easy. In 2023, we hit a wall when payments got stuck with a government office. We ran out of capital, and it was tough to keep going. I decided to hand over my insurance business to my cousin so I could give 100% to urban farming. We scraped by, doing whatever we could to survive. That year, I applied to Shark Tank India, but got rejected in the first round. It stung, but I didn’t let it stop me.
Then, in 2024, things started looking up. Umaaha Solutions got selected for Lion’s Den and Kal Ke Krorepati. The best part? We got a funding commitment from Kal Ke Krorepati. It was a huge boost, like a pat on the back saying, “You’re on the right track.” The funds haven’t come through yet, and we’re still fighting to keep things afloat, but that moment gave us the fire to keep going.Looking back, it’s been a crazy journey—from a kid in Jammu promising to prove people wrong, to building a business that’s about more than just money. Urban farming is my way of making an impact, and even with all the struggles, I’m not giving up. I’m still chasing that dream of being a successful businessman, and I know I’ll get there, one step at a time.
