Mrs. Jasper, a 31-year-old woman from Parivakkam village in Tiruvallur District of Tamil Nadu, lives with her family comprising of four members. Driven by a passion for the beauty and wellness sector, she completed a beautician course three years ago with the aspiration of becoming a professional makeup artist and operating her own enterprise. After completing the course, she established a small beauty parlour near her house.
However, due to financial constraints, she was unable to invest in quality beauty products or advanced equipment. This limited her services resulting in a modest monthly income of Rs. 5,000–7,000, much of which was absorbed by shop rent and electricity expenses. Despite her skills and dedication, sustaining the business remained a challenge.
In July 2025, BISLD Tamil Nadu recognised Mrs. Jasper’s entrepreneurial potential and extended support under its women empowerment initiatives, with support from the Hyundai Motor India Foundation (HMIF) through the Sustainable Livelihood Empowerment Project (SLEP). The intervention included advanced beauty equipment, refresher training, and exposure visits, strengthening her technical skills, basic record keeping, and marketing skills. This support proved to be a turning point in her life, enabling her to expand services, attract more customers, and increase her monthly income to Rs. 15,000–17,000. Encouraged by this success, she now plans to introduce advanced makeup services. This is an excellent example of how timely support can convert small enterprises into sustainable livelihoods and spread happiness all around.
