Tirupati: Anuradha gives a sneak peek into her journey as successful hotelier

Tirupati: Thanks to the growing awareness coupled with the acceptance of society particularly the family members, more women are proving their mite to stand on their legs and providing livelihood to many women.

One such woman, M Anuradha, is able to run her hotel successfully for over three decades, despite facing the stiff competition from two dozen eateries on the busy KT road area in the city with sheer hard work that ensured quality food and good service, vital for eatery to survive.

In fact, it was her husband Subba Rao, who was running the hotel but his soft nature allowing many people to avail food on credit basis proved a liability forcing her to take up the mantle for the sake of family. And there is no looking back. "I was just 25-year-old when I took the reins of the eatery and did not know the ABCD of the business.

But, quickly learned the tactics to survive," she said, harking back the struggles she faced in the initial stage and how she overcame the difficulties to build the customer base and get a name in the area. "It is not a cake walk," she said detailing the tough task of waking up before 4 in the chilly morning to make ready coffee-tea and tiffin before 6, later preparing for lunch and shutting around 11 in the night daily to retain and increase the customers.

"My husband on his part ensures all the logistics like procurement of vegetable, rice, edible oil, milk, coffee and tea powder," she said adding that the perfect understanding between them and the support she garnered from the staff seeing the business running well.

In the beginning only tea and coffee were sold, later added tiffin in the morning and snacks in the evening and then lunch and dinner becoming a full-fledged budgetary hotel attracting considerable customers, she said, explaining how she built the hotel step by step and also survived the toughest period of Covid pandemic.

Now, 20 working in shifts in which 15 are women including `dosa' `tea' masters, chapati makers, servers, cleaners, cashier - all women, getting livelihood.

She and her spouse Subba Rao said with good business, they are able to have all comforts like good house, facilities and more importantly good education to two children – Sushma, a computer engineer in Singapore and son Suman doing business in the city itself, revealing the success owing to stewardship of a determined woman.