From rags to riches: The inspiring journey of this Mumbai slumpreneur

A dreamer and an achiever, Bhandup's slum champion - Pooja Gupta found her calling in the world of beauty when she was merely 14. She began with baby steps, perfecting the art of a winged liner on her younger sister. Soon, she realized the transformative power of makeup and decided to pursue her dreams fiercely.

What began as a freelance beautician service in 2018 has now turned into a full-time makeover business for brides, bridesmaids and their family members. Her clientele ranges from women residing in slums to those from the higher end of society. In an exclusive conversation with Mid-day, she reveals that she began with a meagre income of Rs 10,000 which has now turned into Rs 1,00,000+ corpus. Currently, she uses this income to facilitate her family's needs and pay for her college fees.

IN PHOTOS: Mumbai`s slum teen turns makeup entrepreneur, earns lakhs

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"Everyone is moving ahead in life, why should my family be left behind?" remarks Pooja humbly. Her family consists of three young sisters, two brothers, and parents. Her father is a daily wager who repairs TV sets, while her mother takes care of the home. Pooja realised early on that poverty is a vice she must fight with a marketable skill set. Aligning her passion with her purpose, she began using the human face as a canvas to flourish her dreams.

Pooja's tryst with the makeup world
Make-up is often brushed off as superficial and phony. However, the rising demand for looks in showbiz, the boom in the fashion industry and social media influence on enhanced appearances has created a thriving market for the beauty industry. Living in the digital age, Pooja acquired an affinity for make-up in her raw teenage years.

Harking back to bygone days, Pooja reminisces how make-up sparked her interest. "When I began applying make-up on my sisters, I felt that I could be a master of this trade. That is when I started experimenting with colours to hide blemishes and enhance facial features. I also learnt about various ways a liner could be painted to create dramatic looks," shares Pooja.

Soon, she began to glam up her friends and neighbours for local festivals and school functions. The tales of her sharp make-up skills began spreading and her patronage increased. One day, a peer suggested a beauty course where Pooja could turn her passion into a profession. Taking her advice seriously, Pooja enrolled for beauty training at Ranjanas Beauty Academy in Vikhroli. At this stage, she was only 15 and getting started as a make-up artist.

Pooja applies make-up on a client at her beauty parlour in Bhandup. Image Courtesy: Salaam Bombay Foundation

Role of Salaam Bombay Foundation in shaping Pooja's dreams
In a bid to take her skills one notch higher, she was assisted by Salaam Bombay Foundation (SBF) with skills@school programme in grade 9. Here, she acquired skills in colour theory and facial anatomy. "By now I had grasped the basic skills in beauty but I lacked proper knowledge of layering make-up. That is when Salaam Bombay Foundation (SBF) counselled me in career planning and helped me enroll for professional make-up training with Erica Sheth (at Erica Beauty Parlour and Institute, Ghatkopar)."

This training course by SBF falls under their ‘Entrepreneurship Incubator for Grassroot Adolescents' which supports budding adolescent entrepreneurs aged 16-20 years. Post the completion of this course, Pooja participated in the hyper-local version of ‘Shark Tank' known as ‘Dolphin Tanki' where she secured the top prize for her business plan along with funding of Rs 40,000.

Dolphin Tanki is an annual event conducted by the Salaam Bombay Foundation in collaboration with Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies (NMIMS). The program is designed to offer guidance and financial support to resource-challenged adolescents in Mumbai who aspire to become future entrepreneurs.

Pooja Gupta make-up and hair artist
With the funding she received from Dolphin Tanki, Pooja launched a business in 2019 by the name: Pooja Gupta Make-Up and Hair Artist. From humble earnings to making lakhs, she has been making long strides in the beauty industry. Her make-up army is boosting women's confidence with transformed looks. The resident team comprises four girls Divya Acharya (from Malvani, Malad), Jyoti Prajapati (from Panvel) and the two others she met at the training course by Salaam Bombay Foundation.

Pooja works with a team of 4 other beauticians from Ghatkopar West. Image Courtesy: Salaam Bombay Foundation

With five years of experience in her pocket, Pooja has developed her own make-up hacks to whip up iconic looks. She believes that any goof-up can be fixed with a blush and a highlighter. "Always analyse your dress, before embarking on the eye make-up. The colour palette for your eye shadow should arise from the existing colours in your outfit. For instance, if your dress is maroon, go for a nude maroon shade to create a glamorous look."

Speaking of contouring, she reveals that D14 from Supracolor Palette can serve wonders. For people with chubby faces, they can accentuate features like cheekbones, temples and jawline to create a chiselled and more defined look with the art of facial contouring. For fair skin, Pooja mixes a lighter shade with D14. While for dusky skin tones she applies D14 directly.

Today, her beauty parlour caters to a wider variety of services including bridal makeovers, hair styling, party make-ups, pedicure, manicure and much more. She keeps updating herself with newer skills and the latest cosmetic products to keep up with the evolving trends.

Her go-to products:

1. Kryolan - Lip Rouge Set
2. Linden - LM Essential Brush Set
3. P.A.C. - HD Liquid Foundation
4. Tat - Concealer

‘It is my dream to launch my make-up studio in Bandra'

You arrive at Pooja's dwelling after a short hike through the slums of Bhandup. One of the oldest suburbs of Mumbai, it is famous for ‘Shivaji Talao', the popular lake where devotees immerse the idol of Ganesha during Ganpati. Amidst the clustered slum lanes, lies Hanuman Nagar where Pooja resides with her family in a 10x10 shanty. The problems faced by her family are numerous which only multiply during the monsoon season.

One glance inside the shanty and you can spot each household item stocked neatly on racks, that reach the roof (almost). On one of the racks, lies Pooja's work apparatus - ranges of blushes, lipsticks, mascaras and foundation. At the fragile age of 18, this Bhandup slumpreneur has decided to take matters into her hands and run a successful business to support her family. "I know that with this skill in my hands, I can achieve anything that I set out to."

Today, Pooja is pursuing a Bachelor in Commerce from Sandesh College of Arts and Commerce, Vikhroli. Her mornings are dedicated to college studies while she schedules make-up orders for evenings. Post her classes, she reaches the parlour to cater to the clients. When asked about her vision for the parlour, she remarks: "It is my dream to launch a make-up studio under my name in Bandra. Here, I will not only provide make-up services but also teach make-up to budding artists."