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Arthaa for Women, Smitha Balakrishnan
“I was fortunate to meet Ray Muzzy and Lido Scardigli at the Los Gatos Chamber for the very first time. Since then my relationship with SCORE has become deeper and more meaningful.”
Smitha Balakrishnan was born, raised and educated in South India. After getting her degree in economics and an MBA in finance, she worked in banking and techno-functional projects for 10 years. She moved to the Bay Area in 2007 after marriage. Her most recent work experience with a community credit union created her vision to work with women in low-income communities.
Smitha’s dream came true in 2011 when her daughter Nandita was born. To celebrate the occasion, her brother sent a box of colorful handmade bags and pouches from a collective in India. This eventually translated to a business idea. ‘Arthaa’ was thus born a few months after her daughter, who has been a pivotal part of the company since inception. Smitha’s friend Monika Durgia helped with the set-up of Arthaa for almost a year.
‘Arthaa’ means wealth, prosperity and abundance in Sanskrit.
The company is based in the San Francisco Bay Area and seeks to identify collectives that encourage vocational training for women. It is inspired by the firm conviction that economic opportunities for women hold the promise for real change. With sustainable income over time, a woman invests in her family’s health and education thus breaking her cycle of poverty.
Soon while browsing the SBA website, Smitha learnt about SCORE. As a new entrepreneur with many doubts and ambiguities, she decided to give a try with SCORE and it clicked!!
“I was fortunate to meet Ray Muzzy and Lido Scardigli at the Los Gatos Chamber for the very first time. Since then my relationship with SCORE has become deeper and more meaningful.”
Ray Muzzy, with his background of Marketing, Sales, and Customer Service, and with extensive business development experience, has been a very involved mentor for Smitha. He regularly checks in on the company’s progress, provides feedback and makes suggestions. “What makes Ray unique is that he meticulously sends referrals to Arthaa on a regular basis. One such referral was Suntactics, a solar charger company based in the Bay Area. Arthaa now manufactures the pouches for these solar chargers on a regular basis”. Smitha added.
When Arthaa started in 2011, they worked with one collective in India. Today, it has expanded to six collectives and some qualified individuals.
Emmy Sohriakoff, one of Smitha’s friend, formally joined Arthaa as brand ambassador in early 2014. The two of them have been actively marketing the company’s ability to provide custom hand-made products.
Arthaa’ participated in the 15th Scotts Valley Art and Wine festival and received phenomenal response and encouragement.
Smitha’s dream is to make Arthaa a successful global company by expanding to other developing countries.
“Any referral from SCORE is helpful, be it another business in the United States, or a collective around the world”.
We at SCORE wish her all the best.
