Meet Nam Ram

We recently connected with Nam Ram and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Nam, thank you for being such a positive, uplifting person. We’ve noticed that so many of the successful folks we’ve had the good fortune of connecting with have high levels of optimism and so we’d love to hear about your optimism and where you think it comes from.

Gratitude. I used to be a very negative person, always thought about how something can go wrong in 100 different ways.
When I started my business, I didn’t have a choice but to be positive.
I could not scale or proceed thinking of why would someone not like my product, that they would return everything that I have sold, and it would come back and I would sit in a pile of unsold stuff.
But then I remembered my first sale. Why did that stranger trust me. That first order, came from a stranger from 1000kms away.
When I started thanking that stranger for trusting me with their hard earned money, I could realise, things aren’t as bad at all.
It is beautiful. yes there are issues, but it is all a way to learn.
It was a huge turning point- when I started gratitude practice, and when I had a bad day, it was difficult, but there was one teeny tiny bit good in that too.
So, yes, my optimism gets built, it is not born with.

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?

Upcyclie- fashionable bags and stylish made by women of Chennai slums, from fabric extras. When we realised tailoring waste has been getting burnt and thrown away, we had to do something about it. When asked the tailors if they can put it to use, these were their words. “I feel guilty, but I don’t have an option. I don’t have the time or money to make something and then sell them”.
The issue we were addressing was larger than it seemed. A Solid waste management report by Government of Tamilnadu, says 251 tonnes of fabric waste gets into landfill every day, from just the city of Chennai. This includes about 15kgs of reusable fabric waste that every tailor generates per week. Environmentalists say that these fabrics in landfills would take more than 20-25 years to decompose. Some might not too!
The 2nd issue we saw was- who were getting affected by this kind of dumping- it was the households, especially women in the slum communities as they inhale the burning fabric, they live next to the dumping ground as well. Can we address both together was the question. And we did.
I started training women in Chennai slums. This gave them the opportunity to learn a new skill of handmade products.
With our materials first methodology, we are able to create high quality bags and accessories that are handmade, trendy, fashionable and functional. Also giving opportunity to Chennai slum women to become artisans who convert fabric waste to value selling all over the world.

Profile of the founder:
As the founder of Upcyclie, Namrutha is passionate about building a sustainable future for the next generations through her waste to value with employment generation start-up. Established in 2021, the company makes a variety of bags and accessories for eco-conscious consumers all around the world.

Built along with her ever-growing team of amazing women from Slums of Chennai, Upcyclie is also incubated at IIM-Bangalore’s innovation and entrepreneurship hub and featured in Femina, Better India, Dinathandhi, Eenadu, DW magazine and other publications.

Before becoming an entrepreneur, Namrutha was a marketing professional at various corporations including Zoho, Ramco, Vizury, Manipal Education, and Tata Industries.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

Never stop learning
My inquisitiveness is something I really feel has helped me build my brand too. I have been very keen on learning what I want to. I invest time, I go deep- yes I do get flustered if I go wrong, but I pick myself, solve that knot and move forward. I ask questions and make sure to get answers too.

Calm when storm strikes.
There have been times when I had to make a very important decision, pivot in my business, turn things around. And it was very difficult. I realised, I am very calm in very difficult situations. I don’t react. I become very objective. That has been a quality that I regularly invest in as well.

Die and come back
There have been times when I had to let go of some stuff because it isn’t working out. But it remains with me because I believe there is scope for it. May be we are early to the market, but there is space is something I have always thought of. So, I stick on and come back when time is right. There is never DO or Die. There is a time. For it all. I believe it and follow it too.

Before we go, maybe you can tell us a bit about your parents and what you feel was the most impactful thing they did for you?

They allowed me to call out wrong when it is.
More often than not, in middle class families like ours, speaking up is usually prohibitied, because it affects the family name etc. But my parents let me speak. It helped me shape myself as a person. It made me better. They identified what I was good at and encouraged me to do it. I did lose interest eventually, but they never stopped discovering my interests.
Their letting me speak up really helped me participate in college elections, stood up for my community when many were scared to do so. This also helped me in fighting for the voiceless and rescuing hurt animals too.
Forever grateful for their way of bringing up.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.upcyclie.com
• Instagram: @upcyclie

Image Credits

Namrutha, Bhuvana akka, Fausia Akka, Backpack, fanny pack, drawstring bag, duffle bag