Our world goes through changes every day. Technology, culture or even the way we think—there is hardly anything that has remained constant for long. But what amazes me is how age-old proverbs are applicable even today.

At Village Financial Services, leading the mantra of supporting women entrepreneurs, I am reminded of the proverb, ‘where there is a will, there is a way’, every second day. If we are passionate about what we want, there is hardly any roadblock that can restrict us. Passion, dedication, innovative problem solving—whatever it may be called, the fact remains that our customers always find a solution to overcome the hurdles they face to transform their dreams into reality.

Such is the story of Jharkhand’s Sabita Devi, who dropped out of school after Class 9. Married off to a man who drove delivery vans, Sabita became the mother of two at a very early age. It did not take her long to realise that, if her children needed to get a better life, the family could do with some extra income. But she was in a fix. Busy with domestic chores, she could not join a full-time assignment and setting up a business would take a lot of effort.

The first obstacle was finding a workspace and getting the location and cost right. If taking the basic first step itself threw up a lot of questions, how many were waiting down the line?

That’s where the proverb pops up. As she had the will, she focused on finding the solution, rather than dwelling on the questions.

Sabita had a close look at the kirana shop that their family had been operating for years. The business and stock volumes did not justify the space taken up by it, and there was some to spare. She carved out some space for setting up a sewing machine. Sewing has always been her passion but as a hobby. Why not make some money by putting the sewing machine to work for customers?

As I always say, entrepreneurship is not only about running a business to earn from it. It becomes a way of life. The same happened with Sabita. The confidence she got from finding the first solution was enough for her to find the answers to the rest.

I am sure the road was bumpy. But not bumpy enough to stop Sabita, who takes pride in letting us know that her son works in a government bank and her daughter’s graduation is just around the corner.