Behind the Entrepreneurial scene

Morung Express Feature News  

Speaking to entrepreneurs who have been making appearances at the Hornbill Festival confirmed one thing- it’s not an easy gig!  

Generally, Festival season is the most lucrative time for small traders and startup business owners. It is a good time not only to make profit but a huge marketing opportunity. While the Hornbill Festival is a great boon to small business owners and start ups, there are a lot of nitty-gritties to be taken into account.

 “The money we pay is only for the stall rental. Basic amenities are overlooked; you have to pay and use the toilets, make your own sleeping arrangements, which, for most entrepreneurs, means sleeping on the hard, cold floor inside the stall because they do not have personal transportation to go back and forth from Kohima to Kisama. Everyone has to also take care of their own food requirements, which basically means “cup noodles everyday for lunch and dinner,” stated the owner of a small startup based in Dimapur who has been regularly setting up a stall.  

Alino, a teenager narrated how excited she was when she found out that she was to help her mother tend an arts and crafts stall at Kisama during the initial years when Hornbill Festival was launched. “When I realized that I had to sleep at the venue, I was still game for it due to the excitement of the Festival. But it was so cold, I was freezing and I never encouraged my mother again after this experience.”  

One suggestion made was, “The organizers should provide packaged food or at least they should take into consideration and open a canteen for the stall owners, at a cheaper rate.”  

“There should be provisions made like a storehouse or proper security and maintenance so we don’t have to worry about our goods and go back and get proper rest for the next day since it’s a ten day event,” voiced the second.  

A third even felt that stall fees should not be charged and platform given free of cost to genuine local makers, adding, “We have to bear so many expenses and at the end of the day if we calculate the profit margin, it’s not very much.”  

A young female entrepreneur felt that it was all worth it because for her the Hornbill Festival is the best platform in terms of marketing. “This is my fourth consecutive year. We really get good and genuine buyers. But for me there are many stalls which sell China products and I feel this should be stopped and monitored properly. The festival should promote local makers and products,” she stated.