Rashmi's inspiring journey from Singapore and Australia to building ItsyBitsy, empowering 3,000+ rural women across 39 locations. Learn how NRIs can create meaningful impact while building successful businesses in India.
How Rashmi and her husband built ItsyBitsy, empowering 3,000+ rural women across 39 locations after returning from Australia. A masterclass in purpose-driven entrepreneurship.
What happens when you combine 12 years of international business experience with a burning desire to give back? Rashmi's story is a masterclass in purpose-driven entrepreneurship. After working in retail, wholesale, and manufacturing across Singapore and Australia, she and her husband sold everything and returned to India in 2004 with one goal: create social impact while building a sustainable business. Twenty years later, ItsyBitsy operates across 39 locations, empowers 3,000+ rural women, and proves that doing good and doing well aren't mutually exclusive.
Rashmi's international journey began in 1992 when she joined her husband in Singapore after marriage. They worked for a Chinese company importing Indian handicrafts - a role that would prove foundational for their future venture.
"We worked for a Chinese company that was importing Indian handicrafts. We were actually instrumental in importing it. It was really nice - I enjoyed our life in Singapore."
After a couple of years, Singapore felt too small for their ambitions. They migrated to Australia, settling in Sydney where they worked for a large discount retail chain. Her husband worked as a buyer while Rashmi managed the wholesale division.
Their Australian years were a period of intensive learning:
"We had all these different skills - retail, wholesale, manufacturing, graphic designing. We couldn't connect the dots back then. We didn't know how it would be useful."
Those dots would connect beautifully when they returned to India.
Throughout their years abroad, one thought persisted in the back of their minds: the desire to give back to society and do something meaningful in their own country.
"There was always this thought at the back of our mind that we wanted to go back and give it back to the society, do something in our own country which could impact the society."
As a buyer importing Indian goods, Rashmi's husband traveled extensively to remote parts of India - "probably a million miles to remote corners." What he saw shaped their mission:
"He used to come and tell me stories about all these people. Somewhere we thought, if we could make a little difference in their lives - we didn't know how, we didn't know what we would do, but that thought was always there."
They wanted to move while the children were still young. When their older daughter was 8 and the younger just over a year old, they made the call.
"If we want to go back, let's do it now rather than wait. Once the kids grow older, it's difficult to uproot them from another country. If not now, when?"
"It was not like, okay let's make money then give it back to society. We thought, let's do something where while we are working, we will do it in our own small way - something that can impact people."
Unlike many NRIs who keep one foot in each country, Rashmi and her husband went all in. They sold their house in Melbourne and landed in India with a one-way commitment.
"We just packed our bags, sold our house in Melbourne, and just landed in India. It was just a leap of faith. We didn't think too much about it. We just wanted to come and figure it all out here."
While the move was bold, it wasn't entirely unplanned:
"Kids were young but we didn't want to lose any time. We dived right in the very moment we started - went to the factory."
Rashmi observed that many friends who tried returning with backup plans ultimately failed:
"A lot of our friends also tried moving back but they had one foot in India, one foot in Australia. It never works that way. It never works when you compare India to another country."
The key was coming wholeheartedly with no negative energy, no comparisons, and a determination to make it work regardless of challenges.
The India of 2004 was vastly different from today's digital landscape. Bureaucracy was the biggest unexpected challenge.
They had planned to establish a factory with an Australian partner as a foreign investor. The process was nightmarish:
"That process itself took more than a year. It just didn't happen. The partner lost trust and it all fell apart. The delays were unbelievable. Getting to know what you had to do - it was all very difficult."
When the partnership collapsed, they didn't give up. They proceeded without the foreign investor:
"We weren't going to give up on our dreams or the passion that we had. We just persisted. What it meant was everything took longer, much longer. You need to have a lot of patience."
For NRIs considering the move now, the landscape has transformed:
"Today it's a much different India. It's a Digital India where things happen easily. If somebody wants to come back today, it's not that difficult to start something. Now it's a breeze compared to what we went through."
The ease of doing business has improved dramatically. Digital payments, online registrations, and streamlined processes have made entrepreneurship far more accessible than it was 20 years ago.
The business model Rashmi and her husband developed addresses a fundamental challenge: how to create employment without displacing people from their homes.
"People from cities are educated, they can always find jobs. Our focus was women from rural areas because they don't have what their counterparts in cities have. Rather than displace them from their homes and bring them to a city where cost of living is very high, we wanted to take jobs to their place - to the village."
After establishing the initial operation in Bangalore, they expanded to Chamrajnagar - a rural part of Karnataka chosen specifically because:
They partnered with GSS, a large local NGO that provided space and helped connect with local women. Initial resistance gave way to participation as women saw the opportunity.
"What we do is an urban-rural partnership. What you do in the rural can benefit people in the urban, who in turn support their livelihood. Every store that we open, we can support some more women."
Twenty years later, the impact is substantial:
"The way people shop has changed. It's no longer opening one store and sitting there. We need to gear up if we have to sustain what we started and continue to create social impact."
"India needs more businesses that can create impact. There's still a long way to go. Rural needs to grow on par with urban - that is when India can grow as a super economy."
One of the most common concerns for returning NRIs is how their children will adapt. Rashmi's daughters' journey offers valuable insights.
Coming from Australia, they made a conscious decision against westernized schools:
"We didn't want to put them in very westernized schools. That was a very conscious decision. We thought, we're coming from there, we're getting away from the western world - let's put them in something more local, more regional."
They chose CBSE curriculum at a local school near their home.
The older daughter (8 years old at the time) faced significant challenges:
"Back then, children wouldn't understand her accent. It was pretty difficult for her to make friends because she sounded different and her ideas were different. But it took maybe a year or so, and slowly she started understanding and made very good friends."
Both daughters have grown into successful professionals:
"They have grown up to be such amazing people, beautiful human beings. They're proud to be here. Somewhere you feel you've done the right decision when they are successful and they are happy."
For families wondering about college admissions:
"Before she got into engineering, they were here for so many years - you're supposed to be here for 7 years or something to get into the system through general merit. She just had to take the exams along with the others and got in through merit."
Fresh arrivals from abroad may need to go through a different quota - check current regulations for your specific situation.
"Every country has its own advantages and disadvantages. Come with an open mind and I'm sure you will enjoy the new India. We didn't come with much of any expectation."
The comparison trap is the biggest enemy of successful R2I:
"For everything, if you think 'traffic is like this, traffic was better there' or 'the government is like this, it's better there' - I don't think we spent any time on that. There was no negative energy. We came here wholeheartedly and wanted to make this work."
Having a backup plan often becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy:
"If you have an option of going back, then you give it up easily. One foot in India, one foot in Australia - it never works."
Culture fit concerns can be addressed by choosing the right location:
"There are certain pockets of India which are very westernized where there are lots of expats. In Bangalore, if you live in Indiranagar or certain other places where there are a lot of NRIs that have come back, you can find people that can relate to you. There are many pockets like that in Mumbai, Hyderabad, Kolkata."
Even with today's improved systems, building something meaningful takes time:
"You need to have a lot of patience in doing anything. But eventually things got better."
"Somewhere you feel you've done the right decision when they are successful and they are happy." - On seeing her daughters thrive in India
Whether you're planning to start a social enterprise or simply want to return and contribute, get guidance from experts who understand the NRI journey.
Start by identifying a genuine need in rural or underserved communities. Partner with local NGOs who understand the ground reality and can help connect you with the community. Focus on taking jobs to villages rather than displacing people to cities. Be prepared for bureaucratic delays - things take longer than expected, but persistence pays off. Come with an open mind and don't compare India to your host country.
In 2004, bureaucracy was the biggest challenge - establishing a factory with foreign investment took over a year and the delays caused partnerships to fall apart. Today, India is much more digitalized and the ease of doing business has improved significantly. However, patience is still required. The key is to persist and not give up on your dreams despite the challenges.
Absolutely. Today's India is a 'Digital India' where things happen much more easily. In 2004, getting to know what you had to do was very difficult - everything took much longer. Now it's a breeze compared to before. If somebody wants to come back today, it's not that difficult to start something. The digitalization has transformed the business environment.
It depends on your goals. One family chose CBSE deliberately to give their children a more Indian-focused education after coming from abroad. Their children adapted well and went on to successful careers - one started her own business (Cosmix), the other heads marketing at the family company. If you've been in India for 7+ years, children can enter engineering colleges through general merit.
Expect about a year for adjustment. Children may face initial resistance - they may sound different, have different ideas, and struggle to make friends due to accent differences. However, with persistence, they adapt and make good friends. The key is to keep them connected to Indian roots through regular visits even while abroad, so the transition isn't completely foreign.
If children have been in India for 7 years or more, they can enter through general merit by taking the same entrance exams as other students. Fresh arrivals from abroad may need to go through a different quota. The rules may vary, so check current regulations. One family's daughter got into engineering through merit after being in India for several years.
Come wholeheartedly with no backup plan - having one foot in India and one foot abroad never works. Don't compare India to your host country - every comparison creates negative energy. Come with an open mind and positive attitude. Focus on making it work rather than finding reasons to leave. The leap of faith combined with persistence is what helps you stay and succeed.
Look for pockets with high NRI concentration. In Bangalore, areas like Indiranagar have many NRIs who have returned. Similar pockets exist in Mumbai, Hyderabad, and Kolkata. Living in these areas helps you find people who can relate to your experience and whom you can relate to. This community support makes the transition easier.
Get the roadmap, community support, and expert guidance you need to make your return to India successful - whether for entrepreneurship, retirement, or family reasons.
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