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Bindiya Amisha Mangra, was born on 24th November 2000 to Omesh Mangra and Sarika Kishun. She lived with her parents and 2 younger siblings.
Bindiya spent her childhood in Bushlot village then she moved to Bath Settlement, West Coast, Berbice in 2013.
She attended the Latchmansingh Primary School, and gained a spot at President’s College (PC) after writing the National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA).
After completing the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC), she went on to pursue the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE) at President’s College.
Completing the CAPE program at President’s College, starting a small business and being a teacher are goals Bindiya is proud of.
She is also proud of the fact that her business produces quality products for her clients.
She noted, “Being a teacher was my childhood dream. Everyday I get the opportunity to share with others what I was taught in school and even my life experiences. I would love to continue teaching in the future.”
Passion for Craft
Growing up she loved craft and was always seen creating crafty items.
“I was creating things out of paper. I remember when it was a special occasion like mother’s day or Father’s day I’ll sit and make cards for my parents. I always liked creating. I find it very interesting and calming,” said Bindiya.
Further she added, “While pursuing CAPE at President’s College, I made many cards for friends, family and even teachers. That’s how I got the idea to turn my talent into a business.”
After writing CAPE exams Bindiya worked on improving her craft skill, as such he began trying out new paper crafts at home.
She was asked to create a crafty item for a potential client, which she did.
Later she posted it on her social media page and many others saw it and became interested.
Bindiya mentioned, “I remember receiving a message from a teacher saying she wanted to purchase one of my craft products. That was my first sale. It felt great to sell something I made. It felt even better when they recommended me to other potential clients.”
“I decided that this was a shot at creating my own business so I launched my small business called Creations by Amisha in July 2019,” she noted.
Creations by Amisha creates various crafty items such as cards (for all occasions), explosion boxes, windchimes, dream catchers, Ballon mosaic, Cake and cupcake toppers, Scrapbooks and Selfie frames amongst others items. All products are handmade and handwritten.
Crafty items prepared by Bindiya
However when she started working things got a bit tough with time management and creating orders. Most times she works on orders at night.
She added, “There were times when customers ordered crafts that they will need during weekdays so I had to stay up a little later than usual and then there are times when I sadly decline orders due to not having the time.”
While crafting is fun and calming for Bindiya, there are times when it will not go the way she planned it.
There are also times when the business can be slow as well as times when she gets more orders than she anticipates.
One of the major challenges she had at the beginning of her business was procuring different materials. Since various stationery centres within Region 5 (Mahaica/Berbice) didn’t have the items she needed, that meant she had to travel to Georgetown to find and purchase those items.
It was way more costly and called for a slight increase in her prices. “At first I felt like the price increase was going to scare customers away but that didn’t happen instead I got my usual orders and even more,” she stated.
In the future, Bindiya would like to further her studies at the Cyril Potter College of Education (CPCE) then at the University of Guyana (UG). She also aims to extend her business and create new crafty items.
“Be confident with your ideas, be bold and courageous. There will be people who will try to discourage you. Do not let that get to you and keep moving forward,” is her advice to youths and young entrepreneurs.
