Women’s Special: Akanksha Mahindrakar, AKS Stores – Clearing the blurred perspectives

08 March 2021: Established in 2018, AKS Stores is the result of the merger of erstwhile AKS Print and AKS Sports. AKS Print was engaged in sublimation printing job work and in AKS Sports was a manufacturer of sportswear and printed school uniforms, bags, lanyards, etc. Now, AKS Stores undertakes printing job work on shirts, jackets, sarees, bags, umbrellas, masks and many other products. It also undertakes roll to roll job work on home decor like curtains, sofas, cushions etc.

After the COVID-19 lockdown, the company has launched a customised printed office/home chairs. After her 12th in commerce stream, Akanksha studied fashion designing and digital marketing. Over to Akanksha:

From a very young age, I have seen my father engrossed in the printing business. He always appreciated the upcoming printing technologies and adopted it in his printing business. And that inspired me and I started developing interest in the family printing business. Also, my father would always encourage me by saying that “We should be our own boss.”

I never thought that the printing industry is male-dominated. We are a part of the fashion industry which is full of women entrepreneurs. And, men always had to have a perspective of women and I think the presence of more women in the industry cleared the blurred perspective. If not printing, I would have been in the digital marketing business. Yes, after marriage I will still be around my father’s business because it is and always will be my pet career option.

Shyam Mahindrakar, opines, “From my experience women too equally excel in business be it printing or fashion industry. They are full of new ideas and good at financial management and business administration.”