Tshewang Dema’s Journey into Entrepreneurship

Tshewang Dema, the entrepreneur behind Tshejor’s Ayzey. Tshewang has experience working in one of the corporations for two decades. She has completed her 12th grade at Sherubtse College, and although she is qualified for higher studies, she has to discontinue her education due to family reasons.

Tshewang recollects, “Now, let me tear a piece of my diary from my days before ‘Tshejor’s Ayzey’ existed. In 1992, I started my career at ‘Bhutan Tourism Corporation Limited’ where I worked for two decades. Two years before the initial kick-off of my business, a friend of mine suggested I start a Chili Paste (Ezay) business.” She thought her friend was creating a joke since it was out of the blue and even the market for this kind of business seemed obscure.

Tshewang took two years to give a proper thought and in 2000, she finally gave it a shot just with Nu.650 to start the new venture. The first products were dispatched at two shops which were located at Motithang and Chubachu. However, it’s just her side hustle beside her 9-5 job.

“One day, I was on my way towards Paro for a tour and was listening to BBS radio. Out of several news, advertisements, and announcements, one caught my attention. Loden Foundation was calling for passionate entrepreneurs willing to apply for ‘LEP’ (Loden Entrepreneurship Program). The program aimed at giving an interest-free loan up to Nu. 800,000 for entrepreneurs leaving us with no reason to not apply for the same. Without wasting a moment, I noted down their number and made a call and applied,” Tshewang shared.

“By expanding, I mean I bought refrigerators and other things. I had little or no idea what machinery to buy since my business was the first of its kind during that time. I even sought advice from Bhutan Agro Industries Limited.”

She was chosen for the third batch of LEP, which was the best choice she had ever made. Upon receiving an interest-free loan from Nu. 3,40,000, she proceeded to expand her firm without any delays. Then she brought refrigerators and other appliances, she said she had little knowledge about what machinery to buy. So she even sought advice from Bhutan Agro Industries Limited.

She wasn’t able to find a concrete path to carry on with her business. “I felt that the ship I was in wasn’t just lost in the middle of the sea, there was a howling gale pushing me backward with family objections. I have developed such a passion for my business that I even got loans from banks and the company where I was working to invest in my business. With time, my business was able to set its feet on the ground,” she said.

In June 2011, she formally launched her business as a fully-fledged enterprise under the brand name “Tshejor’s Ayzey.” “I derived the name from my children’s names,” Tshewang continued, ‘Tshe’ from Tshewang, which comes from my son’s name, and ‘Jor’ from my daughter’s, Jorden. Tshejor, which derives from the words ‘Tshewang’ (longevity = blessing of life) and ‘Jor’ (presence of money), meaning “Longevity of Wealth.”

“Having established a firm footing in my business, I saw it growing and improving and it was only during that time that I felt a huge pressure from the 9-5 job and the business pressing my thin wall of patience. I knew Tshewang Dema’s Journey into Entrepreneurship the wall could break at any time and that I would be crushed. So, I decided to quit my job in March 2013; a place where I spent two decades,” Tshewang added.

Tshewang received the 2013 ‘Women Entrepreneur of Bhutan’ award, which was organized by the Department of Cottage and small industry, under the Ministry of Industry, commerce, and Employment. Tshewang claims, “I didn’t understand the significance or worth of the prize until then. I felt a weight over my shoulder, I knew I shouldn’t let the value of the award go down the drain; I had to live up to the expectations of the customers. I was even more determined to take my business forward and put glitter over our name and shine through the night.”

It didn’t stop at that. She has been able to fully reimburse the Loden Foundation loan by 2015 and was awarded ‘Best Loden Entrepreneur’, in the same year. ‘The National Trademark Award’ in 2018 came as the next bead in the rosary of awards followed by a virtual award, ‘International Business Excellence Award-Bhutan.’ All of what she has been able to achieve to this day is all thanks to her ‘4 Ps’ and of course, she wants all aspiring entrepreneurs to follow too.

The 4 Ps she follows are Passion, Patience, Persistence, and Perseverance. With a passion, she started her business, and was supported by a good amount of patience, persistence, and perseverance where she focused on growing her business despite her products getting spoiled and returned to her; despite not seeing a market; despite family pressure, Tshewang survived in market.

“I should say, being a woman entrepreneur is not that easy a job; you get pulled in every direction; you need to divide your time for your parents, children and their education, laundry, cooking, cleaning, and lots of other activities where each activity needs to be prioritized than the other that they have little time to pay attention to their business,” Tshewang shared.

On her final note to all the people out there, especially women entrepreneurs or any aspiring entrepreneurs is ‘Have passion’. Even if it’s knitting or reading a book, you cannot go further if you don’t have passion. Somewhere or at some point along your journey, there will always be some challenges, criticism, and failure but never give up.

“Do not always expect people to throw you positive comments; you may become complacent and your business may end in the deepest drain that you may find it difficult to fish out. Had I not received the comment, I wouldn’t have made it this far either. So, accept challenges, welcome criticism with open arms, and venture further into the business,” Tshewang concluded.

All in all, the arduous challenges faced at the outset of Tshejor Ayzey serve as a testament to Tshewang’s resilience and determination. Despite initial struggles, the lessons learned and the tenacity displayed during this challenging phase lay a solid foundation for Tshejor Ayzey.

By Rinzin Dema