There were many hurdles on Patricia Narayan's way to become an entrepreneur. She has overcome all the hurdles and has bagged this year's 'FICCI Women Entrepreneur of the Year.' Now she is the owner of 'Sandeepha' brand of restaurant chain.

She started her career 30 years ago as an entrepreneur, selling eateries from a mobile cart on the Marina beach amidst all troubles - battling a failed marriage, coping with her husband, a multiple addict, and taking care of two kids.

Patricia never thought of becoming an entrepreneur, it was all accidental. She was always passionate about cooking and crazy about trying out new dishes.

"But my marriage changed everything. Both the families opposed the marriage vehemently as my husband belonged to the Brahmin community; unfortunately my marriage did not work out as my husband was addicted to alcohol, drugs, etc. I could not bring him out of the addiction. As a young woman, I did not know how to cope with this and I was getting beaten up everyday," recalls Patricia. 

Her father forgave her and gave refuge when she had nowhere to go. She was thrown out with two very small children. It was a question of survival for her and she decided to fight all the obstacles. She started making pickles, squashes and jams at home with a couple of hundred rupees that she took from her mother. She sold everything in one day and that gave her confidence in her way to become an entrepreneur. It gave her more income and she started investing more to make more pickles, squashes and jams.

Patricia's father's friend, who was running a school for handicapped children, was handing out mobile carts or kiosks to people who would employ at least two handicapped people. They needed somebody who could run it and I was offered one such cart free. She had to train the handicapped children to make coffee and serve them to customers.

"As I lived near the Marina beach, I decided to put the mobile cart at the Anna Square on the Marina beach. I had seen people thronging the beach in the evenings. But I had to make umpteen trips to the Public Works Department and wait for one year to get the permission," recalled Patricia.

"While such carts sold only tea and cigarettes, I decided to sell cutlets, samosas, bajjis, fresh juice and coffee and tea. On the first day, June 21, 1982, I sold only one cup of coffee and that was for fifty paise," she recalled.