From Rs 80 to Rs 1 lakh a month: Hyderabad woman Naaz Anjum turns small biryani venture into one of the city's one of the women-led cloud kitchens

Sometimes, just a small investment in the right business may make it successful. Hyderabad's Naaz Anjum witnessed something similar. She started off with selling homemade desserts in her brother-in-law's restaurant which led to her own venture- Anjum's Kitchen, one of the women-led cloud kitchen in Hyderabad, which serves delectable biryani. She started from 2016, and her business grew from word-of-mouth, with a focus on fresh ingredients and quality. And by 2023, she was making Rs 1 lakh a month and had completed more than 20,000 orders.

Naaz Anjum started her biryani business with Rs 80

According to The Better India, Anjum, a textile engineer, began her entrepreneurial journey during Ramadan in 2016. After being encouraged by her neighbours, she decided to sell homemade desserts and prepared Double Ka Meetha and lauki halwa and sold them at her brother-in-law's restaurant. Both dishes received a good response, giving her the confidence to take things further.

Her first major order came soon after. It was a mutton dum biryani for a small gathering in Hyderabad's HITEC City. Soon orders started coming in. Recalling how Anjum's Kitchen took shape, she told The Better India, “Anjum’s kitchen began all of a sudden, when I got the first order. I had confidence in myself and knew that I would do it. I used the Rs 80 to buy the vegetables I needed", and became the first home chefs in Hyderabad.

Naaz Anjum's 4:30 am routine

Looking after family along with running a business means starting the day early. Anjum wakes up at 4:30 am for her prayers, prepares breakfast for her three children at 6 am and only after they leave for school does she get into the kitchen at 9 am to prep for customer orders. In an interview with The Better India, she said, "I make everything fresh daily. My husband gets the meat and vegetables every morning. Once my helper is done with the cutting-chopping-peeling, from 9am-12pm, I focus on making the curries, rice, and chapatis myself to not compromise on the taste,” she explained. By 2 pm, her delivery boys begin with order distribution across the city. After lunch, she then begins to prep for the evening orders which may include party menu with starters, biryani, chicken curries and desserts.

Anjum's commitment to fresh food and quality helped her business grow. By 2023, she was earning around Rs 1 lakh every month and had completed more than 20,000 orders. Her kitchen handles approximately 25 to 50 orders daily, with mutton biryani remaining its bestseller.