If you had ₹10,000 - ₹1 lakh and a small room/workshop, what product would you manufacture in India?
I'm trying to explore a small manufacturing business in India and would really value opinions from people who have actually manufactured or sold physical products.
My constraints are:
Starting capital: ₹10,000 - ₹1 lakh
Initially working alone
Small room / small workshop, no large factory
Prefer B2B over consumer products
Prefer products with repeat demand
Product should be possible to manufacture/assemble with relatively simple machinery
I want something that can start very small and eventually scale into a proper manufacturing business
I'm not looking for generic suggestions like "start a clothing brand / candles / soap" unless there is a genuinely strong reason.
I'm particularly interested in boring, specialised products that established businesses regularly need but that may have -
supply/availability problems
long lead times
high import dependence
expensive minimum order quantities
poor local/customised options
or a fragmented supplier market.
If you had the same constraints, what ONE product would you seriously consider manufacturing?
And more importantly, why?
If you've actually done something similar, I'd love to know:
What product?
How much did you initially invest?
What machinery did you need?
Who buys it?
What's the approximate gross margin?
How did you get your first customers?
Is the demand repeatable?
What did you underestimate when starting?
Would you choose the same product/business again today?
I'm not looking for motivational advice. I'd genuinely prefer someone to tell me "don't do this, here's why" if an idea sounds attractive but is actually a terrible business.
India-specific suggestions would be especially useful.
Thank You!