For 26 years, Indira Rai has built her work around people. She connects easily, communicates with confidence, and learns by doing. From supporting women-led enterprises to facilitating entrepreneurship training and mentoring programmes, building strong relationships has always been at the heart of her work.
The 10-day Training of Trainers and Coaches organised by GRAPE 2 as a part of broader SME coaching programme gave her a new perspective on what it means to support a small business.
On Day 5, during a ‘Customer Journey Mapping’ exercise, Indira reflected on a simple message from the SME Loop Practitioner Guide: “Businesses grow when they understand their customers and keep improving with their experience.”
The lesson resonated with her experience from the previous day’s “real market simulation,” where her group generated the highest revenue. One participant noted that offering a diverse range of products can help an enterprise increase sales and strengthen its revenue potential.
For Indira, the lesson was clear: growth begins with understanding what customers need.
The training also changed how she viewed coaching.
“For me, SME coaching is no longer just about telling entrepreneurs what to do or providing a preset answer; it is more about asking the right questions and helping them make decisions for themselves.”
- Indira Rai
She now compares SME coaching to gardening. A gardener prepares the soil, observes the conditions, nurtures growth, and gives the plant space to develop.
Today, as a SME trainer and coach, Indira uses practical tools such as Business Model Canvas, Root Cause Analysis to Operations and Customer Journey Mapping to understand the businesses well and help the enterprises look at their businesses from diverse perspectives.
Indira now has a different understanding of her role. It is about creating the conditions for entrepreneurs to find their own solutions, take ownership of their decisions, build resilience and grow with confidence—much like a gardener who nurtures a plant by providing the right conditions for it to flourish independently.
