Meet woman who left her job, ate Rs 20 meal to save money, later begin her business, now runs company worth Rs...

Neelam Singh, originally from Agra, always dreamed of starting her own business while doing her MBA. She wanted to explore the Quick Service Restaurant (QSR) industry. During her MBA, she did a three-month internship at a restaurant, which helped her understand the food industry better. After working in the corporate sector for almost three years, she finally launched her own restaurant in 2018. Her first outlet, The Burger Company (TBC), was started in a small 250 sq ft space in Palam Vihar, Gurugram. Today, TBC has grown into a popular burger chain with 100 outlets across India and a turnover of over Rs 40 crore. The brand has a presence in states like Delhi, Punjab, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Bihar, Tamil Nadu, and Madhya Pradesh.

A Dream Born in College
Neelam’s inspiration came during her college days. Growing up in a city like Agra, a famous tourist destination, she realised there were not many affordable and youth-friendly hangout spots. Expensive fine-dining restaurants were common, but budget-friendly places for students were missing. This gave her the idea of starting her own restaurant.

She completed her MBA in Marketing from ICFAI Hyderabad after doing her BBA from Dayalbagh Educational Institute, Agra. During a college fest, she set up a food stall that made a profit of Rs 1 lakh in three days. This success gave her confidence in the food business and showed her that the food industry has good margins.

Struggles and Sacrifices
After marrying Nitesh Dhankhar in 2014, Neelam began saving money to start her business. She was working at ICICI Lombard and made strict changes in her lifestyle. She avoided office lunches and ate roadside meals for Rs 20 to save money. At times, it was emotionally difficult, and she even cried, but she never gave up. In just eight months, she managed to save Rs 5 lakh without taking help from anyone, despite her in-laws not supporting her plan.

In 2016, she quit her job and began planning her business. After six months of research and four months of preparation, she opened her first TBC outlet in 2018. Neelam managed everything on her own, from finding the location, civil work, interior design, to lighting. Initially, she only had one staff member and did everything herself, including cleaning and washing dishes. Her pet dog, Bruno, became the store mascot, and people began calling it the "puppy cafe."

The Road to Success
Even during the COVID lockdown, when the outlet was shut, Neelam used that time to work on her expansion strategy. In October 2020, she sold her first franchise in Delhi. This model became very successful, and now only one outlet is company-owned while the rest are franchises.

Today, Neelam runs 9 Plates Hospitality Pvt Ltd, the parent company of TBC, which is making over Rs 40 crore in revenue. In 2021, her husband also joined the company to handle development, marketing, and finance.

Neelam Singh’s story is truly inspiring. From struggling with savings to building a successful food chain, her journey shows that hard work, planning, and self-belief can turn any dream into reality.