Vemula Ramya

Vemula Ramya
Born	1994 Jagtial, Telangana, India
Nationality	Indian
Other names	RamyaNagendra
Occupation	Entrepreneur
Years active	2018–present
Known for	Founder of Ramyanagendra Imitations Private Limited
Notable work	Building a ₹10 crore jewellery business from ₹500 investment

Vemula Ramya (born 1994), popularly known in the market as RamyaNagendra, is an Indian entrepreneur from Telangana known for building a successful imitation jewellery business from a small initial investment. She is the founder of Ramyanagendra Imitations Private Limited, a company that operates both online and offline jewellery retail platforms across the Telugu states.

Starting with just ₹500 in March 2018, she grew her business into a company reporting an annual turnover of approximately ₹10 crore. The brand is known for its black bead jewellery collections (nallapusalu) and its early adoption of live sales in Telugu through social media platforms.

Early Life and Background

Vemula Ramya was born in 1994 in Jagtial, Telangana, India. She learned tailoring at a young age from her mother, who was a skilled tailor in the local community and trained more than 100 women.

From the age of seven, Ramya began learning stitching and garment cutting. By her teenage years, she was able to complete blouse stitching efficiently and started taking tailoring orders from home. This work helped her earn income and build a local customer base.

However, the work involved long hours of sitting and continuous physical effort, which later caused severe back pain and affected her ability to continue tailoring.

Shift to Business

Due to health issues and increasing family responsibilities, including caring for a young child, Ramya began looking for an alternative source of income that required less physical strain.

In March 2018, she invested ₹500 from her savings to purchase a small quantity of imitation jewellery and started selling it from home. The business initially operated without a shop or employees, relying on personal contacts and early social media usage.

Early Business Struggles

In the initial phase, Ramya and her husband Nagendra travelled long distances, often more than 50 kilometres on a two-wheeler, to source products. They managed storage, packaging and sales from home while also taking care of their infant child.

Every order was handled directly, and customer interaction played a key role in understanding demand, pricing and preferences.

Use of Live Sales

As social media usage increased, Ramya started using live video sessions in Telugu to present jewellery products. Through these live sessions, she showcased designs, explained pricing and answered customer queries in real time.

This approach helped build trust among customers and increased engagement. The live sales format became a defining feature of the brand and contributed significantly to its growth.

Business During COVID-19

During the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020, logistics and courier services were disrupted. At that time, Ramya managed all operations independently, including live selling, customer communication, order packing and dispatch coordination.

Despite delivery delays, she maintained communication with customers and ensured that pending orders were fulfilled, strengthening customer trust and loyalty.

Financial Challenges

At one stage, the business faced a major setback when unsold inventory worth approximately ₹6 lakh accumulated. This created financial pressure for the self-funded venture.

Following this experience, the business adopted a more cautious approach to inventory management. Product selection became based on demand patterns and sales data rather than bulk purchasing.

Growth and Expansion

Over time, the brand focused on black bead jewellery, locally known as nallapusalu, which has cultural importance in the Telugu states. This category became one of the strongest segments for the business.

The company introduced an entry-level price point around ₹399 to attract first-time buyers and gradually expanded its product range. Today, the brand offers more than 1,600 jewellery designs including necklaces, earrings and bangles.

In February 2025, the business was formally incorporated as Ramyanagendra Imitations Private Limited.

Business Operations

The company currently operates three physical outlets located in Jagtial, Mancherial and Hyderabad (Saroornagar). It also conducts jewellery expos in different cities to allow customers to view products directly.

During peak periods, the business processes up to 500 orders per day. It supports employment for nearly 100 women across retail stores, packaging units and operational roles.

Partnership

Ramya manages marketing, customer engagement and brand communication, while her husband Nagendra handles sourcing, logistics and operational management. This partnership has played an important role in scaling the business.

Digital Presence

The RamyaNagendra brand has a strong presence on social media platforms. It has over 360,000 followers on Instagram and more than 100,000 subscribers on YouTube.

Live sessions continue to be a key sales strategy, enabling direct interaction with customers and real-time product showcasing.

Future Plans

The company plans to expand its physical store network and increase jewellery expos across Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. It also aims to introduce new design collections while maintaining affordable pricing strategies.

Legacy

The journey of Vemula Ramya, from a ₹500 investment to building a ₹10 crore jewellery business, highlights the role of persistence, customer connection and digital platforms in modern small business growth.

Her story reflects how home-based ventures can scale into structured enterprises through consistent effort and adaptive business strategies.