35-year-old Naresh Thotla from Hyderabad couldn’t study beyond Class 10 due to financial hardships in his family. For the next eight years until 2015, Naresh struggled to have a stable career and was compelled to rely on fragmentary jobs to support his family. The paucity of work opportunities amid rising household expenses propelled Naresh to start his own store.
The 8-year strong journey as an ‘I Have Space’ partner
Naresh dipped into his savings and took support from friends to rent a small space to start his store, Hardik Mobiles, in July 2015. It sells mobile phones and SIM cards, besides provides mobile repairing services. Naresh was determined to take up more work and earn additional income in order to financially support his family. His brother who was working at one of Amazon’s delivery stations in Hyderabad introduced him to Amazon’s ‘I Have Space’ program, which was launched nationwide in 2015. Naresh was intrigued by the prospect of delivering customer packages in his free time and earning additional income. He immediately registered and become one of Amazon’s initial ‘I Have Space’ partners from Hyderabad in September 2015.
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“It has not been an easy journey for me, and I am really proud of what I have achieved. When I look back on 2015, I see that joining Amazon’s ‘I Have Space’ program was a wise decision. I have been Amazon’s ‘I Have Space’ partner for over eight years and this has given me financial support and respect in society. I want to continue delivering smiles to Amazon customers for many more years and grow my business simultaneously,” he says.
Naresh got married in June 2021 to Shivaneela Thotla and now he is a proud father to an 18-month-old son. While Naresh couldn’t attend college due to financial constraints, he is determined to provide the best education for his son.
Dr. Karuna Shankar Pande, Director, Amazon Logistics, India, said “Amazon India is committed to providing work opportunities to individuals from various walks of life. Naresh's maturity and progress as Amazon’s I Have Space Partner over the last 8 years is truly remarkable. It is fulfilling to see how individuals like Naresh have immensely benefitted from the program and the additional income opportunity it provides.”
More than 28,000 neighbourhood and kirana partners
As Amazon scales and expands its delivery network across Telangana, it continues to enable individuals to unlock their entrepreneurial potential and is creating opportunities to expand their horizons through the ‘I Have Space’ program. Launched in 2015, the program has more than 28,000 neighbourhood and kirana partners in close to 420 towns and cities across its network in India, including more than 1800 ‘I Have Stores’ stores in Telangana. Under ‘I Have Space’ program, Amazon India partners with local stores and business owners to deliver products to customers within 2-4 kilometers of their store, allowing them to earn supplementary income.
Aspiring ‘I Have Space’ Partners can apply here - http://www.amazon.in/ihs
