Aboli Dina Yepthomi, co-owner of ADL Weddings and Hillstar Cinema.
Morung Express News
Dimapur | January 7
39-year-old Aboli Dina Yepthomi is the archetype independent Naga entrepreneur, who has strived hard over the years to succeed in the business world.
A mother to five children, she along with her two partners Asang Imchen and Loye Tungoe run ADL Weddings, one of the biggest and most in demand wedding planning companies in the state. Dina, along with her husband, Hukheto L Yepthomi, also runs and manages Hillstar Cinema in Dimapur, which is helping to revive the movie going culture in the state.
Dina's enterprising spirit comes natural to her. She feels that it is engrained in her as a person. "I was never satisfied with sitting at home. I wanted to be useful and even now I don’t like wasting a single day sitting idle," she says. "Whenever a year ends, I look back to see what I have achieved and what more I can do," she adds. She tried her hand in several small enterprises and over the years, ADL and Hillstar have been two ventures that have reaped benefits.
ADL Weddings started in 2009 by Dina and her two friends Asang Imchen and Loye Tungoe. Since then, they have planned and managed over 20 weddings every year. Besides, they also rent out articles for weddings.
"The three of us did not have any formal training in this field. We learnt everything through hands on experience," Dina says. She remembers how they had sleepless nights when first starting off with the venture.
While facing various challenges when they first started off, Dina however says, "People saw what we did and they liked it. We had a lot of demand even from other parts of the country, besides from the North East." ADL has also been approached to do weddings from all over the country. "When we started, we faced many challenges. But it was and is a pleasure to help so many people achieve their dream wedding," she maintains.
Meanwhile, Hillstar Cinema was a raging success in the 1980s but it went down due to several factors- factors like the advent of home video systems and piracy, which affected movie theatres all over the country. In 2015, Dina and her husband Hukheto decided to re-launch the theatre and has now for the past couple of years been a much needed place of entertainment for movie buffs in the state.
On the way she works, Dina says, "I like a hand on approach. I don’t believe in just delegating and telling people what to do. I want to be involved." On whether she has faced any bias with regard to her gender, Dina says that while there are some false perceptions of women, she personally has not faced any discrimination. "When people know that you mean business and you are good at what you do, eventually they will come to respect you," she states.
Dina also stresses on the fact that her success would not have been possible without a proper support base. Dina particularly mentions her husband, her family, in-laws and friends, who have always encouraged her in her ventures.
On the business scenario in the state, she feels that the very small consumer base is an obstacle. To address this, she hopes that people lend support to businesses in the state and that there is Camaraderie within the business community as well. Dina further says that the business scenario in Nagaland is making progress.
"I am impressed with the younger generation who have become so enterprising. There are now voices trying to change students’ minds and perceptions about going independent and not just rely on government jobs. Also, many young people are in creative fields, so it is very encouraging. I see a bright future for the state in terms of business," she states.
The government can also do its part by just being good at their job, Dina adds, while pointing out the need to provide basic security and infrastructure. This, she feels is enough to encourage a conducive atmosphere for businesses to run with confidence.
During her free time from work, which is very rare, Dina likes spending time with her family, cooking for them, gardening and reading.
"I want my children to live in a responsible society, where people are aware of consequences and take responsibility for their actions," she hopes. To this end, Dina is optimistic for the future, as she feels that the younger generation is more aware and realises the consequences of their actions.
