He Started With Nothing—What He Built in 1 Year Shocked Everyone!

When Aman stepped off the overcrowded train at Mumbai’s CST station, no one paid him any attention. He was just another face in the swarm of arrivals—young, dusty, wide-eyed, and completely alone. He carried a torn backpack, a tiffin box from home, and Rs. 500 that his mother had tucked into his shirt pocket with trembling fingers. It was all he had left.

Back in his village in Uttar Pradesh, Aman had grown up believing that hard work on their small piece of land would eventually lead to a better life. But after a failed crop season, rising debts, and the sudden death of his father, the reality came crashing down. Creditors had taken their land. Their house was sold. At 21, Aman was left with no education beyond Class 10 and no job prospects in a village that had given up hope.

“I couldn’t watch my mother suffer,” he later said. “I had to take a chance. Even if it meant starting from zero.”

He thought the city would offer opportunity. It did, but not immediately—and not kindly. The first week, he slept on a bench at Dadar station, clinging to his bag as rats and cold wind kept him awake. Days were spent looking for work. He was rejected from shops, ignored by passersby, and sometimes scolded by security guards for loitering.

His first job was cleaning dishes at a roadside tea stall. It paid Rs. 50 a day and a leftover vada pav. It wasn’t much, but he saved every coin. He ate once a day and drank tap water. After work, he watched the tea stall owner closely—how he handled customers, managed supplies, and made quick mental calculations.

After three weeks, Aman began to dream again.

By the end of the first month, he had found a second job unloading vegetables at Crawford Market in the early mornings. That gave him an extra Rs. 150 per day. Slowly, he scraped together Rs. 3,000 and used it to rent a second-hand cart.

“I didn't know much about food business,” Aman admitted. “But I knew how to make a good chutney. And I knew people needed fast, cheap food.”

He started selling homemade sandwiches near a college gate. He used basic ingredients—bread, potato, onion, chutney—but added care. He smiled at every customer. Remembered names. Offered an extra slice to those who didn’t have enough money. Within two weeks, students were lining up.

Word of mouth became his best advertisement.

By month four, Aman was earning nearly Rs. 800 a day. He reinvested half of it—buying a better cart, getting a portable gas stove, and improving the menu. He even hired his childhood friend Raju, who had also come to the city looking for work.

With a second cart outside a coaching center, Aman began to build a small team. Every Sunday, he would gather them, talk about hygiene, customer respect, and saving money. “We may not have degrees,” he would say, “but we’ll act like professionals.”

Six months in, Aman rented a small room in a chawl. He paid off the loan his family still owed in the village. For the first time, his mother smiled on the phone.

The turning point came when a local food blogger posted a video about his sandwich cart, calling it “Mumbai’s Hidden Gem.” Views exploded. By the end of the week, Aman had hundreds of new customers and several requests for franchise setups.

He didn’t rush. Instead, he found a small shop to lease, painted it bright yellow, and named it "Aman’s Bite." With help from friends and new investors, he bought equipment, designed a simple menu, and opened the doors to his mini café. It had 10 tables, free Wi-Fi, and a “Pay What You Can” board on Sundays for students in need.

At the 1-year mark, Aman stood outside his café as reporters took photos, asking, “What’s your secret?”

He smiled, humbled. “I had nothing to lose, so I gave everything I had. That’s the secret. And never treating anyone like they’re less.”

Today, Aman’s Bite has three branches, employs 18 young people—many from slums and villages like his—and serves over 500 customers a day. But more than that, it serves as a living reminder that resilience, kindness, and smart hustle can still build empires from dust.

His story went viral on social media. Thousands were inspired. Some donated to help him expand. Others shared their own journeys.

When asked what he hopes for next, Aman said quietly,
“I just want to keep helping people rise—because when one of us makes it, we all rise a little.”