Seema Bansal was unemployed when she first conceived the idea of starting a packaging business. With no financial backing, she began work from a small desk in her home, handling every responsibility herself. She was the driver, salesperson, accountant, and manager, doing all the odd jobs required to keep the business running. Through persistence and sheer determination, that humble beginning has grown into a company with a turnover of ₹157 crore.

With her hard work and determination, she has built a multi-crore enterprise with operations across India and the UAE. Her unwillingness to accept failure, resilience, continuous desire for learning, and a strong focus on quality made her achieve the unachievable. Seema Bansal is the Founder and Executive Director of DCG Tech Limited, a packaging solutions company which has emerged as a significant player in India’s packaging sector, serving over 50,000 clients with sustainable, technology-driven solutions tailored to evolving business needs. “I lost my father when I was one and a half years old. We were in such dire financial straits that my mother did not have money to perform my father’s last rites. We had a ceiling fan, which my mother sold for ₹170, and used that money to cremate him.” says Seema.

Born and brought up in Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh, Seema Bansal’s journey is a true inspiration. Her mother single-handedly raised four children after her father’s demise. She gave music tuitions and managed to admit all four children to an English-medium school. However, as education costs increased in higher classes, she found it difficult to cope and moved Seema to a government school. The medium of instruction changed completely, she had no friends, and she did not attend school for six months. When she finally returned, she topped her class.“My mother’s struggle against relentless adversity taught me that anything life throws at you can be faced with tenacity, grit, and determination. I started giving tuitions in Class 8 to support her, and that is when I realised that the more you share knowledge, the more you gain it. Tuitions helped me fund my education. After graduation, I pursued a few professional courses and appeared for several competitive exams. I was selected as an air hostess, but during the Mumbai interview I was asked to pay ₹3 lakh. My mother did not even have ₹300, so it was out of the question”

With limited opportunities in Gwalior, Seema along with her brother moved to Mumbai, hoping to stay with her mother’s sister. However, they were asked to move out and find work. They lived in a small tin shack that became unbearably hot in summers. Seema did several odd jobs before finally getting one in an IT company, which proved to be a breakthrough. She was offered an opportunity to work in the London office and accepted without hesitation.“I worked there for several years, met my husband, Mr Bansal, and we got married. Life seemed settled. My husband later moved to the US and set up an office on Wall Street, in the Empire State Building. The business did well—we took a three-floor office, got jobs with the Bank of America, and received a green card. But when everything seems perfect, one must be prepared for setbacks. My husband suffered a huge business loss, and we lost everything and returned to India. We stayed with my husband’s younger brother. My husband invested some money in another company, while I remained jobless. In London, a packaging catalogue used to come to our home every month, and we often discussed starting a packaging business someday. Perhaps we were manifesting it. I had no experience in the packaging industry, which is almost entirely male-dominated.”

Seema started DCG Packs, created a website, and began operations from my home. She was the driver, salesperson, accountant, and receptionist. Her computer was always on, as she handled everything and guided customers herself. “I believe service is the only thing that truly takes a business forward. We customised packaging and focused on MSME clients. Whenever an order was placed, we ensured delivery within 24 hours in the Delhi-NCR region,” says Seema.“Our first customer placed an order of 4,000 packages-and it was a big brand. Gradually, orders increased. We invested in marketing, hired freelancers, recruited people, and slowly built departments and platforms. Over time, we opened warehouses. Blinkit became our biggest customer. Then came COVID. Everything shut down but we grew even during the pandemic. We began supplying packaging across India to hospitals, thermometers suppliers, and emergency services, and received special passes for essential deliveries. We did not fire anyone. We reduced salaries temporarily but later repaid the full amount. Today, we have expanded to Bengaluru, Dubai, and Mumbai, apart from Delhi. How did this happen? Not overnight. Growth is not just a number, it is a mindset. It is about thinking of new ideas, innovating, and experimenting. Forty percent of our workforce comprises women, and I am proud to support them. Employee happiness is crucial, if your employees are not happy, you cannot connect with customers.”For those who think a support system, a big investment, and technical skills are required to become successful, Seema Bansal’s story should serve as an example. Success is not luck, but sheer determination. Success is the ability to accept failure and move forward. Success is innovation and the constant desire to reinvent oneself.