Some ideas don’t start in boardrooms. They start in living rooms, in neighbourhoods, in the quiet realisation that something is missing. For Upasna Jain, that moment came when she noticed her neighbours didn’t even know what she was doing as a small business owner.
At the time, she was running Memory D’zines, her gifting company. She was promoting her work online, reaching people far and wide, but not the people living right next door. “That’s what made me realize that this distance between me and my neighbours needed to be bridged in a way of a community,” she recalls. Out of that gap, Cuffe Connects was born.
Starting in a Time of Uncertainty
The irony is that Cuffe Connects was launched at a time when the world felt anything but connected. It was the middle of the pandemic. Businesses were struggling to survive, and people were battling loneliness, anxiety, and uncertainty. But that was precisely the reason Upasna chose to begin then.
“People needed to feel like they were part of something,” she says. “There was a need for solidarity and, more importantly, support.” Cuffe Connects became that anchor, offering a platform for small business owners to promote their work, lean on each other, and discover a sense of belonging during the toughest of times.
The Power of Hyperlocal
What makes Connects stand out is its hyperlocal philosophy. Instead of chasing audiences across cities and continents, it focuses on building trust in the most immediate community — the neighbourhood.
“It’s a small but impactful shift,” Upasna explains. “Brands have become household names simply by being visible in their community. Once your neighbour knows and trusts you, word of mouth does the rest. Growth becomes more natural and fulfilling.”
This model has changed the way entrepreneurs think about business. Many have realised that building close-knit circles of trust is just as important as scaling wide.
Stories That Inspire
Ask Upasna if there’s one particular success story from the group that stands out, and she hesitates. For her, it’s not about a single brand or person. It’s about the collective.
“The gratitude and appreciation I receive from people for the work we do with Connects is what keeps me and my team going,” she says. “The entire community coming together, the growth I’ve seen individuals and their brands make, and the change it has brought in me — that’s the story I hold close.”
Lessons That Stay
Behind her ability to lead communities with warmth and resilience are lessons passed down by her parents. From her mother, she learned patience and the value of a calm, clear head. From her father, she learned to put people before things — a principle that runs through every Connects initiative.
She also insists on the importance of simply “showing up.”
Coming from a finance background and running her family business for more than two decades, her transition into marketing and community-building wasn’t straightforward. “For the first year, showing up to every initiative under the Connects banner was how I learned, adapted, and grew. Those moments changed everything for me,” she says.
Most of the entrepreneurs in Connects are women, and Upasna is proud of the energy they bring. “Women have always been powerful drivers of community,” she says. “Now we are owning it. There’s a hunger to grow, learn, and adapt — and that’s what makes them such strong business leaders today.”
Looking Ahead
So where does she see Connects in the future? For Upasna, the vision is clear. “I see Connects Group becoming bigger, stronger, and still holding on to the ideology with which I started — to give back to the community, support the little guy, and provide a platform for everyone to market their brand in an affordable way.”
It’s not just a business plan. It’s a philosophy rooted in accessibility, positivity, and trust.
And maybe that’s why Connects feels less like a networking group and more like a movement. It was born from a personal frustration, shaped in a time of collective uncertainty, and has grown into a platform that makes entrepreneurship feel a little less lonely, and a lot more human.
Follow Upasna’s journey on Instagram: @uj1609 and @cuffeconnects
