Meet Naresh Thotla, Amazon India’s most tenured ‘I Have Space’ partner from Hyderabad

Life presents plenty of challenges, but turning adversity into opportunity requires undeterred determination. Here is the story of 35-year-old Naresh Thotla from Hyderabad. He was one of the initial few to join Amazon’s ‘I Have Space’ (IHS) program in 2015 and is currently the most tenured IHS Partner in the city. After Naresh completed his secondary education in 2007, he wanted to study further, but financial conditions at home curbed his dream. Naresh's next 8 years were not easy. He struggled to obtain a stable career and had to rely on fragmentary work to feed his family. Without a job and rising expenses at home, he realized he had to start his own business to get stability in life.

With some savings, and support from his friends, Naresh rented a small space, and started his store, Hardik Mobiles, in July 2015. He sells mobile phones, sim cards and also provides mobile repair services at his store. Naresh was determined to turn his life around and take up more work to earn additional income. At this point, his brother who was working at one of Amazon’s Delivery Station in Hyderabad, introduced him to the ‘I Have Space’ program, which was launched nationwide in the same year. Naresh was intrigued by the prospect of delivering customer packages in his free time and earn additional income. He immediately registered and became one of Amazon’s first I Have Space partner from Hyderabad in September 2015.

“It has not been an easy journey for me, but I am proud of what I have achieved. When I look back at 2015, I see that joining Amazon’s ‘I Have Space’ was a wise decision. Today, I take care of many of my expenses through the additional income I earn from delivering packages to Amazon customers in my free time. This income has also allowed me to keep my business afloat. I have been Amazon’s ‘I Have Space’ partner for over 8 years and this has given me an identity and respect in society. I want to continue delivering smiles to Amazon customers for many more years and grow my business simultaneously,” says Naresh Thotla.

Naresh got married in 2021 and now is a proud father. While Naresh couldn’t complete his studies due to financial implications, 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.”

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 its last-mile delivery program, ‘I Have Space’. Through the program, Amazon India partners with local stores and business owners to deliver products to customers within a 2 to 4 kilometers radius of their store, allowing them to earn additional income. 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 Space’ stores in Telangana.