A post shared on X has set off a broader online discussion around income, career paths and the economics of small businesses in India. The conversation began after a user claimed that a neighbourhood dry cleaner earns more each month than many white-collar professionals.

The post, shared by Nalini Unagar on 9 February, described a conversation she had with a dry cleaning shop owner in her locality. According to her account, the business is run by the owner and his wife, with two helpers on salary. What stood out to her was the couple’s monthly income, which she said exceeds ₹2 lakh—an amount she compared to the pay of a software engineer with over 10 years of experience.

In her post, Nalini broke down the figures shared by the shop owner. She said the business irons around 350 clothes a day at ₹10 per garment and handles about 20 premium items—such as suits, cholis and sarees—for dry cleaning and ironing at ₹350 each. Based on these numbers, the shop’s daily earnings were estimated at ₹10,500.

The post further stated that the shop operates 27 days a month. With no rent to pay as the family owns the premises, electricity costs of around ₹6,000 and salaries of ₹40,000 for two helpers, Nalini said the couple told her their net profit last month was ₹2,37,500. She added that, on average, their monthly earnings remain above ₹2 lakh.

The post quickly gained traction, crossing 10,700 views and drawing a flood of reactions—ranging from admiration to scepticism.

One user commented, “Irony is that, they are considered small service providers, we all sympathize with that statement, and they don’t pay any income tax.”

Another urged caution, writing, “whenever i read this type of post there is hidden things they do not tell you

they are earning it in a metro city not in tier 3-4 cities

they are not newcomers they are doing that business from years i.e 10+ years and after gaining trust they are now earning this money

so yes every business depends on locality and population! more population more chances of high earning low population less chances of earnings.”

Some users responded with humour. “Meanwhile, engineers are debugging code at 2 AM for ₹2L a month…, and bhaiya is debugging wrinkles in 2 minutes for the same salary. 😭

Moral of the story: Should’ve learned ‘steam engineering’ instead of software engineering,” one post read.

Others struck a reflective note. “We’re conditioned to run after white-collar jobs and fixed paychecks, but stories like this remind us that owning a business—small or big—can be equally fulfilling,” one user wrote, while another pointed out that sustaining a business comes with risks, adding, “Business is not easy… only one in ten people who venture into starting a business breaks even.”

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