Nagpur: Being an entrepreneur is relatively more of a struggle for women as compared to men. 'AABHA-2018', a special seminar for female MBA students of Dr Ambedkar Institute of Management Studies and Research (DAIMSR) was organized on Saturday, to assist with the struggles and be a successful entrepreneur.
Fashion designer and proprietor of S Shikha Designs India Shikha Thuteja and managing director of Nagpur Technomarketing Private Limited Chhaya Chandak shared their views on achieving success as an entrepreneur.
"Only 14% of businesses are run by women most of them on a small scale. 79% per of these are self-financed," said Chandak. She also comforted students saying, "Women are more in control of their destiny than they have ever been today. Despite small figures, women are constantly attempting to venture out of domestic door."
Chandak admitted the environment in the business scene is not ideal for women which naturally creates many challenges for them. She recounted her early attempts of starting an enterprise. She said, "My decision to enter into business was not welcomed by the community in the 1990s. At that time, people believed that women would be better off at government jobs than in business."
But things soon changed. "The same people who objected, later referred their wives to me to help them start something of their own," said Chandak. She told the students to keep in mind the objective of their enterprise, plans of implementation, execution and their ultimate goal. "Always picture what your company should be in 15 years," she said.
"Although education is not an essential requirement for becoming an entrepreneur, it does provide for a better platform. You must have in-depth knowledge of the products and services you choose to venture in. More importantly, you need to evolve your ideas and update your knowledge constantly," Chandak told students.
Thuteja said that managing stress is equally important. "Stress may not necessarily be a bad thing since the right amount of stress compels a person to perform. It should not be too much either because then it becomes counterintuitive to achieving the desired objective. Of course, keeping your stress in check is very important," she said.
