Empower to Inspire

Women Entrepreneurs all around the world are not only looked up by their kind but also are talked about with great admiration by people all around the world. Kalpana Saroj was the first female entrepreneur India saw. She bought the “distressed assets’ and steered the company. She is infamously called the original “Slumdog millionare” of India.

She had a rough childhood, an abusive child marriage and came out as strong as someone could breaking all the norms of what society expected of her as a woman. As a sole earning member of her family she is the living example of going from rags to riches.

This is the story of the majority of women starting out, apart from all the hard work one has to put in to start something from scratch, they also are burdened with the responsibility of breaking all the gender stereotypes that come in their way. A man is always applauded for his efforts, but the same amount of work also leads to a woman being accused of not being too ‘homely’ or not a ‘good’ enough mother, daughter or sister.

It is high time that we let go of the era where women were expected to walk behind men and were supposed to be a part of the crowd and not the ones leading it. With organizations like Shethepeople TV who are run by women and extensively cover issues related to them catching eyeballs, the concept is slowly getting normalized in urban areas.

Situations still have not changed much. There are loads of people who do not shy from admiring these iconic women but do not have the same attitude towards the women around them. Nearly 60 percent of the women in the country are reportedly illiterate which makes it difficult to sustain and run a business. Women reportedly constitute of 14 percent of the total entrepreneurship in India and the growth rate looks positive but we as a community still have a long way to go.

Another unique, Padma Shri winner and one of the firsts in her times is Vandana Luthra, also faced a lot of criticism, favourism when she went out to make a name for herself and her brand VLCC in a male dominated environment. The beauty brand now has its roots in about 11 countries started as a beauty and wellness centre. It was not easy but it was only Vandana’s belief in her idea that kept her going on.

The list of these incredibly is never ending, we have Aditi Gupta, the founder of Menstrupedia. She started the platform with the goal of breaking the myth that menstruating women are impure, it was her drive to let her idea reach the masses that led her venture to be wildly successful.

You have inspirations anywhere you look, you just need to have the right eye. Majority of them went through hardships to reach where they are. If nobody you can look up to your mother and pay back her efforts and love for you by bringing a change in the society and doing it some good by becoming something.

Women Entrepreneurship covers all the women who are determined to make it on their own and strive hard to make their dreams come true. Though a very ‘on the rise’ and ‘novel’ concept in India, it is not the case around the world. According to an article in Business management ideas , “In Canada, one-third of small businesses are owned by women and in France it is one-fifth. In the U.K, since 1980, the number of self-employed women has increased three times as fast as the number of self-employed men.”

The origin of women being self starters come from the seed of education and awareness and the passion which is fueled by the motivation to defy the odds. These gifted fiery women come from all walks of life. Some of them do it because they want to make their own identity in the business world, some of them do it to escape the harsh realities of life and live on their own terms. The goals, the background, the situation might differ but what is constant are the struggles all of them had to go through. The sexism they had to encounter, the male egos they had to thrash. It takes a lot of courage and perseverance to make a place for yourself in a ‘man’s world’.

The evolvement of women entrepreneurs is not only inspirational for young women out there. These women yes are idols and models for all the zealous females out there who aspire to one day make it on their own but are also a boon and asset to the financial and economical development of their society and the world. It is literally a flowery field growing out there for the world to bask in, it is just some thorns we as a society need to get rid off.