Entrepreneurship
actually implies an independence of
spirit.
It is this independence that
women in India have begun to
express over the last two or three
decades. That is why the percentage
ofwomen among the total number of
entrepreneurs in India has been steadily growing. Socioeconomic
factors have to be considered.
Moreover, India is a developing
country and the rate of growth in
women entrepreneurship would be
slower than in developed countries.
The reasons why we do not have so
many first generation entrepreneurs
could be less motivation, less
support from family and other
institutions, fewer opportunities for
professional and vocational training,
and economic constraints. However,
in each of these aspects, there is a
change for the better. We need to
give importance to the acquiring of
professional qualifications and
training, so that women can express
their creativity and innovative ness
with more confidence. Vocational
training should include aspects of
business management. For example,
our professional beauty courses
include business and salon
management, as well as client
handling, with emphasis on how to
make the enterprise profitable and
successful. In fact, very early in my
career I started encouraging
ordinary housewives to open salons
in their own homes. At that time, the
idea was relevant, because a woman
could achieve financial
independence and yet, be close at
hand to care for home and family.
Moreover, starting a salon in a small
way in one's own home did not
require much capital investment. In
India, the women who are educated
and have professional qualifications
turn towards securing employment,
rather than assume the unknown
factors and risks of
entrepreneurship.
More than 36 years ago, when I
started my career, I felt strongly that
women have the potential to be
successful in the business world. It
was like a latent force that had not
really emerged, because of age old
traditions that the woman's place is
in the home. Fortunately, the last
two decades have seen the woman
stepping out of her home, to earn a
living, make a career, establish her
own identity and fulfill her
ambitions and dreams. She has
made a mark in every field,
including the world of business. As
a career woman, she has not only
surmounted the barriers of tradition
and social norms, but has also come
to terms about the importance of
holding her own in the outside
world. What is most important is
that she has not abdicated her
familial responsibilities and has
shown that she can manage both
home and career successfully.
A woman has what it takes to be
successful as an entrepreneur. For
one thing, while managing her
different roles of wife, housewife,
mother and career woman
efficiently, she has learnt the values
of time management, patience and
even handling budgets. Women not
only have the courage, inner
strength and foresight that are
necessary to be successful as
entrepreneurs, but are no less than
men when it comes to intelligence,
talents and creativity. For a creative
person, the world of business offers
many avenues, because creativity
leads to innovative ideas.
Translating them into practical
terms is what business is all about.
Today's woman stands side by side
with her male counterpart, as far as
education and higher qualifications
go. In fact, I strongly feel thatwomen
can be extremely dedicated and
single minded.
