Women and Entrepreneurship

Introduction

Women owned businesses are highly increasing in the economies of almost all
countries. The hidden entrepreneurial potentials of women have gradually been
changing with the growing sensitivity to the role and economic status in the
society. Skill, knowledge and adaptability in business are the main reasons for
women to emerge into business ventures. ‘Women Entrepreneur’ is a person
who accepts challenging role to meet her personal needs and become
economically independent. A strong desire to do something positive is an
inbuilt quality of entrepreneurial women, who is capable of contributing values
in both family and social life. With the advent of media, women are aware of
their own traits, rights and also the work situations. The glass ceilings are
shattered and women are found indulged in every line of business from pappad
to power cables. The challenges and opportunities provided to the women of
digital era are growing rapidly that the job seekers are turning into job
creators. They are flourishing as designers, interior decorators, exporters,
publishers, garment manufacturers and still exploring new avenues of
economic participation. In India, although women constitute the majority of the
total population, the entrepreneurial world is still a male dominated one.
Women in advanced nations are recognized and are more prominent in the
business world.

Role of women as an Entrepreneur's:

1) Imaginative: It refers to the imaginative approach or original ideas with

competitive market. Well-planned approach is needed to examine the existing
situation and to identify the entrepreneurial opportunities. It further implies
that women entrepreneurs have association with knowledgeable people and
contracting the right organization offering support and services.

2) Attribute to work hard: Enterprising women have further ability to work

hard. The imaginative ideas have to come to a fair play. Hard work is needed to
build up an enterprise..

3) Persistence: Women entrepreneurs must have an intention to fulfill their

dreams. They have to make a dream transferred into an idea enterprise;
Studies show that successful women work hard.
4) Ability and desire to take risk the desire refers to the willingness to take
risk and ability to the proficiency in planning making forecast estimates and
calculations.

5) Profit earning capacity:  she should have a capacity to get maximum

return out of invested capital.

A Woman entrepreneur has also to perform all the functions involved in

establishing an enterprise. These include idea generation, and screening,
determination of objectives, project preparation, product analysis,
determination of forms of business organization, completion of formal
activities,  raising funds,  procuring men machine materials and operations of
business.

Fredrick Harbiscon, has enumerated the following five functions  of a

women entrepreneur's :

 Exploration of the prospects of starting a new business enterprise.

 Undertaking a risk and handling of economic uncertainties involved in
business.
 Introduction of innovations, imitations of innovations.
 Co ordination, administration and control.
 Supervision and leadership.

In nutshell, women entrepreneur are those women who think of a business

enterprise,  initiate it organize and combine the factors of production, operate
the enterprise,  undertake risk  and handle economic uncertainties involved in
running a business enterprise.
List of Women Entrepreneurs

The 21 Leading Businesswomen in India [ Images ] *

1 Akhila Srinivasan, Managing Director, Shriram Investments Ltd

2 Chanda Kocchar, Executive Director, ICICI Bank [ Get Quote ]

3 Ekta Kapoor [ Images ], Creative Director, Balaji Telefilms [ Get Quote ]

4 Jyoit Naik, President, Lijjat Papad

5 Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, Chairman and Managing Director, Biocon [

Get Quote ]

6 Lalita D Gupte, Joint Managing Director, ICICI Bank

7 Naina Lal Kidwai [ Images ], Deputy CEO, HSBC

8 Preetha Reddy, Managing Director, Apollo Hospitals [ Get Quote ]

9 Priya Paul, Chairman, Apeejay Park Hotels

10 Rajshree Pathy, Chairman, Rajshree Sugars and Chemicals Ltd

11 Ranjana Kumar [ Images ], Chairman, NABARD

12 Ravina Raj Kohli, Media personality and ex-President, STAR News

13 Renuka Ramnath, CEO, ICICI Ventures

14 Ritu Kumar [ Images ], Fashion Designer

15 Ritu Nanda, CEO, Escolife

16 Shahnaz Hussain, CEO, Shahnaz Herbals

17 Sharan Apparao, Proprietor, Apparao Galleries

18 Simone Tata, Chairman, Trent Ltd [ Get Quote ]

19 Sulajja Firodia Motwani, Joint MD, Kinetic Engineering [ Get Quote ]

20 Tarjani Vakil, former Chairman and Managing Director, EXIM Bank

21 Zia Mody, Senior Partner, AZB & Partners

Problems of Women Entrepreneurs in India

Women in India are faced many problems to get ahead their life in business. A
few problems can be detailed as;

1. The greatest deterrent to women entrepreneurs is that they are women. A

kind of patriarchal – male dominant social order is the building block to them
in their way towards business success. Male members think it a big risk
financing the ventures run by women.

2. The financial institutions are skeptical about the entrepreneurial abilities of

women. The bankers consider women loonies as higher risk than men loonies.
The bankers put unrealistic and unreasonable securities to get loan to women
entrepreneurs. According to a report by the United Nations Industrial
Development Organization (UNIDO), "despite evidence that women's loan
repayment rates are higher than men's, women still face more difficulties in
obtaining credit," often due to discriminatory attitudes of banks and informal
lending groups (UNIDO, 1995b).

3. Entrepreneurs usually require financial assistance of some kind to launch

their ventures - be it a formal bank loan or money from a savings account.
Women in developing nations have little access to funds, due to the fact that
they are concentrated in poor rural communities with few opportunities to
borrow money (Starcher, 1996; UNIDO, 1995a). The women entrepreneurs are
suffering from inadequate financial resources and working capital. The women
entrepreneurs lack access to external funds due to their inability to provide
tangible security. Very few women have the tangible property in hand.

4. Women's family obligations also bar them from becoming successful

entrepreneurs in both developed and developing nations. "Having primary
responsibility for children, home and older dependent family members, few
women can devote all their time and energies to their business" .The financial
institutions discourage women entrepreneurs on the belief that they can at any
time leave their business and become housewives again. The result is that they
are forced to rely on their own savings, and loan from relatives and family
friends.

5. Indian women give more emphasis to family ties and relationships. Married
women have to make a fine balance between business and home. More over the
business success is depends on the support the family members extended to
women in the business process and management. The interest of the family
members is a determinant factor in the realization of women folk business
aspirations.

6. Another argument is that women entrepreneurs have low-level management

skills. They have to depend on office staffs and intermediaries, to get things
done, especially, the marketing and sales side of business. Here there is more
probability for business fallacies like the intermediaries take major part of the
surplus or profit. Marketing means mobility and confidence in dealing with the
external world, both of which women have been discouraged from developing
by social conditioning. Even when they are otherwise in control of an
enterprise, they often depend on males of the family in this area.

7. The male - female competition is another factor, which develop hurdles to

women entrepreneurs in the business management process. Despite the fact
that women entrepreneurs are good in keeping their service prompt and
delivery in time, due to lack of organisational skills compared to male
entrepreneurs women have to face constraints from competition. The
confidence to travel across day and night and even different regions and states
are less found in women compared to male entrepreneurs. This shows the low
level freedom of expression and freedom of mobility of the women
entrepreneurs.

8. Knowledge of alternative source of raw materials availability and high

negotiation skills are the basic requirement to run a business. Getting the raw
materials from different souse with discount prices is the factor that
determines the profit margin. Lack of knowledge of availability of the raw
materials and low-level negotiation and bargaining skills are the factors, which
affect women entrepreneur's business adventures.

9. Knowledge of latest technological changes, know how, and education level of

the person are significant factor that affect business. The literacy rate of
women in India is found at low level compared to male population. Many
women in developing nations lack the education needed to spur successful
entrepreneurship. They are ignorant of new technologies or unskilled in their
use, and often unable to do research and gain the necessary training (UNIDO,
1995b, p.1). Although great advances are being made in technology, many
women's illiteracy, strucutural difficulties, and lack of access to technical
training prevent the technology from being beneficial or even available to
females ("Women Entrepreneurs in Poorest Countries," 2001). According to The
Economist, this lack of knowledge and the continuing treatment of women as
second-class citizens keeps them in a pervasive cycle of poverty ("The Female
Poverty Trap," 2001). The studies indicates that uneducated women donot have
the knowledge of measurement and basic accounting.

10. Low-level risk taking attitude is another factor affecting women folk
decision to get into business. Low-level education provides low-level self-
confidence and self-reliance to the women folk to engage in business, which is
continuous risk taking and strategic cession making profession. Investing
money, maintaining the operations and ploughing back money for surplus
generation requires high risk taking attitude, courage and confidence. Though
the risk tolerance ability of the women folk in day-to-day life is high compared
to male members, while in business it is found opposite to that.

11. Achievement motivation of the women folk found less compared to male
members. The low level of education and confidence leads to low level
achievement and advancement motivation among women folk to engage in
business operations and running a business concern.

12. Finally high production cost of some business operations adversely affects
the development of women entrepreneurs. The installation of new machineries
during expansion of the productive capacity and like similar factors dissuades
the women entrepreneurs from venturing into new areas.

How to Develop Women Entrepreneurs?

Right efforts on from all areas are required in the development of women
entrepreneurs and their greater participation in the entrepreneurial activities.
Following efforts can be taken into account for effective development of women
entrepreneurs.

1. Consider women as specific target group for all developmental programmes.

2. Better educational facilities and schemes should be extended to women folk

from government part.

3. Adequate training programme on management skills to be provided to

women community.
4. Encourage women's participation in decision-making.

5. Vocational training to be extended to women community that enables them

to understand the production process and production management.

6. Skill development to be done in women's polytechnics and industrial

training institutes. Skills are put to work in training-cum-production
workshops.

7. Training on professional competence and leadership skill to be extended to

women entrepreneurs.

8. Training and counselling on a large scale of existing women entrepreneurs to

remove psychological causes like lack of self-confidence and fear of success.

9. Counselling through the aid of committed NGOs, psychologists, managerial

experts and technical personnel should be provided to existing and emerging
women entrepreneurs.

10. Continuous monitoring and improvement of training programmes.

11. Activities in which women are trained should focus on their marketability
and profitability.

12. Making provision of marketing and sales assistance from government part.

13. To encourage more passive women entrepreneurs the Women training

programme should be organised that taught to recognize her own psychological
needs and express them.

14. State finance corporations and financing institutions should permit by

statute to extend purely trade related finance to women entrepreneurs.

15. Women's development corporations have to gain access to open-ended

financing.

16. The financial institutions should provide more working capital assistance
both for small scale venture and large scale ventures.
17. Making provision of micro credit system and enterprise credit system to the
women entrepreneurs at local level.

18. Repeated gender sensitisation programmes should be held to train

financiers to treat women with dignity and respect as persons in their own
right.

19. Infrastructure, in the form of industrial plots and sheds, to set up

industries is to be provided by state run agencies.

20. Industrial estates could also provide marketing outlets for the display and
sale of products made by women.

21. A Women Entrepreneur's Guidance Cell set up to handle the various

problems of women entrepreneurs all over the state.

22. District Industries Centres and Single Window Agencies should make use
of assisting women in their trade and business guidance.

23. Programmes for encouraging entrepreneurship among women are to be

extended at local level.

24. Training in entrepreneurial attitudes should start at the high school level
through well-designed courses, which build confidence through behavioral
games.

25. More governmental schemes to motivate women entrepreneurs to engage in

small scale and large-scale business ventures.

26. Involvement of Non Governmental Organisations in women entrepreneurial

training programmes and counselling.

10 Tips for Women in Business to Achieve Their Goals

Goals help you map out events so that you can achieve what you want in life
and business. They can also give you focus, which increases your chances for
success. When you achieve one of your business goals, it empowers you, giving
you the momentum to become more successful. Momentum is a key element
for women achieving their business goals. It keeps you moving toward your
objective.

Achieving your business goals involves taking action steps to ensure that you
successfully attain them. The process requires that you set your goals and then
plan out strategies for achieving them. The following 10 tips can help you do
just that:

1. Set Your Goals

To begin the process of achieving your goals, you must first map out where you
want to go. You can achieve this by setting your goals. Your business goals
should be specific, have time frames, and be attainable by you.

2. Actively Pursue Your Goals

Take some time to think about every specific action step you need to take to
reach each of your business goals. Utilize your skills and resources to their
fullest. Brainstorm all the possible avenues you can take to achieve your goals.
Be proactive rather than passive.

3. Create Goal-Achieving Plans

You need to create a step-by-step plan for each one of your business goals. The
more specific and detailed you are in your planning, the better your chances
for successfully achieving the goal. One method women can use involves listing
five practical steps for achieving each of their goals.

4. Make a Daily To-Do List

A daily to-do list helps you organize your day so that you accomplish what you
need to achieve your business goals. This list contains the things you need to
do daily. At the beginning of each business day, examine what you need to
accomplish. Focus and direct your energies toward your goals.

5. Regularly Evaluate Your Progress

If your business goals are your destination points, you need to regularly
evaluate how far you have moved toward them. Did you meet your
expectations? What are you doing right? What are you doing wrong? Apply the
80/20 rule and spend your time more wisely in order to move more effectively
toward your goals.

6. Networking

Building a business network is an important part of achieving your goals.

Every time you make a contact you open another doorway of opportunity. Your
contacts become possible customers, employers, employees, and avenues to
other exciting places with higher earnings. The wider and better maintained
your network, the better your chances for success.

7. Affirmations and Visualizations

Create affirmations that move you toward your business goals. If your goal is
getting more sales for your business, write out an affirmation such as “Today
and everyday I will increase the sales in my business.” Visualize in your mind
the success of your goals. Spend at least 10 minutes every day visualizing your
success. For optimum results, post your affirmation around your workspace
and read it aloud a minimum of eight times a day for at least 21 days.

8. Focus on What Works for You

Play toward your natural inclinations. This means you need to focus on what
you do well and work on the rest of your skills that are pertinent to your
business. Make an effort to delegate tasks you don’t know how to do to others
who have an expertise in them.

9. Be Prepared for the Unexpected

Successful businesswomen prepare and practice for every eventuality that

might happen. Like a fire drill, you need to have a plan for particular
situations. By adapting to every situation, you make it an opportunity rather
than a problem.

10. Evolve Your Goals

You are a dynamic person who is continually changing as the world around
you changes. As such, you need to evolve your goals to match the changes in
yourself and your environment. As a businesswoman, staying ahead of trends
can mean a lot to your success. When you achieve your goals, you need to
celebrate your success. This gives you the momentum to take the action steps
necessary to achieve your next business goal.

Case Study

Ekta Kapoor - The Queen of Indian Soaps

The Making of an Entrepreneur

Ekta Kapoor is the daughter of Ravinder Kapoor (popularly known as

Jeetendra), a Hindi movie star from the 1960s to 1980s. Her mother, Shobha
Kapoor, is the CEO of BTL and her younger brother Tushar Kapoor is an actor
in Hindi movies. According to Ekta, she had a childhood which was "materially
easy but emotionally difficult.'

During her childhood she was extremely obese and suffered from low self
esteem. She was a very pampered child and was never oriented towards any
kind of achievement.

A student of Bombay Scottish school and Mithibai College, Ekta was a poor
student and content with getting the minimum passing grades. 

Her family wanted her to enroll in an MBA program but she was not interested
in a theoretical education and had no clue about what she wanted to do in her
life. "I was fat, lazy and absolutely aimless in life.

I had no direction or focus. I did not believe in excellence or hardwork," she

said. Her only interest was watching television, which she did whenever she
could. She says she felt guilty about disappointing her parents, but was not
able to do much to rectify the situation. On completing her higher secondary
education, she joined FAR Productions, an advertising agency, and worked as
an assistant model coordinator for a short time in an attempt to do something
worthwhile. The turning point in Ekta's life came in the early 1990s (she was
about 19 years old then), when Ketan Sommaya (a non resident Indian)
requested her father to produce some television software, for a channel he was
starting...
Ekta Kapoor was said to be the face and brain of Balaji Telefilms Limited (BTL),
and was almost solely responsible for the phenomenal success of most of BTL's
serials. According to Ekta, her childhood was "materially easy but emotionally
difficult." As a child she was extremely obese and suffered from low self esteem.

She was a poor student and was happy to get by with the minimum pass
marks. Even as a child she was an avid television watcher and spent most of
her free time glued to the TV. She felt guilty about letting her parents down,
but was unable to do anything about it.

The turning point in Ekta Kapoor's life came in the early 1990s when a non
resident Indian, Ketan Somayya, approached her father and requested him to
make some software for the channel he wanted to start. Ekta's father asked her
to take up the responsibility of making the software. Consequently, Ekta
Kapoor made six plots, of about three episodes each, at a cost of about Rs 0.5
million. The proposed channel, however, did not fare well and had to be sold to
Zee TV. Not wanting to waste her efforts, Ekta Kapoor started looking for other
buyers for her plots.

She was not successful in finding buyers for the first plots, but her father came
to her rescue and gave her more money to make more plots. BTL was set up in
1994 by her father. Mano Ya Na Mano, (Believe It or Not) BTL's first serial was
telecast in 1995. This was followed by Dhun Dhamaka (Musical Explosion), a
music based show aired on Doordarshan,3 which was moderately successful.
The first major success came with Hum Paanch (We Five), a comic sitcom
about 5 girls and their harassed parents, which ran for 5 years on Zee TV. BTL
came out with an initial public offer (IPO) in October 2000 to set up an
integrated studio in Mumbai and to buy advanced equipment. A day prior to its
listing on BSE, BTL entered into negotiations with Nine Network Entertainment
India Pvt. Ltd. (a wholly-owned subsidiary of Nine Broadcasting India Pvt. Ltd.)
for a merger in the ratio of 65:200 through an all-share deal.

The merger was later called off. In its first year as a public company, Balaji
showed a net profit of Rs 646 million on net sales of Rs.3.45 billion for the nine
month period ending in December 2000. The initial years in the business were
not very easy for Ekta Kapoor. There were times when she used to have 5 or 6
plots ready but none of them would get approval from the channels. People did
not take her seriously. Experienced writers would try to force her to accept
sub-standard scripts as they thought she was the "brainless daughter of a
moneyed father. She was able to overcome these barriers through sheer grit
and determination. She worked relentlessly, even foregoing holidays, to make a
mark for herself. Her time was completely occupied with thinking out stories,
finalizing scripts, deciding on sets, costumes, casting, etc.

Her hard work and commitment eventually paid off, and by the early 2000s she
had two highly successful serials, Kyunki Saans Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi (KSBKBT,
because the Mother-in-law was also a Daughter-in-Law) and Kahani Ghar Ghar
Ki (KGGK, The Story of Every Home) to her credit. She was called the lady with
the Midas touch as she hit gold with almost all her projects. By the end of
2002, she had about 35 programming hours per week on television - no mean
task for a person in her late 20s.

Her hold on television viewers was very strong. She had shows on almost all
channels telecasting Hindi5 programs, as well as some on regional channels.
BTL became the biggest name in television and every offering of Ekta Kapoor
was lapped up by eager viewers. Ekta Kapoor believed that her initial failures
contributed a lot to her success at a later stage. As a novice, she made too
many presumptions about the tastes of her audiences. But after her first few
projects failed, she became more careful. She started watching television
carefully to analyze the programs that were succeeding and those that were
failing to understand the likes and dislikes of the viewers. She said that her
study of TV programs helped her understand viewers' preferences.

Ekta Kapoor was responsible for introducing a number of changes in Indian

television. She was credited with introducing Indian viewers to daily soaps
when weekly soaps were the order of the day. She felt that weekly serials could
not hold the interest of the audience because of the time gap between episodes.
When people missed an episode, they lost interest and stopped watching the
serial altogether. Daily serials, however, not only captured and sustained the
interest of the viewers; they were also more remunerative for the producer.
Ekta Kapoor also introduced the genre of family-based serials in India. She
understood that the average Indian was very family oriented and loved to be
surrounded by members of their extended families. She capitalized on this
characteristic by making serials that showed the life of large joint families.

People welcomed this theme as they were fed up with stories about
extramarital affairs. They wanted feel-good serials with which they could
identify, and Ekta Kapoor gave them what they wanted. Most of BTL's serials
featured regularly in the top ten programs and, almost without exception,
enjoyed high viewership ratings. Ekta Kapoor managed to change the concept
of prime time television when she made 10:30 pm a prime time slot. When she
chose 10:30 as the slot for KSBKBT, Ekta Kapoor did not expect the serial to
become so popular. Till then, prime time on television was between 8:00 and
9:30 pm. After that, people had their dinners and went to bed. But after
KSBKBT became popular, people changed their television viewing habits and
10:30 pm became a high viewership slot. Since Ekta Kapoor was the creative
head of BTL, most of the successes of the company could be traced back to her.

She was a hands-on manager, closely involved with all aspects of the serials–
from the concept, to the script, the actors and the sets. She believed she had a
knack for choosing the right faces for the right parts. Since she felt she
understood audience preferences, she maintained full control over the
development of serials. She paid a lot of attention to detail and monitored all
aspects of BTL's serials for the first few episodes. After she was convinced that
her creative team could manage on its own, she eased off. However, she still
kept track of the ratings and responses. If there was a crisis, like a fall in
ratings, she stepped in again. Ekta was constantly on the look out for new
ideas for serials and claimed to source most of her stories from real life
situations or people.

She sourced the concept of KSBKBT from a short story she read in a magazine.
BTL productions were lavishly presented and slickly marketed. Most its new
serials could easily sail through on the basis of its past successes, but Ekta
Kapoor ensured that nothing was left to chance. She advertised constantly to
create visibility. In fact, she even made some of the characters in her serials
praise other serials. For instance, some of the characters in the serials are
shown discussing her other serials or finishing housework quickly to catch up
with them. Her unique style of naming the serials (all names started with K
and all the titles were structured in a strange manner) also drew the attention
of viewers. She was once advised by an astrologer that the letter 'K' would be
lucky for her.

As a result, she started naming all her serials with K. According to Ekta, ninety
percent of her serials beginning with that letter have been successful, so she
does not see the need to change the practice. On the human resources front,
Ekta Kapoor seemed to be something of an autocrat. She yelled at her
subordinates as she believed that if she did not shout, things would not get
done. She was also completely indifferent to star status and expected all the
actors in her serials to toe her line.

Erring or rebellious actors were replaced by others, or the character done away
with in the serial to dispense with the actor. Analysts felt that Ekta Kapoor was
able to succeed because of some of the shrewd business decisions she took.
Firstly, she did not depend on any one channel, but catered to a wide range of
channels. This reduced over dependence on one channel. Secondly, BTL
diversified risk by distributing resources between commissioned and sponsored
serials. This ensured a good mix of risk and returns. Thirdly, the cost of
production was kept under control by shooting most of the serials in BTL's own
studios.

In addition, the actors were also employed on a contractual basis which gave
the producer more control over them. This contract system also helped BTL
reduce costs. In 2001, Kapoor was selected by the Confederation of Indian
Industries, (CII) to head the committee on entertainment. She also received a
number of awards in the early 21st century. Some of the awards are: One of
"Asia's 50 most Powerful Communicators," from Asia week magazine in 2001;
Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year in 2001; "Corporate Excellence"
from Bharat Petroleum in 2002; and "Rajiv Gandhi Award" in 2002. The
entrepreneurial style of Ekta Kapoor may smack of authoritarianism, but
analysts felt her refusal to compromise on quality and her attention to detail
contributed greatly to her success. Her perfectionism seemed to have helped
make BTL one of the most powerful television software companies of the 2000s.

Making a Mark

Ekta introduced Indian television audiences to daily serials at a time when

weekly episodes were the order of the day. When Ekta first made a foray into
television software development, most of the serials were telecast on a weekly
basis...

Entrepreneurial Style

Ekta was a completely hands-on manager. She was closely involved with every
aspect of her serials, be it the script, cast, sets, the dress and make-up of the
characters, or the marketing of serials. As the creative head at BTL, she
provided all the story ideas.

She did not actually write the scripts of the serials but supervised a team of
associate creative directors and executive producers, who wrote them.

She personally auditioned the actors who played the various parts in the
serials, as she believed she had a knack for choosing the right faces for the
right parts..
The Flak.

Ekta has had to face a lot of flak for her serials as well as her attitude. On the
human resources front, Ekta was totally unpredictable. She acquired the image
of an ogre and most of her subordinates were reluctant to approach her
cabin... 

What Makes Ekta Click?

According to some analysts, Ekta was successful because she was present in
the right place at the right time and was able to identify a niche market and
cater to it successfully...

Can Success be Sustained?

BTL achieved a lot within a short period of time. But analysts wondered
whether this success could be sustained...

Shahnaz Hussain –The Herbal Beauty Expert

The Making of an Entrepreneur

Shahnaz Husain belongs to a royal Muslim family which migrated from

Samarkhand to India and later held high positions in the princely kingdoms of
Bhopal and Hyderabad before India's independence. Shahnaz received her
schooling in an Irish convent and because of the influence of her father, Chief
Justice N.U. Beg, she developed a love for poetry and English Literature.

She thus had the advantage of growing up in a traditional family and receiving
a modern education. She was married at the age of 15 and was a mother by the
next year. When her husband was posted in Teheran, Iran, she developed an
interest in beauty treatments and decided to study cosmetology.

To support the expenses of the training financially, she wrote articles for the
Iran Tribune on various topics under different names. In the course of her
studies, she learnt of the harmful effects of chemicals on the human body.

Consequently, she turned her attention to Ayurveda (Refer Exhibit III), which
she believed was the ideal alternative to chemical cosmetics, which not only
harmed the human system but also led to the deterioration of the environment
in the long run.
After leaving Teheran, she trained extensively in cosmetic therapy for 10 years
in some of the leading institutes of London, Paris, New York and Copenhagen.
On her return to India in 1977 she set up her own salon at her house in Delhi
with an initial investment of Rs 35000. In contrast to salons offering chemical
treatments, Shahnaz offered Ayurvedic products.

Entrepreneurship - The Shahnaz Husain Way

Shahnaz Husain uses the Ayurvedic method of treatment, which uses natural
formulations to cure ailments. She is the pioneer and leader of Ayurvedic
beauty products in the world offering “Natural Care and Cure”. The Shahnaz
Husain Group offers exclusive salon treatments geared to individual needs as
well as a number of commercial formulations for the treatment of specific
problems like acne, pimples, pigmentation, dehydration, alopecia (hair loss),
etc.

According to the Group, ayurvedic products are well suited to human skin and
hair as they are non-toxic and have no harmful side effects. The human body
adapts well to the natural treatments of Ayurveda while it has an inbuilt
resistance toward chemical treatments...

The Turning Point

The turning point in her business came when she represented India at the
Festival of India in 1980. Her team was given a counter in the perfumery
section of Selfridges in London. She managed to sell her entire consignment in
3 days and also broke the store's record for cosmetics sales for the year...

Diversification

The Group has diversified into Ayurvedic centers for Panchkarma, Dhara and
Kerala massage. It has also set up two Shahnaz Husain Ayurvedic Health
Resorts, one near Delhi and another in collaboration with the Hyakumata
group of Japan in the US island of Saipan. These resorts which can
accommodate about 200 people at a time, aim at providing urbanites
treatments and programs designed to counteract the stress of modern life. The
Group has also been holding discussions with major five star hotels in New
Delhi and New York to set up health spas... 

Training Future Entrepreneurs

Seeing the need for internationally recognized institutes that offered

professional training in beauty, Shahnaz Husain set up Woman's World
International. This was started at a time when people who wanted to train in
beauty treatments and therapy could only get apprenticeship training...
Lessons on Entrepreneurship

Shahnaz Husain has acquired worldwide recognition. Her dedication and

relentless hard work have paid off and she heads a Group which is the largest
of its kind in the world. "It is important to have a dream and to believe in the
magic of your dreams" says Shahnaz, who has been able to convert her own
dream into a business worth millions of dollars. Shahnaz believes that a true
entrepreneur is a person who has independence of spirit. "One should be
innovative, dynamic and willing to try every avenue towards success"...

Conclusion

Independence brought promise of equality of opportunity in all sphere to the

Indian women and laws guaranteeing for their equal rights of participation in
political process and equal opportunities and rights in education and
employment were enacted. But unfortunately, the government sponsored
development activities have benefited only a small section of women. The large
majority of them are still unaffected by change and development activities have
benefited only a small section of women i.e. the urban middle class women.
The large majority of them are still unaffected by change and development. The
reasons are well sighted in the discussion part of this article. It is hoped that
the suggestions forwarded in the article will help the entrepreneurs in
particular and policy-planners in general to look into this problem and develop
better schemes, developmental programmes and opportunities to the women
folk to enter into more entrepreneurial ventures. This article here tries to
recollect some of the successful women entrepreneurs like Ekta Kapoor,
Creative Director, Balaji Telefilms, Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, CEO, Biocon,
Shahnaz Husain and Vimalben M Pawale, Ex President, Sri Mahila Griha
Udyog Lijjat Papad (SMGULP).