With many enterprises and ventures being led by talented women, the startup ecosystem in India is booming. Nearly 4 out of 5 women in India desire to be entrepreneurs. But, on account of varied economic factors like gender bias, no investor confidence, and the non-availability of role models; many women are not fulfilling their start-up dream, despite being passionate about the same. How can this situation be improved? What is the role of existing successful women entrepreneurs in nurturing new talent? Do they lend them a helping hand?

Here are some unique ways through which successful business owners support other women to succeed:

1-on-1 Mentorship

Many accomplished business women are known to guide and advise young business owners in their respective domains. This is achieved either through collaborations, sponsoring or by acting as advisors within their capacity. Networks like Score in the USA and Kool Kanya or Her in India offer spaces for dialogue between the Veteran ladies and the newcomers to the field of entrepreneurship. And this dialogue can later lead to mentorship or training as the case may be.

Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, for instance, runs Biocon Academy to train young achievers in the field of Biotechnology. Through the YouTube channel of the academy, she hosts live sessions and answers any question posed by women who want to lead.

Such mentorship helps new business women to navigate various obstacles like gaining funding, understanding the market, developing leadership skills, acquiring the trust of investors, and other nuances of running a successful business.

Lending a helping hand takes different forms. Even an employer can act as a mentor to the employee, liberating the employee to take up leadership roles. And in this sphere, we need to recognize organizations that have an all-women staff. For example, in the startup sphere, there are organizations like My Style Communications, which try to encourage women from diverse backgrounds, with a passion for writing to join their organization.

Sharing Their Entrepreneurial Journey in Online and Offline Spaces

Prominent entrepreneurs of India such as Indira Nooyi – the former CEO of PepsiCo, Supriya Paul  – Co-founder of Josh Talks, Jagi Manat Panda – Co-founder of Orel Communication, and others are known to have shared their stories in forums like Ted Talks, Social Media and books. Such stories prove to be very beneficial in inspiring young women of India to dawn on leadership roles. Many youngsters get influenced to become entrepreneurs at a very young age by either reading autobiographies or documentaries on prominent women business leaders.

Start-up incubation:

Successful business women not only mentor but also give back to the community by functioning as angel investors or venture capitalists. They also run entrepreneurial coaching programs, and the best-performing candidates are given grants to help them scale and achieve success.

Creation of Communities to facilitate a women-driven start-up ecosystem

Communities spearheaded by enterprising businesswomen act as another platform that fosters the growth of upcoming women entrepreneurs. There are many communities that are designed especially for women who are restarting their careers. Platforms like Meetups and LinkedIn can be leveraged to facilitate open dialogue and discussions between varied business women in different domains. Live chats, and guest speaker sessions at organizations and colleges by veteran business women help foster a strong community and knowledge-sharing space for those passionate to learn about being a business owner.

Internship Opportunity

Young women entrepreneurs, who want to grow in their field can benefit extensively if they intern with the veterans in the field. Internships are surefire ways of learning the tricks of the trade. By shadowing successful businesswomen, upcoming lady entrepreneurs can learn a lot.

Future of Indian Women in The Business Space

The future of business women in India is promising with a lot of prospects for the younger generation. Women are achieving milestones in varied fields like technology, STEM, finance, social impact, and others. Mentoring, gaining training or funding are a few of the key aspects through which young women who nurture a dream to succeed as an entrepreneur can benefit from the wisdom of experienced women in the domain.

Not only the profit sector but also the nonprofit sector has women taking up leadership roles. Working for impact is a rewarding field that many young women might aspire to be a part of. Also, there are many social entrepreneurs who offer the space to have open discussions on varied aspects which is a starting point for future mentorship and collaboration.

Since the role of women in every sector is important, their education is equally important. As they say, educate a woman and you educate a family; if you educate a woman entrepreneur the entire community will benefit.

The post A Helping Hand to each other: Successful Businesswomen nurture the upcoming aspiring Women Entrepreneurs appeared first on The Pink Journey.

I worked as an intrapreneur and leading member of the management team at Orienta Cine Advertising for over a decade and held the position of Vice President – Business Development at Orienta Cine Advertising.

The position always gave a pride tag and also unconsciously drove me into a comfort zone. All it needed a jolt which was really unexpected and got me into the nowhere zone when the media industry was worst hit along with some other key industries like travel and so on. It gave me alarming bells and I never wanted to pile on understanding the situation of the market. Thus, I decided to move on from the company which I can proudly say that I developed from scratch and poured my heart and soul to build it. It was never easy but that’s where lied the discomfort and I really wanted to break the shackles which seem to me as freedom and comfort but instead made me helpless.

I spoke my heart to my best buddy who is my life partner, Sachin, and he was there with me as always to not only support me but gave me confidence enough to look for bigger opportunities in life as he said, “There is always an opportunity, you just need to back yourself.” We just started with the dream project of penning down a book Rising Stars a book series of 27 entrepreneurs and achievers and it was dream of Sachin which we together completed it with an overwhelming response and published it in India, Singapore & Malaysia as well on the online platforms like Amazon & Flipkart.

It was unbelievable experience although uncomfortable but it was just the beginning where we not only explored new avenues but also begun with new venture and thus, we started using our experience of cumulatively over 25 years into developing brands.

Today, we have established two ventures under which we focus on developing brand concepts & content which was Sachin’s initiative since 2016, IceFactory & Rising Stars Productions. It was a blessing in disguise where I explored the unknown avenues and found a new entrepreneur and also an Author. I learned that even a locked door can be unlocked if you have the right companion and optimistic attitude.

I am an expert in the domain of innovation and activation in Brand promotions. In my experience of more than 12 years, I have worked with top brands across various sectors like healthcare, FMCG, fashion, entertainment, automobile etc., and film production houses, media companies, highly premium Malls and much more.

I have been instrumental in conceptualizing and driving innovative digital outdoor advertising solutions for Brands like HUL, Google, Netflix, Tanishq etc. As part of this innovation, I designed and directed the creation and installation of the state-of-the-art 360-degree outdoor Digital ADSAT at Bangalore International Airport. I also play a key role in building and maintaining strategic relationships with brands, top advertising agencies, vendors and shopping malls.

With a portfolio of in-film advertising, brand collaboration, brand promotions, digital outdoor innovation, brand association, brand make-over, brand activation, media buying and planning, BTL strategies and Pan-India execution, I am focused on shaping the company’s overall business development and strategically taking the company to become one of the most admired and leading agencies in India.

I hold a Master’s Degree in Entrepreneurship and also a Post Graduate Diploma in Journalism. I was also the President of Rotaract Club during my college days. I am passionate about animal welfare, women empowerment and youth empowerment. I have been invited as a speaker at many top-level events to speak on business models, challenges, strategies and guiding the youth towards productive career choices.

My latest endeavor is to provide brands an opportunity for escalating their positioning and optimizing their brand presence. I am an Authorpreneur along with Sachin Ruparel and together we have conceptualized Rising Stars, a book series that captures stories of entrepreneurs, their journey and through this book, we aim to innovate, inspire and involve Entrepreneurs and Brands.

I staunchly believe that women entrepreneurs are making a global impact and are crossing boundaries to take India to places across the world. These women, who have fearlessly pursued their passion against all odds are an inspiration for the society and their journey and values have a cascading effect of encouragement on all those who learn about them. I also believe that we are a reflection of the people around us, of what we read and choose to imbibe in us.

The post LOCKDOWN UNLOCKED MANY OPPORTUNITIES- By Manisha Mange Ruparel appeared first on The Pink Journey.