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fulfilment of
BACHELOR OF BUSINESS MANAGEMENT
WOMEN ENTREPRENEURSHIP
A STUDY OF FACTORS INFLUENCING
MOTIVATION AND SUCCESS
(WITH REFERENCE TO AGRA DISTRICT)
By
Manish Sujanani (137513)
Department of Management
Faculty of Social Sciences
Dayalbagh Educational Institute, Agra
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DAYALBAGH EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTE
DAYALBAGH, AGRA (U.P.)
DECLARATION
Manish Sujanani
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
I would like to pay my utmost gratitude to Professor Shalini
Nigam, who encouraged and motivated me take up this
research titled, Women entrepreneurship: A study of
factors influencing motivation and success (with
reference to Agra district).
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CONTENTS
ABSTRACT.............................................................................................................. 1
INTRODUCTION...................................................................................................... 2
REVIEW OF LITERATURE......................................................................................... 4
PROBLEMS/CHALLENGES OF WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS........................................8
NEED OF THE STUDY.............................................................................................. 9
OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY....................................................................................9
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY.................................................................................... 9
FINDINGS AND ANALYSIS..................................................................................... 10
SHEROES HANGOUT- AN EMERGING MODEL OF SOCIAL ENTERPRISE.................19
WOMEN FITNESS - TECHNOLOGY DRIVEN ENTREPRENEURIAL VENTURE.............23
FACTORS INFLUENCING GROWTH, SUCCESS AND SUSTAINABILITY OF WOMEN
ENTREPRENEURS................................................................................................. 26
CONCLUSION....................................................................................................... 34
LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY................................................................................. 34
SCOPE FOR FURTHER RESEARCH.........................................................................34
REFERENCES........................................................................................................ 35
APPENDIX............................................................................................................. 36
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LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
ABSTRACT
This study seeks to identify the major motivational factors influencing women in
Agra to take up entrepreneurship. The factors are classified under the pull-push
concept and it is found that women in Agra based on the results are
predominantly motivated by Pull factors, though a considerable amount is
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pushed into entrepreneurship for their survival. There seems to exist a dual
continuum between the factors which are highly situational and at times a pull
for an individual can be a push for another. Thus, perceptual situational
determinants make pull and push factors dynamic variables. The motivational
intensity of various entities in the immediate surrounding of women is also
analysed.
INTRODUCTION
The word Entrepreneur is derived in the 17th century from French word
Entreprendre which means to undertake. Over the years this term is widely
used by social scientists and with the changing socioeconomic context, the
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concept of entrepreneurship has further evolved as well as refined. The
characteristics of enterprising emerge from the interplay of behaviour and
activity of special segment of the population known as entrepreneurs. It is now
generally accepted that entrepreneurship is a driving force of economic
development in our country. It is not only considered as a powerful tool to
increase national as well as per capita income, but also as an essential
instrument to bring structural, social and cultural changes to the economy.
You can tell the condition of a nation by looking at the status of its
women - Jawaharlal Nehru.
The Indian economy has been witnessing a drastic change since 1991, with new
policies of economic liberalization, globalization and privatization initiated by the
Indian Government. India has great entrepreneurial potential. At present, women
involvement in economic activities is marked by a low work participation rate,
excessive concentration in the unorganized sector and employment in less
skilled jobs. Any strategy aimed at economic development will be top-sided
without involving women who constitute half of the world population. Evidence
has unequivocally established that entrepreneurial spirit is not a male
prerogative. Women entrepreneurship has gained momentum in the last three
decades with the increase in the number of women enterprises and their
substantive contribution to economic growth. The industrial performance of Asia-
Pacific region propelled by Foreign Direct Investment, technological innovations
and manufactured exports has brought a wide range of economic and social
opportunities to women entrepreneurs. In this dynamic world, women
entrepreneurs are an important part of the global quest for sustained economic
development and social progress.
3
aspect of plan priorities. A special Chapter on Women's Development had been
included in the Seventh Five-Year Plan; it details the plan of action for
"Integration of Women in Development". The Industrial Policy Resolution of 1991
had highlighted the necessity to provide special training programmes to develop
women entrepreneurship and to increase the representation of women in the
field of small industry development and to enhance their economic and social
status. A broad based organizational arrangement for disseminating information,
conducting women oriented programmes by banks and financial institutions,
better linkage between institutes of entrepreneurship development and self-help
groups' entrepreneurship association at state level could pave the way for
speedy development among the women.
Women constitute around half of the total world population. So is in India also.
They are therefore, regarded as the better half of the society. In traditional
societies they were confined to the four walls of houses performing house hold
activities. In modern society they have come out of the four walls to participate
in all type of activities. The Indian women are also enjoying the fruit of
globalization marking an influence on the domestic and international sphere.
They have carved a niche for themselves in the male dominated world. Indian
women well manage both burden of work in household front and meeting the
deadlines at the work place. In a recent survey it is revealed that the female
entrepreneurs from India are generating more wealth than the women in any
part of the world. Women entrepreneurship is gaining importance in India in the
wake of economic liberalization and globalization. The policy and institutional
framework for developing entrepreneurial skills, providing vocation education
and training has widened the horizon for economic empowerment of women.
However, women constitute only one third of the economic enterprises. There
exist a plethora of successful business women entrepreneurs both in social and
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economic fields breaking the shackles of stereotypic society of the nation which
formerly existed. India has risen to evolve and understand the importance of
women empowering them and creating a self-sustaining environment.
REVIEW OF LITERATURE
1. Siri Terjesen and Ainsley Lloyd (2015) from The Global Entrepreneurship and
Development Institute states in their report titled The 2015 Female
Entrepreneurship Index- Analyzing the conditions that foster high potentials
female entrepreneurs in 77 countries.
India was ranked 70 out of the 77 countries. The main reasons that the study
identifies for the country's poor score are lack of labour force parity and access
to first-tier finance (women entrepreneurs find even initial debt funding, required
for day-to-day operations, difficult to raise). However, the socio-economic
scenario in India is gradually changing for the better and a comparison with last
year's gender rating substantiates this point. Ainsley Lloyd, researcher at GEDI
and co-author of the 2015 research report, said India had actually improved by 4
ranks. Increasing access to bank accounts, financial training programs and
improving gender diversity across sectors were key areas for improvement
recognised in the report.
2. Trivedi and Gaur (2015), in their study titled The Role of Women
Entrepreneurs in Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), classified
reasons for women entrepreneurs into Chanced, Forced or Created (pull)
entrepreneurs. Highlighted major factors affecting women entrepreneurship:
Access to finance
Access to markets
Access to trainings
Access to networks
Access to policy makers
Concisely threw light upon the major obstacles faced by women entrepreneurs:
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Other problems include lack of marketing knowhow, inadequate infrastructure,
shortage of working capital etc. The study however doesnt ponder or explicitly
mention social or family constraints as a roadblock for growth of women
entrepreneurship as it is evident from other studies.
3. Hina Shah (2013) from United Nations Economic and Social Commission for
Asia and Pacific (ESCAP) in her research titled Creating an enabling environment
for womens entrepreneurship in India, identified the emergence and trends in
the growth of women entrepreneurs. It was stated: Any strategy aimed at
economic development would be imbalanced without the involvement of women.
The hidden entrepreneurial potentials of women have gradually been changing
with the growing sensitivity to the role and economic status of women in the
society. Besides skill, knowledge and adaptability in business being the main
reasons for women to emerge into business ventures, there are various
environmental factors like Policies, Legal framework, Market and Geographical
areas which influence women entrepreneurship development process.
4. Chander and Arora (2013) in their empirical study titled Study of Financial
problems of Women Entrepreneurs, among women entrepreneurs of Haryana
state wherein 189 enterprises from urban and rural areas where taken in
consideration focused on the critical aspect of availability of finance and credit
which are considered to be significant in the sustainability of enterprises run by
women. The results of the study show that women entrepreneurs faced the
problem in obtaining start-up capital and accepted it as a major obstacle. It was
observed that financial institutions show reluctance in granting credit facilities to
them. The behaviour of officials of these institutions is found to be discouraging.
Inadequate dissemination of information about financial schemes for women
entrepreneurs is also felt as a major problem. Shortage of finance is a major
problem for sustainability. In overcoming these obstacles, there are actions to be
taken by government, financial institutions and policy makers by working closely
with women business associations.
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5. Kumar Dharmendra (2014) in the study titled Socio-Cultural influence on
Women entrepreneurs: A study of Uttarakhand state, found that entrepreneurs
socio cultural status, their residential background has significant impact on the
opinion, views and behaviour of women entrepreneurs, research also concluded
that socio-cultural factors significantly affect women entrepreneurs and their
contribution towards state economy. Many of the socio-cultural factors are
identified highly influential on entrepreneurship. It was observed that there was
significant difference in the opinions of women from high socio-cultural and
urban backgrounds as compared to those from low and rural backgrounds. Such
a difference contributed significantly towards entrepreneurial ventures of
women. It was disclosed that socio-cultural factors like Socio-cultural diversity,
Socially acceptable choice of enterprise, Lack of intermediaries, Socio-cultural
support, Values and beliefs, Socio- cultural stereotypes, Family responsibilities
and pressure, Customer attitude and Societys attitude are identified most
influential factors that has major influence on women entrepreneurs.
7. Meenu Goyal and Jai Parkash (2011), in their study titled Women
Entrepreneurship In India-Problems and Prospects, recognised Women
Entrepreneur as 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. It identifies various reasons for
women becoming entrepreneurs addressing various socio-economic barriers to
the slow growth of women entrepreneurship. Government initiatives are
highlighted but are said to be implemented poorly and inadequately due to lack
of awareness.
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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
i.e. the urban middle class women. Women sector occupies nearly 45% of the
Indian population. At this juncture, effective steps are needed to provide
entrepreneurial awareness, orientation and skill development programs to
women. The role of Women entrepreneur in economic development is also being
recognized and steps are being taken to promote women entrepreneurship.
Resurgence of entrepreneurship is the need of the hour emphasizing on
educating women strata of population, spreading awareness and consciousness
amongst women to outshine in the enterprise field, making them realize their
strengths, and important position in the society and the great contribution they
can make for their industry as well as the entire economy. Women
entrepreneurship must be moulded properly with entrepreneurial traits and skills
to meet the changes in trends, challenges global markets and also be competent
enough to sustain and strive for excellence in the entrepreneurial arena.
Low level of education and lack of training opportunities that make women
severely disadvantaged in both the economy and society.
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Heavy household chores.
Legal, traditions, customs, cultural or religious constraints on the extent to
which women can open their own businesses.
Lack of access to formal credit and other facilities.
PROBLEMS/CHALLENGES OF WOMEN
ENTREPRENEURS
S.n PROBLEM/CHALLENGES
o.
1 Conflicts between work and domestic commitments (work-
life balance).
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3 Obsolescence of technology: failure to adapt to advances in
order to keep up with competition and optimise cost of production.
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to major inefficiencies dominating and their success is influenced by various
major socio-cultural, political, legal, technological factors. Women entrepreneurs
comprise approximately 7.36% of the total Micro, Small and Medium enterprises
in India and recognising the role of women it would be important to study the
factors motivating women to become entrepreneurs and critical aspects
contributing and influencing their success in order to provide a framework of
determinants for women entrepreneurship streamlining them to pace and boast
the trend of entrepreneurship among women.
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
The nature of the study is descriptive. Primary data is sourced through:
Structured questionnaires to access basic demographics, intensity of various
motivating factors and entities and their opinion about certain issues related to
women entrepreneurship.
Semi-structured interviews to identify significant changes and success factors.
Case studies to study trends, issues and growth of such ventures.
Secondary data is obtained from journals, scholastic books, government annual
reports, articles and online blogs of women entrepreneurs.
The sample size for this purpose was taken to be 25 women running various
kinds of business in Agra district. The sampling technique used was (Non-
probabilistic) convenience and snowball sampling.
The study being descriptive and qualitative the tools used for analysis involve
frequency, percentage, weighted average and correlation analysis to identify
intensity of various factors and opinion and relation between various factors.
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equips an individual to become a responsible part of the society, be informed
and aware about socio-cultural and economic patterns. Low literacy rate, which
was about 65.46% according to the 2011 Census has been a major roadblock for
women to grow as entrepreneurs.
FREQUEN PERCENTA
LEVEL CY GE
Primary 3 12%
Secondary 6 24%
Tertiary 16 64%
25 100%
Table 2: Education Qualification of Respondents
FREQUEN PERCENTA
STATUS CY GE
Married 16 64%
Unmarried 8 32%
Widow 1 4%
Divorced 0 0%
25 100
Table 3: Marital Status of Respondents
3. Area: It is essential to reflect on the women of the urban and rural for there exist
different socio-cultural factors which govern and influence the way in which
women operate, function and are a part of the society.
FREQUEN PERCENTA
AREA CY GE
Rural 8 32%
Urban 17 68%
25 100%
Table 4: Area segmentation
4. Operating status: The respondents were asked about their financial status and
nature how their business operated. 32% of enterprises were operating in profit
while 36% were stably operating and 32% had fluctuating returns. The primary
reasons for stability and fluctuations revealed through interviewing were that the
nature of business was such that it had a seasonal appeal like that of papad,
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achaar and certain beauty parlours. While some quoted inefficiencies in creating
customer networks and stiff competition to be the reasons.
FREQUEN PERCENTA
STATUS CY GE
Profit 8 32%
Loss 0 0%
Stable 9 36%
Fluctuates 8 32%
25 100%
Table 5: Operating status
5. Sources of finances: Finance is the life and blood of any business and
adequate access to finance has proved to be an essential factor in the survival of
entrepreneurial ventures in India. The break-up of the sources of finance is as
follows:
FREQUE PERCENTA
SOURCE NCY GE
Self-financed 8 32%
Informal sources
(Money lenders etc.) 5 20%
Formal sources
(Banks, Co-operatives) 8 32%
Borrowings from friends
and relatives 4 16%
25 100%
The International Finance Corporation in its study titled Micro, Small and
Medium Enterprise Finance in India: A Research Study of Needs, Gaps and way
Forward (November, 2012) highlighted the role of Scheduled Commercial banks
in providing working capital finance to Micro, Small and Medium enterprises in
India which is said to be significant for survival of such enterprises for
inadequate access to finance has been found to be one of the most critical
problem in this sector. There exists scepticism among banks to forward loans to
women run businesses but significant attempts are being made by the
Government and Public sector banks tailoring schemes, programs and loans
directed towards encouraging women entrepreneurs. However lack of awareness
and fear of the risk associated (collaterals) restrict optimum utilisation of such
regimes.
Finance availed from formal sources of banks and co-operatives is recorded to be
32%, the highest among all the other mentioned sources with self-finance but
still the proportion is quite low and neither of the respondents were aware about
the financial schemes tailored specially for women.
Availability of timely and adequate finance is an equally important factor for
women run enterprises to grow and thrive.
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6. Legal registration: Around 30% of the total Micro, Small and Medium
enterprises operating in India are registered according to the annual reports of
MSME ministry. Such low number of enterprises being registered restricts them
from availing incentives, grants, schemes, training and development programs
intended to promote this sector as a result of which an impaired growth is
witnesses with many enterprises dying due to inefficiencies which otherwise
these regimes could have improved.
FREQUEN PERCENTA
STATE CY GE
Registered 13 52%
Unregister
ed 12 48%
25 100%
Table 6: Registration status of respondents business
FREQUEN
STATE CY
Aware 14
Unaware 11
25
Table 7: Awareness about Government schemes
Thus,
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Motivational campaigns undertaken to promote registration of businesses
is quite poor as evident from the annual reports of MSME ministry.
Awareness about government assistance to promote and aid women run
enterprises is only restricted to the ones legally registered as inferred from
the correlation between registration and awareness of schemes.
AWARE
YES NO
REGISTER YES 11 2 13
ED NO 3 9 12
14 11 25
Table 8: Phi coefficient matrix of Registration and Awareness
INTENSITY
AVERAG WEIGHTED
FACTORS HIGH E LOW AVERAGE
Career oriented
F1 (ambition)/Experience in the
field 6 9 10 1.84
F3 Hobby/Venturing marketing
opportunities to earn more 17 6 2 2.60
F4
To become independent 14 6 5 2.36
F5 Self esteem 11 12 2 2.36
Social recognition and
F6
repute 2 4 19 1.32
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F7 Sense of social responsibility 1 1 23 1.12
F8 Establish family business 0 1 24 1.04
F9 Contributing to household 5 14 6 1.96
Table 9: Motivational Factors
The major motivational forces for women in Agra can be attributed to PULL
factors wherein in lieu of their hobby women venture market opportunities to
earn more. They have the will to become independent and build upon their self-
esteem streamlining their skills and interests.
Push factors: those which compel women towards running their own
business.
Pull factors: those which attract them to fulfil their psychological desires,
shape their skills and interests.
However during the informal interview sessions (self-administered
questionnaires) it was noticed that all the factors recognised cannot be distinctly
classified under push and pull forces and that motivational factors are situational
determinants i.e. a factor being PUSH for one can be PULL for another. It is the
perception and circumstances which determine an individual is being PUSHED
or PULLED.These pull and push factors affect entrepreneurial performance.
The pull forces bring with them more commitment and self-involvement since the
drive and aptitude accompanying such women equips them to perform better.
The push forces generally create weaker entrepreneurs, although women forced
into entrepreneurship due to economic need and family circumstances require
and put in more effort (due to their low propensity to enterprise) into running
their venture, since for them all is at stake.
F1 F2 F3 F4 F5 F6 F7 F8 F9
F1 1
F2 -0.35 1
F3 0.19 -0.21 1
F4 -0.16 0.34 0.12 1
F5 0.19 -0.42 0.16 0.30 1
F6 0.18 -0.39 -0.28 -0.23 0.32 1
F7 -0.06 0.20 -0.11 0.10 0.28 0.15 1
F8 -0.21 0.15 -0.51 -0.34 -0.44 -0.10 -0.05 1
F9 -0.24 0.03 -0.03 -0.27 -0.44 -0.06 -0.40 0.32 1
Table 10: Correlation matrix of motivational factors
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A correlation matrix was formulated between the motivational factors and it was
found to indicate towards a continuum which exists between pull and push
factors. All the aspects cannot be classified as pull or push factors explicitly
owing to motivation being a psychological phenomenon a push for an individual
can be a pull for another and vice versa.
The positive relations show as intensity from one factor increases intensity for
the other related factor also increases. It can be traced both the ways owing to
the base genesis of motivation in any individual. It illustrates that if primary
motivation of a person is identified what other factors shall also influence. The
negative relations do not imply demotivation instead illustrate weak association
concerned with factors. For example: F1 (career oriented) is negatively related to
F2 (means of survival).
Thus implying that if an individual is career oriented the fact that his/her
entrepreneur venture is his/her means of survival shall not influence him. And
likewise he would take risks in business instead if he/she would be influenced by
means of survival he/she would not take risks.
INTENSITY NO. OF
AVERAG RESPONDE WIGHTED
FACTOR HIGH E LOW NTS AVERAGE
Self 24 1 0 25 2.96
Children 8 2 0 10 2.80
Husband and
Family 11 4 2 17 2.53
Parents and siblings 9 14 2 25 2.28
Relatives 0 11 14 25 1.44
Friends 18 4 2 24 2.67
Society 10 6 5 21 2.24
17
Industry/Competitio
n 3 11 1 15 2.13
Government
(development
programs) 0 5 18 23 1.22
Examples of other
women 7 15 3 25 2.16
Table 11: Motivational entities
(High-3, Average-2, Low-1)
10.Family assistance: The respondents were asked about whether they had
assistance from their family or not.
FREQUEN PERCENTA
CY GE
Yes 18 72%
No 7 28%
25 100%
Table 12: Family assistance
The results of obtained can be interpreted in two ways. Firstly, majority of the
women are assisted by their family in one way or the other which proves
acceptance and supportive forces from the family contributing to conducive
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environment to function. Secondly, such assistance from the family can be
attributed as a critical factor of success of womens businesses.
FREQUEN PERCENT
CY AGE
Yes 17 68%
No 8 32%
25 100%
Table 13: Expanding business
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Lack of knowledge, managerial and entrepreneurial 44% 8% 48%
skills are key obstacles for women entrepreneurs.
Observations:
Women consider themselves a major part and contributor to the economy.
Henceforth they consider themselves an essential part of the society; such
a change reflects on the psycho-cultural change among women
empowering them.
Concrete observations cannot be drawn on the part questioning the
competencies of women as entrepreneurs. Since 44% to 48% women
agree-disagree that lack of entrepreneurial skills and knowledge is a key
obstacle.
A majority of the women respondents find financial institutions sceptical
towards women entrepreneurs and this can be reflected as a major reason
for inefficiencies in finance facilities specifically targeted to women.
Initiatives from Government and adoption of technological changes are
more or less looked at indifferently. Women seemed to be unaware about
the untapped potentials from these aspects.
A significant amount of women recognise and accept the role of Non-
governmental organisations in uplifting, shaping women entrepreneurs
and planting the seeds for socio-cultural, psychological, and economical
changes towards empowering women to the place they should have in the
society.
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SHEROES HANGOUT- AN EMERGING MODEL OF SOCIAL
ENTERPRISE
21
Hangout. Aesthetically done interiors, with beautiful wall paintings and graffiti
(mostly themed on womens empowerment) and what makes it special are the
people at the helm of this unique caf. It is the countrys first caf which is run
and managed entirely by acid attack survivors.
The project was planned and assisted by CHHANV Foundation, a Delhi based
Non-Government Organisation in favour of the STOP ACID CAMPAIGN. The
campaign was initiated by Alok Dxit a journalist and Laxmi Agarwal who is
herself an acid attack survivor and it was through the efforts of this campaign
and specifically the efforts of Laxmi that in 2013 the Supreme Court of India
banned the free sale of acids creating fresh set of restrictions on its sale. Laxmi
emerged to become the face of the campaign and carrying forward her work with
alliance of Alok Dixit and other activists institutionalized the campaign as
CHHANV Foundation based in New Delhi a shelter home to acid attack survivors
becoming first of its kind rehabilitation centre in the country.
As more survivors kept joining the campaign from Uttar Pradesh and the
foundation realised that two of the survivors from Agra- Neetu and Geeta
required immediate help being financially struck, they decided Agra to become
an eventual choice to establish the caf. And ironically Agra which is known for
the Taj Mahal, a symbol of eternal beauty imbibed in them a philosophy to show
that beauty is beyond physical appearance.
The place was rented in Agra just facing The Gateway hotel and other fellow
survivors willing to take up the task namely- Neetu, Geeta, Ritu and Dolly were
acquainted with Rupa to set up the caf. These survivors hailed from different
parts of Uttar Pradesh and Haryana so they rented an apartment in Agra which
doubled up as the rehabilitation centre as well for often other survivors are sent
22
to experience the acquaintance with these brave hearts of Sheroes as a part of
their rehabilitation programme.
The caf attracted 5000 customers in the first six months but initially operated in
loss and had to be supported by Chhanv Foundation to survive. But
consequently, the place is now often seen swarming with college students and it
has become a unique foreign tourist destination with nationals from all over the
world visiting them acknowledging their story. The survivors at the caf never
hesitate to share their experiences and it is their objective to promote awareness
and encouragement among the visitors for not only their initiative but other
societal aspects as well.
Sheroes Hangout follows a Pay as you wish menu in its caf which initially
turned fatal and it operated in loss but survived by the efforts and supports of
the foundation. The basic reason behind such an approach was the basic
objective to spread awareness, attract masses and let their story be heard so
that the survivors could become confident and rise back to become a normal
part of the society. It took a while for the society to realise their valiant efforts
and a psycho-socio-cultural shift in attitude was witnessed receiving applauds
from all sections of the society. The Pay as you wish menu still exists being one
of the many highlights but is no more exploited and the survivors have become
totally self-reliant.
Other sources of earning are from the sale of handicrafts items, clothes stitched
by Rupa in her boutique which is housed within the caf, library (books gathered
through contributions from individuals and associations). They have collaborated
with an art vendor, Arts Craft Villa and started their commercial art gallery
wherein works of individual artists are also put on auctions. They have also
started outsourcing pebble works from Uttarakhand.
23
Services and roles of the women:
Rupa, a 23 year old survivor whose efforts led to the culmination of such
a project runs her boutique and has a line of her collection on display.
Geeta (mother) and Neetu (daughter), who were attacked by their
husband-father in the agony that Geeta could not give him a son and
that Neetu was a girl. While Neetu greets customers from behind the
counter Geeta manages the kitchen.
Ritu, a 20 year old survivor from Rohtak who was attacked following a
family dispute, is designated as the floor manager and looks after the
sale of handicrafts and other items of their art gallery.
Dolly, a young teenage girl goes around greeting customers providing
hospitality services. She aspires to become a doctor but is struggling to
raise money for her education and was recently preparing for her
intermediate examinations.
The real success of Sheroes Hangout lies not just in being a financially profitable
enterprise but in bringing about a change in the life of the women running the
joint. Being subjected to such adversities in life the women at Sheroes now
consider it their responsibility to make the society a better place to live in not
only for the victims of such a heinous crime which they faced but to look into and
work upon other socio-cultural aspects as well. Sheroes has become a hub
participating and organising activism workshops, screening of documentaries,
awareness campaigns, collaborating with other non-governmental bodies to
contribute and make an impact wherever possible while sustaining itself. In
December 2015, the first ever Sheroes Samman award was given to Vineeta
Arora who runs Caspers Home, a shelter for abandoned dogs as a token of
appreciation of her work and spreading awareness about the issue. The Facebook
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page of Sheroes Hangout is flooded with campaign offerings and workshop
invitations.
Influenced by the model that has emerged by collaborative efforts of the five
survivors and the foundation, it has been decided to extend the business model
to other cities as well.
25
WOMEN FITNESS - TECHNOLOGY DRIVEN
ENTREPRENEURIAL VENTURE
Technological sphere has
revolutionised the business
sphere not only making
operations efficient but has
also provided new
opportunities to explore
opening a paradigm of
ventures to be taken up.
Such is the case with Women
fitness which is an online
portal providing guide to
healthy living and optimal
fitness. It is an online fitness
consultancy service providing diet and fitness regimes, personal customised
guidance to members, blog writing about popular health and fitness issues,
interviewing famous celebrities and athlete to highlight their lifestyle of a healthy
living as well as it has benefitted and has renowned personalities as its clients.
The brainchild behind such a venture is that of Mrs. Namita Nayyar, a well
renowned personality of Agra who started womenfitness.net in the year 2000
with her services being extended only towards clients in United Stated of
America since then the website became popular in Canada, Australia and other
parts of the world and within these 16 years it now provides services to 150
countries.
She says, Women Fitness (womenfitness.net) when launched in the year 2000
had one sole mission which it still possesses, was to educate women about best
in health and fitness so that they can take better care of their own self, family
and the society at large. A woman is the nucleus of creation and if we can
change her thought process we can change the society at large for some good.
Now, it's over sixteen years of existence and the fact that we have survived the
ups and downs of business world is the fact enough to prove that we have
created a bench mark in the world of women health and fitness.
A career oriented determined woman, Mrs Namita Nayyar has studied in depth
about exercise and nutrition both normal and therapeutic. She has authored five
online books on complete fitness and has designed the customized strength
training, cardiovascular training and flexibility training programs for women to
assist them in achieving their health and fitness goals.
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She holds a Master of Science degree in Child development and has been
awarded a Gold medal by the Governor after an all-round performance in the
Institute of Home Science. Excelling academically Mrs Namita Nayyar was always
fascinated by subjects of good health, diet and exercise since she was brought
up in a doctors family but had never thought of streamlining her knowledge and
passion into a career option until she was motivated by her husband. After the
birth of her daughter she was actively involved in following a healthy diet
combined with the exercise to stay fit. Seeing this and being aware about her
academic excellence, she was encouraged by her husband to put her knowledge
on the net to educate women and share her insights being qualified and
competent.
Apart from technical assistance, over the years the major motivating factor that
influenced her to withstand the ups and downs and continue along has been the
response and acceptance she received from her clients from U.S.A which she
particularly targeted because of the people being health conscious giving
importance to their fitness and appreciating such consultancy as opposed to
India where there existed no market for such consultancy during that time and
technical knowledge among people in India was in its infancy stage.
She witnesses immense support and co-operation from her family who has been
there for her always and believed in her goals. Her husband and daughter have
joined her in assistance lately. There are different aspects in business, her
husband, Mr. Rohit Nayyar, F.C.A., handles Media and Advertisement and her
daughter Ms Tanya Nayyar, MBA, is into Promotion and interviewing top women
celebrities for Women fitness.
Mrs. Namita Nayyar currently works from her home managing work and family
duties managing her time efficiently and staying patient in tough times. Its her
passion about her dream which makes her withstand all challenges and she
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considers them as learning factors to help grow and mature at work efficiently.
Patience, consistent hard work, aware about latest trends in her field of expertise
and focus on steady growth advancing, adapting to changes are significant
factors she attributes to her success.
There are two types of revenue models followed by Women fitness: First being
the advertising model wherein other websites are allowed to host ads on
womenfitness.net and revenue flows in through the concept of Cost per
impression, wherein advertisers pay the site every time their ad is clicked
through that site. Secondly, there is the membership model wherein membership
fees is charged from clients who wish for personalised and customised guidance
according to their body type and other health requirements.
The success of Women fitness can be estimated by the numerous awards and its
association with renowned personalities.
Womenfitness.net has been selected and feature in the Forbes Top 100
websites for women in the world.
It has been selected as the Most Popular Site in women health category by
Yahoo.
It has been recognized by a number of international government
organisation, Web directories, newspapers & magazines and has received
a number of awards.
The National Aeronautical and Space Administration (NASA) refers
to women fitness as resource for women on its website.
Universities, sports and medical associations from all over the world
recommends women fitness as a highly rated website in women
fitness category.
Yahoo has added womenfitness.net to its directory of women health.
It is recommended in high priority in Googles three individual web
directories.
MSN France recommends women fitness in its web guide for fitness.
Mrs Namita Nayyar has also been awarded the entrepreneur of the Year
2011 by DLA group of Newspaper publications at Agra.
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FACTORS INFLUENCING GROWTH, SUCCESS AND
SUSTAINABILITY OF WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS
The factors identified influencing growth, success and sustainability of women
entrepreneurship are assessed on the basis of the data and interpretations
made. Books, Government reports, scholastic books and significant authentic
research papers where taken into consideration. The aspects so highlighted here
can be mapped to solve all the problems/challenges faced by women
entrepreneurs.
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Socio-cultural context: An exogenous factor. Traditionally, women were
associated with the home and hearth. They were primarily seen as providers
within the confines of the home, perceived both by themselves and the society
at large. Such an ideology has led to absence to basic literacy which further has
proved to be a major barrier to the establishment of a successful enterprise.
Prevalence of oppressive attitude towards women has confined them to homes
and has developed a patriarchal society predominated by males. Lack of proper
education and training makes for huge gaps in womens knowledge and skill
levels.
The traditional role perceptions of males and females has undergone very little
change over the years despite the increase in the number of legal and social
safeguards, increased women literacy and entry of women into varied and
diversified occupations. The various psycho-social and socio-cultural factors act
as barriers to womens entry into entrepreneurship and their framework is
quintessential for a business to thrive for any enterprise operates within the
society being a part of it and serves the same society and therefore the
acceptance and perception of the society itself decides the survival and success
of any enterprise.
It is noteworthy that despite all odds many women choose to explore the exciting
career of entrepreneurship striving hard to change the degenerative perceptions
of the society breaking the prevalent socio-cultural barriers as seen in the case
of Sheroes Hangout where the survivors persevered to change the attitude of
society towards them drastically.
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The training imparted to the needy by the NGOs can be classified into
three broad types:
Assistance: Assisting the target group in marketing their products and securing
finance from financial institutions and equipping them with managerial skills.
Here is a list of some of the institutions working for the promotion of women
entrepreneurship.
NAME FIRM/BUSINESS
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Aditi Avasthi Embibe, edtech startup that combines technology and data
sciences and helps students prepare better for competitive
exams.
Debdutta Upadhaya Timesaverz, helps users hire locally verified and curated
service providers. Marketplace of services.
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enterprises run by women operate in inefficiencies due to lack of managerial
aptitude. But lately it was observed through interviewing that enterprises like
boutiques and beauty parlours in Agra had come up with training programs. This
not only provided them a new opportunity to earn more but enabled them to
generate skilled labour and improve labour turnover. Unknowingly implementing
an essential Human resource function of training and development. Moreover,
women have started building marketing networks, indulging in marketing and
advertising activities. Such initiatives and effective learning from development
programs collaborate to the success of small and medium scaled entrepreneurs.
STATE BANK OF INDIA: SBI has two schemes for women entrepreneurs,
ORIENTAL BANK OF COMMERCE: OBC has two schemes designed for self-
employed women and those who are keen on setting up a beauty parlour/saloon.
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Scheme for self-employed women This loan can be utilised to
purchase fixed assets to enhance or start a business. The maximum loan
amount is limited to Rs 5 lakh, with a repayment period ranging between 5
and 7 years.
BANK OF BARODA: offers one loan scheme for women entrepreneurs, the
Akshaya Mahila Athik Sahay Yojna (AMASY), designed to help women reach their
business dreams without having to worry about finances. This loan can be
availed by women who are engaged in or wish to establish a business in retail
trade, cottage industries and/or allied agricultural activities.
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The Bank also offers several women centric loan products, to help women
unleash their potential by starting small and medium enterprises in any field
where they could bring out their hidden talents. BMB Parvarish - Child Day Care
Centre Loan, BMB Annapurna Catering Services Loan are some of the women
focussed, innovative, loan products. The Bank also reaches out to the last mile
through tie-ups with NGOs, Micro Finance Institutions and other organisations of
repute for micro credit loans to women.
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In the seventh five-year plan, a special chapter on the Integration of women in
development was introduced which suggested to treat women as a specific
target groups in all major development programs of the country.
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Steps taken by Government during Ninth Five-Year Plan (1997-02):
The following training schemes and assistances specifically for the self-
employment of women are introduced by government:
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Small Industry Service Institutes (SISIs)
The efforts of government and its different agencies are ably supplemented by
NGOs that are playing an equally important role in facilitating women
empowerment. Despite concerted efforts of governments and NGOs there are
certain gaps. Of course they have come a long way in empowering women yet
the future journey is difficult and demanding.
CONCLUSION
Despite all the odds that a working woman of today faces, there is an
unprecedented rise in women entrepreneurship in India Today, more women than
ever before earn a better living than previous generations in India's history. In
the business sector, they are on the wheel of increasing entrepreneurship and
new business ideas and are reaching new professional heights. There may be
many women who want to work but are not getting the opportunity to even
attempt to do so. For this, they need access to the necessary information,
education, credit, training and above all motivation to take on the challenges. In
India, women today have emerged as a force to reckon with. Women need to
believe in themselves and create an ecosystem to achieve success. And this can
be done through education, continuous learning, sharing, support for each other
and above all creating women's support networks. Despite the growth MSMEs,
there still lies a vacuum which can be filled by women entrepreneurs to not only
achieve stable monetary growth, but also break the socio-economic barriers
prevalent in the society. So, it is a wake-up call for women to embrace and
increasingly leverage the benefits of the internet and e-commerce A capable and
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empowered woman can pick up a job any day, but if she becomes an
entrepreneur, she can provide livelihood to many people.
REFERENCES
Terjesen, Siri and Lloyd, Ainsley (2015), The Female Entrepreneurial Index:
Analyzing the conditions that foster high potential female entrepreneurship in 77
countries.
Shah, Hina (2013), Creating an enabling environment for womens
entrepreneurship in India.
Kumar, S., Chandrika, H.S., Vijaya and Lokeshwari, N (2013), The role of women
entrepreneurship in Modern World.
Chander S. and Arora, D.D. (2013), Study of financial problems of women
entrepreneurs.
39
Trivedi, M.P. and Gaur, Ashok (2015), The Role of Women entrepreneurs in Micro,
Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs)
Tambunan, Tulus (2009), Women entrepreneurship in Asian development
countries: Their development and main constraints.
Goyal, Meenu and Prakash, Jai (2011), Women Entrepreneurship in India-
Problems and Prospects.
Kumar, Dharmendra (2014), Socio-Cultural Influence on Women Entrepreneurs: A
study of Uttarakhand State.
Suganthi, J. (2009), Influence of Motivational factors on women entrepreneurship
in SMEs.
Sinha, D.K. , Role of NGOs in developing rural entrepreneurship in India.
Gandhi, Dheeraj and Sharma, Vaibhav (2014), Women Entrepreneurship: The
Emerging Economic workforce in the 21st century
http://her.yourstory.com/women-entrepreneurs-2015-1224
http://www.funddreamsindia.com/campaign/dreams-of-an-acid-attack-
survivor/98/
http://msmediagra.gov.in/womentread.htm
http://smallb.sidbi.in/%20/fund-your-business%20/additional-benefits-msmes
%20/women-entrepreneurship
APPENDIX
QUESTIONNAIRE ON WOMEN ENTREPRENEURSHIP
1. Name: _________________________________________________________
2. What is your educational qualification?
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a. Primary Level
b. Secondary Level
c. Tertiary Level (University or college education)
Specify __________________________________________________________
3. Marital status
Married Unmarried Divorced Widow
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9. Please specify the level of motivation and support from the following
relations/entities:
(Please tick for each factor accordingly)
Have you availed any financial assistance under any governmental scheme?
Yes No
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loans/finance)
Lack of information/consultancy/knowledge
Stiff competition
Availability of labour
Adopting technological advances/Technical
assistance
Legal regulations
Unaware about government assistance/schemes
If Yes, what are the major obstacles; if No, what are the reasons?
a. Lack of expertise/information
b. Inadequate finance
c. Availability of labour
d. Adopting advanced technology
e. Risk associated
Please specify if any other reason or obstacle
___________________________
15.Are you aware about the specific schemes of banks and state and central
government intended to promote and assist women entrepreneurs
specifically?
Yes No
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16.Please state your opinion about the following statements.
(Please tick accordingly for each statement)
What have been the major aspects/factors that have helped you over the years
to persevere in your business. What has contributed to the growth and
sustainability of your business supporting and pushing you in times of adversity
and has helped you survive, adapt and advance. What significant changes you
have seen experienced or adopted?
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