Women entrepreneurs still trail their male counterparts: Report from economic times

Even as Asia, including India, has a higher proportion of entrepreneurs compared to the rest of the world, the number of women business owners is much below the global average, according to a recent report.

"The number of female business owners in Asia is still trailing levels seen amongst their male counterparts and below the global average," says a new research report from Barclays Wealth and Investment Management.

This, it says, is despite Asia having a higher proportion of entrepreneurs (47 per cent) compared to the US (29 per cent) and Europe (30 per cent).

This new report finds that 39 per cent of high net worth (HNW) women in Asia classify themselves as business owners, which is far below the 50 per cent of high net worth men in Asia.

Globally, 44 per cent of HNW women and 49 per cent of HNW men classify themselves as business owners.

It also shows that the gender pay gap is wider for non-entrepreneurs compared to entrepreneurs.

Non-entrepreneur women earn significantly more than non-entrepreneur men, while male entrepreneurs make slightly more than their female counterparts, it shows.

However, this trend is reverse globally, where among the high net worth female entrepreneurs earn 14 per cent more than their male counterparts.

In contrast, the average income of a high net worth woman who does not own her own business is 21 per cent lower than the corresponding average male income, it adds.

For the research, more than 2,000 high net worth individuals were interviewed and in Asia 500 respondents were surveyed, of which over 200 respondents were entrepreneurs.

The report further says, a higher proportion of entrepreneurs in Asia value the role of failure in contributing to future success more than their global counterparts.

Only 60 per cent of male entrepreneurs and 51 per cent of female entrepreneurs agree that past failure in entrepreneurial endeavours increases their chances of success in a new business, it points out.

However, the Barclays research shows that globally female business owners tend to value past failures less than their male counterparts.

While 70 per cent of male business owners agree that past failure in entrepreneurial endeavours increases the chances that a new business will succeed, this figure falls to 65 per cent for female business owners.

"Today women are at a threshold where they are moving from being a back door decision maker to board room decision maker. The present generation is supportive of women actively being engaged in family business, starting their own entrepreneurial ventures and acquiring professional education," Barclays, Wealth and Investment Management Chief Executive (India) Satya Bansal said.

Source: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/news-by-industry/jobs/women-entrepreneurs-still-trail-their-male-counterpartsreport/articleshow/18865585.cms

Women Entrepreneur... New Face of Women

Women constitute almost half of the total population of world. Similarly in India also women constitute fifty percent of the total population.---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Till the turn of the century, man has enjoyed a dominant position. But change in position technological innovation and modern way of thinking can reduce the disparity between man and women, and bring about equality and equity between them, the need of the hour in women empowerment both through provision of employment and enterprise creation. Typologically, the former leader to endogenous empowerment and the latter give rise to exogenous empowerment.

Women entreprenurer's have been making a significant impact in all segments of the economy in Canada, Great Britain, Germany Australia and US.

The areas choosen by women are retail trade,  restaurants, hotels, education, cultural,  cleaning insurance and manufacturing.

It is the group of women or single women running an enterprise or company in order to earn profit. Now days because of   women empowerment women are stepping-stone into the industries and are taking the place of men. Now a day's women's are running several business like beauty parlours, switching shops, boutiques, etc.

Women entrepreneurs may be defined as a woman or a group of women who initiate, organize and run a business enterprise. In terms of Schunpeterian concept of innovative entrepreneurs, women who innovate, initiate or adopt a business activity are called business entrepreneur.

The Government of India has defined women entrepreneurs based on women participation in equity and employment of a business enterprise. Accordingly, a woman entrepreneur is defined as an enterprise owned and controlled by a woman having a minimum financial interest of 51% of the capital and giving at least 51% of the employment generated in the enterprise to a woman.

They have made there marks in business because of the following reasons:

• They want to improve their mettle in innovation and competitive jobs.
• They want the change to control the balance between their families and responsibility and their business levels.
• They want new challenges and opportunities for self fulfillment.

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 entrepreneur's 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.

By:

Mrs. Shilpee Adhikari
Sr. LecturerSaroj Institute of Technology and ManagementLucknow

Source: http://www.indianmba.com/Faculty_Column/FC801/fc801.html

Words of Wisdom from 2012's Top Female Entrepreneurs in Emerging Markets

Further dispelling myths and misconceptions about the achievements and participation of women in economies of emerging markets, this free, 22 page, visual eBook, Success Speaks,published by The Way Women Work compiles career and business advice from women entrepreneurs and upcoming professionals from developing and emerging economies across the globe, including Africa..  

Some of the profiled women have already achieved great success and are named among the Top 10 Power Women in Russian, the Arab 100 Most Powerful Women, Top 25 Indian Women Achieves, and among Fortune’s 100 Most Powerful Women. Others are early and upcoming in their careers. They range in age and industry and position. 

What they have in common with you is that they are all striving for increased success and impact. We know you will be inspired by their words of wisdom no matter where you are in your professional or entrepreneurial journey!

From Africa 

Njeri Rionge is entrepreneur, a seasoned corporate director, and Executive Director at Africa Ignite Consulting and Investing Ltd. In Kenya. Nijeri launched a business incubator to nurture and encourage entrepreneurship in Kenya known as the Business Lounge and the ‘Chief Techpreneur’ at Insite Limited, a company that helps businesses harness the power of online technology. Previously she founded East Africa’s first mass market oriented ISP, Wananchi Online (a Swahili word meaning citizen) which made Internet connectivity affordable for the average household for the first time. Njeri grew the business from a typical start-up to become the largest ISP in East Africa. 

Harriet Ng’ok is an Entrepreneur Consultant with Sinapis Group – a Private Equity in Nairobi, Kenya with a focus on African Start-ups. Harriet is involved in a variety of economic and financial consulting with small/medium sized firms and government. 

From Central America 

Celeste North, from Mexico, founded NuFlick, a site for on-demand alternative and indie films focused on the Latin American market. For the past three years she has produced a podcast on entrepreneurship and innovation at Emprende.la, a site she created with two friends to be a resource for tech. She is also a regular contributor at Opinno, a global network of innovation centers. She writes on topics such as startups in Latin American, women entrepreneurs, challenges and trends in entrepreneurship, and more. 

Estefany Marte , General Manager of A.M. Frutas y Vegetales SRL in the Dominican Republic.  Estefany is helping to change Santo Domingo’s fresh fruit landscape by the way she runs her company. She was selected to participate in the U.S. Department of State’s Women’s Entrepreneurship in the Americas (WEAmericas) Initiative and was specifically mentioned by name by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton during a speech about the impact of women entrepreneurs. 

From India 

Lynn de Souza is Chairman and CEO of Lintas Media Group in India, one of India’s largest media agencies. Lynn was named in India Today’s list of top 25 women achievers and is a marketing and advertising dynamo with decades of experience and leadership. 

Yeshasvini Ramaswamy, a certified psychometric analyst, is the Founder and Managing Director of e2e People Practices, an Indian leadership audit firm that helps companies achieve business-people alignment. Among the many other awards and recognition she has received, the United States of America State Department, nominated Ms. Yeshasvini to represent India in the prestigious 2012 Fortune Most Powerful Women Program. 

From the Middle East 

Dr. Manar Al Moneef is Managing Director Imagination Breakthrough at Middle East at GE in Saudi Arabia. Dr. Moneef is at heart, an artist who has a Ph.D., in Molecular Oncology and Genetics. Prior to joining GE, Dr. Moneef attended Harvard Business School and was the Director General of Health Care & Life Sciences at Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority (SAGIA). 

Tamara Abdel-Jaber is the founder and CEO of her company, Palma, a fast growing business and technology consulting firm. Palma has  22 full-time employees and 150 contractors across the Middle East. In 2011, Arabian Business Magazine named her one of the 100 Most Powerful Arab Women, and her company, Palma, was recognized as one of the 30 fastest-growing companies in Jordan. 

From Russia

Lyubov Simonova is a Principal at Almaz Capital Partners, a major international technology venture capital firm in Russia with a wide range of investments including in women-led businesses. She was recently named one of the Top Ten Power Women in Russia by The NextWomen magazine. Her professional background includes a role as head of business and strategy development at a private equity firm and at an Internet company.

Taisiya Kudashkina is CEO and C0-Founder of tulp.ru in Russia, the leading Russian reviews site. Tulp is the Russian yelp: a way to share the information about the best local businesses. Tulp has over a 170K reviews and is continuing to grow.

By:  Rania Anderson

Rania Habiby Anderson is the President and Founder of The Way Women Work, an entrepreneur, executive business coach and an angel investor. Throughout her professional life, Rania has been observing, researching, connecting with and guiding the way women work.  As a leading authority on business women in developing and emerging markets Rania works with business women globally and established The Way Women Work as career and business advice site for women in developing and emerging markets. Rania is also the co-founder of the Women’s Capital Connection, the 8th women's angel network in the United States and an equity investor in women-owned businesses.

Source:http://www.thenextwomen.com/2013/01/23/words-wisdom-2012s-top-female-entrepreneurs-emerging-markets

Hail the woman entrepreneur

Women entrepreneurs need distinct networks and social spaces to keep themselves going.

Research on entrepreneurialism has shown that women will play an increasing role in what has essentially been a male-dominated space.

According to Prof Vasanthi Srinivasan from IIM-B, “Age is no longer a critical factor for entrepreneurial orientation.” She adds that a large number of the young population of India is becoming entrepreneurs.” Research shows that more than 430 million jobs can be created if people start their own businesses. Of these young entrepreneurs, 50 per cent are going to be women.

When we look at the statistics on women entrepreneurs, we find that women form 35.3 per cent of the total entrepreneurial activity. The percentage of firms run by women with more than $1 million revenue is only 1.8 per cent. This points to the fact that there is room for improvement as one goes up the scale into building growth capabilities.

WOMEN-CENTRIC NETWORKS

For entrepreneurs, constant growth and learning is vital. Networking facilitates this growth and learning. In order to survive in this competitive space, it is imperative to develop and maintain strong entrepreneurial and social networks.

The rationale behind networking is to grow and learn using sources that were previously not within the reach of entrepreneurs.

When one thinks of business networks, industry-specific or otherwise, usually, chambers of commerce come to mind. These give one the idea that the needs of most of the business owners have been met. Contrary to popular belief, however, there are other key business networks springing up around the world — women entrepreneur-specific networks.

This brings up the question: why the need for a separate set of networks to cater to a woman business owner? This question has many answers, but broadly a combination of socio-cultural norms and constraints in traditional infrastructure create a space for networks catering solely to women.

ENTERING MEN'S DOMAIN

In several countries, cultural and social imperatives prevent women from freely mixing with men, especially those outside their own family.

One of the major challenges faced by women entrepreneurs is the cultural norm of “purdah” which places severe restrictions on their mobility and prevents them from being able to take part in normal economic activities freely. They also have had to, at times, restrict the nature of their businesses to sectors traditionally associated with women — such as education, beauty or health.

However, this practice is changing in today's global world; women are moving forward and working in a space long dominated by men.

The robust Indian economy is a big boon, but more focus needs to be placed on creating stronger foundations for the financial, societal, logistics and technology pillars to fully leverage the capabilities of the Indian Woman Entrepreneur. This clearly explains the need for exclusive business networking spaces for women.

More strides have been taken in Women's Leadership and Empowerment in the last five years than in the last twenty.

While looking at the next five years, it may require more than merely building on the momentum that has been created. What, in fact, may be required would be large strides, different thinking, even tectonic shifts, that create a future platform of hugely spiralling and impactful change.

USE OF TECHNOLOGY

In the urban set-up, while many women, across sectors, have taken the entrepreneurial leap, they're now faced with the challenges of scaling up.

Research has shown that start-ups by women require 40 per cent less capital than those run by men. In the US, women-run enterprises are growing five times faster than all other firms.

In keeping with this growth rate and increasing the percentage share in businesses bringing in more than $1 million in revenue, technology is one tool that can be of immense help. Technology has the intrinsic ability to run like a fibre across all sectors and businesses, to provide business results that are measurable.

However, the effective use of technology for enabling businesses to grow and thrive is something yet to be completely understood or implemented, especially in non-tech businesses.

In a study conducted by Cartier Women's Initiative, 234 organisations that support women entrepreneurs were surveyed, and it was found that only 14 of these work with developing and supporting networks of women entrepreneurs.

More importantly, it was found that none of these organisations focus on the use of technology to scale up.

Collaboration and networking are two vital tools that will help entrepreneurs bridge this divide. A lot of companies have recognised this need and have taken a step to enable entrepreneurs with the relevant knowhow. One such example is Dell's Women Entrepreneur Network (DWEN).

Besides DWEN, there are several organisations working towards empowering women entrepreneurs.

One such network is WEConnect International, a corporate led non-profit that facilitates inclusive, sustainable economic growth by empowering and connecting women business owners globally.

The Women's Entrepreneurial Network works on similar lines, supporting and guiding women business owners, women business professionals and women-friendly businesses grow their business through networking, education and connections.

Networking platforms facilitate best business practice sharing and give a window for participants to constantly question and revisit their business approach in light of the information shared by others.

While it sometimes seems like we are reaching saturation point with the number of women's networks there are in the market, it is certain that we are going to see a rationalisation in the next couple of years. The survivors will be those who are committed to understanding small business issues.

While women entrepreneurs in many countries still face significant challenges in launching and growing their ventures, increased social acceptance, influence of technology and targeted assistance programmes are making it easier for women to become entrepreneurs.

Yet, social structures influence personal starting endowments, resource availability and perceptions of what is possible.

Women may follow either traditional or integrative approaches, which imply different recipes for success. The number and strength of women entrepreneurs is expected to increase — meaning the aggregate impact of women on business and society will continue to grow.

By: P. KRISHNA KUMAR

(The author is Executive Director, Marketing – Dell India. Views are personal.)

Source: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/opinion/article3532982.ece

Women Entrepreneurs: Face of Emerging India

Indian Women were stereotyped to be very homely, unaggressive, introverts and incompetent to face the corporate world. India was vilified with reports of violence on women, female foeticides and unequal treatment to women. This cruel behavior was imparted right from the moment a girl was born. Lower education rates for female children still inhibited their aspiration to prosper. Earlier, majority of the women used to handle household work and feared stepping out in the outer world. This perception had been built over centuries that women are meant to handle the family and the male member of the house is responsible for earning.

Times changed, and so did perceptions. Indians were influenced by Western culture; and started adopting their ideologies. It was like the Indian women were waiting for an opportunity to prove themselves. And I gotta say that they did it successfully..! They have started to even dominate some of the areas. Take our education system for example; girls have consistently fared better than boys. Even in the corporate sector, girls are believed to be more hard-working and dedicated in their field. With the changing trend; girls are even supporting the whole family’s livelihood with their income. They have proved that they are no less than the males in comparison; be it work, performance or achievements and in any sector – corporate, sports or let’s say politics…!

I recently read an article where an Indian Lady Entrepreneur was lauded for her entrepreneurial venture by the US President Mr. Obama. The excerpts from the article is as such –

“Prachee Devadas, moved to U.S. to turn her entrepreneurial dreams into reality. There she successfully set up a technology services company that has grown from 1 to 120 employees. In a bid to inspire the upcoming entrepreneurs U.S. President Obama has met the small business entrepreneurs at White House and there he lauded this successful Indian woman entrepreneur for her success.”

In the above case Prachee – the entrepreneur employs her husband Anand Devadas (He’s the Vice President in Prachee’s venture). This wouldn’t have been a reality 10-20 years back. Now, these ladies are re-defining the ways how business is done…!

Read full article on http://management-punditz.blogspot.in/2010/06/women-entrepreneurs-face-of-emerging.html

8 Great Women Entrepreneurs from India On TWITTER

The list of #50 women from India to follow on Twitter  allowed me to find and highlight some wonderful women on Twitter. Women who were leading their niche, as recommended by other twitter users. The incredible response generated by the list (shared more than 3000 times in 4 days) made me realize how important it is to create such list that enable more connections, greater inspiration and fantastic role models for women and men. 

One such person on our list  of 50 women to follow was Sarika (Founder of www.bizdivas.in). She is an award winning entrepreneur herself and helps mentor and guide other women who wish to launch their business. A woman with a passion on a topic is all we needed to create another list ! 

I requested her to create a #WOWfactor list of ‘active’ Indian women entrepreneurs to follow on twitter. Her filters are better than mine. After all it is her niche ! We are hoping that others will recommend more women so that the list become the WOW factor list of #50 women entrepreneurs from India to folllow on twitter.

Here are some women she recommended to us. I would love to hear ‘your’ recommendations on who else should we follow and why. Do provide twitter handles and a brief background. They should be living and working in India.

Help us highlight Indian women entrepreneurs on twitter to the global community on twitter.

———————————————————————————————————-

Marrianne  Williamson once said ‘Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.’ We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? ‘

 In the past few decades women have taken rapid strides in every field one could imagine. Women have held the highest offices in the country and have served with dignity and success. They have persevered in the roughest and most demanding of professions and achieved results which have surprised the whole world.

India has many women Entrepreneurs who have proved their mettle and have taken the whole country by storm. These pioneer women have proved their mettle by rising to the top of their game.

Gone are the days when women, even when accepted in the world of commerce, would be stereotyped into a few professions. Women have been successful in the entertainment and fashion industries for a long time. But today, the likes of Kiran Majumdar Shaw (CEO of Biocon, India), Neelam Dhawan (MD, Microsoft, India), Niana Lal Kidwai (head of HSBC in India) and others of their ilk rub shoulders with men in board rooms and are continuously proving that  women are and can be as successful as men.

When I was asked to compile this list, a whole gamut of names came to my mind not all were on twitter though. Twitter itself has so many that choosing a few was very difficult so I decided to focus on those who very active on twitter and were well known even outside twitter. I am hoping that this blog will invite people to comment and add to this list so that it grows to the 50 women entrepreneurs from India to follow on twitter !

I hope you find inspiration in my curation and help spread the word so our list grows longer each day. Here are some names to get you started:

Kiran Mazumdar Shaw

Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw is an Indian entrepreneur. She is the Chairman & Managing Director of Biocon Limited a biotechnology company based in Bangalore (Bengaluru), India. Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw was born on March 23, 1953 in Bangalore, India.
Mazumdar-Shaw completed her schooling from the city’s Bishop Cotton Girl’s High School (1968). She wanted to join medical school but instead took up biology and completed her BSc Zoology Honors course from Mount Carmel College, Bangalore University (1973). She later did her post-graduation in Malting and Brewing from Ballarat College, Melbourne University (1975).
She worked as a trainee brewer in Carlton and United Breweries, Melbourne and as a trainee maltster at Barrett Brothers and Burston, Australia. She also worked for some time as a technical consultant at Jupiter Breweries Limited, Calcutta and as a technical manager at Standard Maltings Corporation, Baroda between 1975 and 1977.
She started Biocon in 1978 and spearheaded its evolution from an industrial enzyme manufacturing company to a fully integrated bio-pharmaceutical company with a well-balanced business portfolio of products and a research focus on diabetes, oncology and auto-immune diseases. She also established two subsidiaries: Syngene (1994) to provide development support services for discovery research and Clinigene (2000) to cater to clinical development services.
Her pioneering work in the sector has earned her several awards, including the prestigious Padma Shri (1989) and the Padma Bhushan (2005) from the government of India. She was recently named among TIME magazine’s 100 most influential people in the world. She is on the Forbes list of the world’s 100 most powerful women and the Financial Times’ top 50 women in business list She is also a member of the board of governors of the prestigious Indian School of Business and Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad.

http://twitter.com/kiranshaw

Ekta Kapoor

Ekta Jeetendra Kapoor (b. 7 June 1975) is an Indian TV and film producer. She is the Joint Managing Director and Creative Director of Balaji Telefilms, her production company. Ekta Kapoor is the daughter of Jeetendra and Shobha Kapoor and the sister of Tusshar Kapoor who is also a Bollywood actor. She did her schooling at Bombay Scottish School, Mahim and attended college at Mithibai College.
She has produced numerous soap opera, television series and movies. Her most popular television series include Hum Paanch, Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi, Kahaani Ghar Ghar Kii, Kasautii Zindagii Kay, Kahiin To Hoga, Kaahin Kissii Roz, Kkusum, Kaisa Ye Pyar Hai, Kasamh Se andBandini . She is currently producing Pavitra Rishta, Bade Achhe Lagte Hain, Parichay, Kya Huaa Tera Vaada & Gumrah End Of Innocence.
She branched out into Bollywood movie production in 2001 beginning with Kyo Kii… Main Jhuth Nahin Bolta . Kucch To Hai and Krishna Cottagebased on supernatural themes followed in 2003 and 2004. Kyaa Kool Hai Hum starring her brother Tusshar Kapoor proved to be her breakout hit and went on to become one of the highest earners of 2005. She then went on to co-produce Shootout at Lokhandwala with Sanjay Gupta which became her a profitable venture at the box office. Mission Istanbul and EMI – Liya Hai Toh Chukana Parega in collaboration with Sunil Shetty followed. The years 2010 and 2011 proved to be important for her with critical and commercial success such as Love Sex aur Dhokha, Once Upon a Time in Mumbai, Shor in the City, Ragini MMS and The Dirty Picture. Her upcoming productions include Kyaa Super Kool Hai Hum, Lootera, Shootout at Wadala, Once Upon a Time Again, Ek Thi Daayan, Gippie, Milan Talkies & Ragini MMS 2

http://twitter.com/ektabalaji

Aishwarya Nair

 ”And clearly, our grandfather is our inspiration. First, he set up a successful textile business (The Leela Lace) right from scratch and then he began the hospitality venture when he was 64 years old. There’s no stopping him,” Aishwarya says. A brand that is dedicated to luxury, the sisters have added a breath of fresh air to the workplace. With Aishwaryacapitalizing on her talent in the bakery department, she is constantly innovating by organizing pastry exhibitions and gourmet pet food in the food and beverage division. Pets-a family fetish-are the driving force behind a lot of work they do. Sahachari foundation, founded by Lakshmi Nair, their mother, is a charitable organization that works towards promoting art and culture. It is through this foundation that Aishwarya launched her bakery brand, Docle, a part of whose proceeds, still go to the Bombay Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. While Amruda boasts of owning two cats, Aishwarya goes on to tell us about her Yorkshire terrier and two turtles. “We also had a rabbit, but he was stolen while our house was being renovated. Can you believe that?” adds Aishwarya with shock. “The Sahachari foundation is very close to my heart. And the way the girls are taking my work forward, I’m hoping to hand over the reigns to them after me,” says Lakshmi, a devoted lover of the arts. “I always had a creative flair. And my family recognized it at the right time and channelled it towards food and beverage,” says Aishwarya, who picked up her skill for baking at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, New York City, where she worked soon after her specialized course in culinary arts management at the Culinary Institute of America, New York. If you think she has her hands deep in the dough, there’s still more. Also responsible for wine acquisition for the group, she hosts exclusive wine tastings in all the seven operating properties in India. She is also working with two international fine dining brands, Megu and Le Cirque, both of which launched in The Leela Palace, New Delhi.

https://twitter.com/aishwarya_n

Swati Parimal

Swati A. Piramal is the Vice Chairperson of Piramal Life Sciences Limited and Director of Piramal Healthcare Limited.
Dr. Piramal received one of India’s highest civilian honour’s, the Padmashri award, by the President of India, Ms. Pratibha Patil on 4th April, 2012 She has been nominated as one of the 25 Most Powerful Business Women in India eight times and is now a member of the Hall of Fame of the Most Powerful Women. She was the first woman in 90 years to head the Apex Chamber of Commerce ASSOCHAM in 2009 – 10. She has contributed towards innovations in Public Health Services and other projects. She has been a part of public policy related to health care which led to major policy changes that help reduce the spread of life-threatening diseases.
Dr. Swati Piramal also serves on Indian government public policy expert committees for trade, planning, environment, arts, women’s entrepreneurship, national integration and regional development.Holding the board positions in several healthcare,financial, manufacturing and service companies she also serves on the boards of Indian and international academic institutions. Dr. Piramal is a member of many Indian and foreign business councils, and has received numerous Indian and international awards.
Dr. Swati Piramal has been elected as a member of the most prestigious and the oldest boards in the world – The Harvard Board Of Overseers. She is one of the five new Overseers elected to the board for a six-year term. The Harvard Board Of Overseers is more than 350 years old. President John F. Kennedy served on the board in 1957.

https://twitter.com/swatipiramal/

Rajshree Pathy

Rajshree Pathy, is an eminent entrepreneur from Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India. She is the Chairperson and Managing Director of the Rajshree Group of Companies and Founder of India Design Forum.[1] The Rajshree group has varied interests – Food and Agro business, Energy, Real Estate, Travel, Health and Hospitality and Arts. She also promotes performing arts and contemporary art movement in Coimbatore through the Contemplate Art Gallery and COCCA. Rajshree Pathy is the daughter of famous industrialist Shri G.Varadaraj, of PSG Families engaged in Charities and Educational Institutions for more than a century. Her father was also a former Rajya Sabha MP. She is married to S.Pathy, Chairman & Managing director of Lakshmi Mills. Rajshree Sugars and Chemicals Ltd. is a company with interests across integrated fields such as Sugar, Distillery, Power Co-Generation and Biotechnology. The range of products includes White Crystal Sugar, Alcohol, Organic Manure, Bio-products and Power. A specialty Demerara Sugar is marketed under the brand name RSCL Sugar Brown. RSCL with its Corporate office in Coimbatore, has three modern sugar-manufacturing units located in Tamil Nadu one at Varadaraj Nagar, Theni District, the second at Mundiampakkam, Villupuram District and the third at Gingee, Villupuram District. RSCL also has a Sugar factory located at Zaheerabad, Medak District in Andhra Pradesh.

https://twitter.com/RajshreePathy

Radhika Roy

Radhika Roy is an Indian media baron and co Chairperson and Managing Director, NDTV. Radhika Roy has over ten years of experience in print journalism, with leading publications such as “Indian Express” and “India Today”. In the mid-80s, she co-founded NDTV. Radhika has won the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year award for Information, Communication and Entertainment in the year 2003.
Radhika Roy married Prannoy Roy in 1972 and they have a daughter Tara RoyRadhika is the sister of a Rajya Sabha member and CPI (M) politician, Brinda Karat. A media titan in her native India, Radhika Roy is a former speech pathologist who pursued her dream of becoming a journalist and transformed a garage-startup production company into an internationally renowned news operation comprising three channels and over 1,000 employees. Widely recognized for her uncompromising devotion to journalistic and business ethics, Roy—cofounder, co-owner, and managing director of New Delhi Television (NDTV)—has consistently demonstrated that empires can be built without sacrificing principles. Together with her husband, Prannoy, she has galvanized Indian television, with such accomplishments as breaking the government’s hold on television news by founding the country’s first privately owned news channel. After persistent lobbying for airtime on the state’s public television broadcaster, Doordarshan, NDTV busted through with The World This Week, a weekly international news program produced by Radhika Roy. A combination of hard work, a strong product, and fortuitous timing helped the Roys build brand awareness, as the program covered such seminal international events as the fall of the Berlin Wall and the conflict in China’s Tiananmen Square. NDTV’s success attracted the attention of the Tata Group, one of India’s oldest and largest business conglomerates, which signed on to sponsor a daily news bulletin called News Tonight, making Roy the producer of India’s first privately produced nightly news show. In 2003, Roy launched NDTV24x7 (English language) and NDTV India (Hindi channel) to retain editorial control over the news they were producing. She espouses a bold business philosophy based on being unafraid to take chances, and has backed that up by repeatedly tackling the establishment: “We’ve taken risks, gone against the norm, and broken new ground.”

https://twitter.com/radhikaroyndtv

Farah Khan

Farah Khan born 9 January 1965) is an Indian film director and choreographer. She is best known for her choreographic work in numerous Bollywood films. Khan has choreographed dance routines for more than a hundred songs in over 80 Hindi films. Khan has since become a noted Hindi film director as well. In addition Khan has worked on international projects such as Marigold: An Adventure in India, Monsoon Wedding and the Chinese film Perhaps Love.
Khan was studying sociology at St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai when Michael Jackson’s Thriller was telecast. She was so inspired, that although she hadn’t danced before that, it soon became her vocation. She learned to dance basically on her own, and set up a dance group. When the top choreographer of the time, Saroj Khan walked out of the film Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar, Farah got her break, and this was her first film to choreograph. This was followed by many more songs which became national hits. She met actor Shahrukh Khan on the set of Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa and the two have since become good friends and started working together.
Khan’s father Kamran was a successful stunt filmmaker. Her mother Menaka is of Zoroastrian origin and is the sister of screenwriter Honey Irani and former child actor Daisy Irani. Farah’s brother is comedian, actor and film director Sajid Khan. When their parents’ marriage broke up, Farah and Sajid were shuttled between different homes. In May 2012 Farah Khan admitted to having had a tummy tuck. Film personalities Farhan Akhtar and Zoya Akhtar are Farah’s cousins.
Farah married Shirish Kunder, the editor of her film Main Hoon Na, on 9 December 2004. They have since worked together on each other’s films, such as Jaan-E-Mann, Om Shanti Om, and Tees Maar Khan. Farah gave birth to triplets on 11 February 2008; one son, Czar, and two daughters, Diva and Anya.

https://twitter.com/TheFarahKhan

Vandana Luthra

Not too many entrepreneurs can be said to be embodiments of their enterprise. But Vandana Luthra of New Delhi is certainly one. She is slim and svelte. She is, of course, beautiful in the classical Indian mold, and she carries herself with the grace that only comes with enormous self confidence.
It’s the sort of self confidence that is engendered, quite possibly, from the knowledge that one is entirely self made. And that Ms. Luthra certainly is. She’s the founder and mentor of the VLCC, India’s leading slimming, beauty and fitness brand, and one with seven outlets in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah, and an eighth center scheduled to open in Al Ain in May. There are VLCC slimming, beauty and fitness centers in Muscat and Bahrain, and by next year there will be a total of some 28 across the Middle East.
The largest number of VLCC centers, of course, is in Ms. Luthra’s native India – 150 of them in 75 cities. She facilitates professional development through her vocational training school, the VLCC Institute of Beauty, Health & Management, which currently has 43 campuses in 35 cities.
“The entrepreneur as an educator – that would be a fair way to characterize me,” Ms. Luthra said. “Fitness and well-being are a matter of education, and for that you need skilled trainers.”
Her own training after graduating from Delhi University was in nutrition and cosmetology in Germany. Then Ms. Luthra took a series of specialized courses and modules in beauty care, fitness, food and nutrition and skin care in London, Munich and Paris.
And then she returned to her middle-class home in New Delhi, India’s capital, and started a neighborhood beauty parlor. It was an instant success, and it emboldened her – with the canny assistance of her swarthy but handsome husband Mukesh – to start VLCC.

https://twitter.com/Vandanaluthra

source: http://wowfactor.asia/wow-factor-list-of-women-entrepreneurs-from-india-on-twitter/

8 Success Meditation Mantras for Women Entrepreneurs

If you are a woman entrepreneur looking for more success and better results, here's a secret tool that will help you get there. Meditation - one of the key management skills today. Here are a few quick mantras to help you.

Women today are independent, confident, exude strength and have the potential to carry out every task at its best. And proving equal ability as their male counterpart, they have now ventured out into running successful businesses. However, being a woman entrepreneur has its own set of challenges. Some quick meditation mantras can guide women in this challenging journey. At times when you feel overwhelmed with responsibilities or feel all alone amidst difficult situations, a few minutes of sitting alone with yourself can recharge and rejuvenate you more than you can ever imagine. Besides, meditation adds many more skills to women entrepreneurs' kitty.

#1: Juggling home and work becomes easy

All women, either working or running their own business, would agree that playing one role is no excuse to be lax with their primary tasks at home as responsible wives, daughters-in-law, or mothers. Sometimes, the pressure can be taxing, especially for business women who don’t always work in 9-5 shifts. A few minutes of meditation during the day can hone the skill to multi- task effortlessly. You will feel fresh and energized to carry out both the duties equally well and also find more time for yourself!

#2: Meditation makes you a natural leader

As a business woman leader, you are a role model for your employees, so it becomes key for you to act with a cool head in all situations as well as remain approachable to your team. Meditation helps polish the intrinsic qualities of a leader – inner confidence, strength, foresight, clarity and unbiased approach to act in the larger interest of the organization.

#3: Right decisions at the right time

When you meditate regularly, see how your intuition becomes so strong that you naturally start making the right decisions that benefit people and organizations in the long run.

#4: Creative solutions to challenges

As a woman entrepreneur, you are sure to come across challenges at every step, but it is important to be able to find appropriate solutions, again in the larger interest of the whole company. This spontaneity is a skill which meditation helps develop. Meditation instills enthusiasm and zeal in women so that you don’t look at challenges as roadblocks and are prepared to tackle them with an open mind and fresh perspective.

#5: Learning mind management

Management forms an essential part of every organization – be it health (ensuring that employees are healthy and productive), financial, or employee management. But the mantra for the smooth functioning of day-to-day operations is Mind Management - that is extremely important for a cordial work environment. As a woman entrepreneur, meditation teaches you how to keep your mind calm, relaxed and centered, which reflects in your behavior with others too. Only then can you inspire people to work together with you.

#6: Being assertive rather than aggressive

Being a woman entrepreneur, it is sometimes natural to compare yourself with men and feel pressured to perform equally well. So you may sometimes find yourself getting aggressive with your employees to get work done or make them listen to you. Meditation can teach business women the skill to be polite yet assertive. You will see an innate strength develop in yourself, to bring a diverse bunch of people together and move ahead as a team. You are able to give your team a pleasant, organized and satisfying working experience.

#7: Conflict resolution

Conflicts are natural to every organization and you have a great responsibility to resolve them. How do you negotiate win-win terms in such situations? How do you make people listen to you who are set in their own ideas of right and wrong? This requires a combination of skill and presence. Both these qualities develop naturally in women with meditation. When you meditate, you also develop the patience to listen to all parties with an open mind and make unbiased decisions.

#8: Creating a harmonious, progressive society

As women, we are born compassionate and so women entrepreneurs should use this innate quality – to create a harmonious and progressive society where people are happy, prosperous and contented. Meditation helps us develop this intent and work towards it. As Sri Sri Ravi Shankar says, “The role of women today is of utmost importance. In fact, it is the only thing that determines whether a society is strong and harmonious, or otherwise. Women are the backbone of society.”

Inspired by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar's wisdom talks

By Pritika Nair

Source: http://m.artofliving.org/us-en/meditation/meditation-for-you/meditation-woman-entrepreneurs

My Journey as a Woman Entrepreneur in India – succeeding with some help along the way

By Shilpa Datar, Founder, Swayam India

As a woman who was married at a young age into a conservative family by arranged marriage, starting my own business felt like a miraculous life-time achievement. In my community, it is frowned upon in unwritten, bold lettering for a woman to do anything other than look after the home.  After coming so far as to get my degree and start the process of setting up my business, I found myself faced with crisis after crisis, software glitches putting a hold on progress, and difficulties with suppliers dismissing me as “just a housewife” wanting to “play business.” I felt defeated, mentally and physically, and knew I needed support.

I got the idea for my business while taking my Masters in Psychology through distance learning, as I knew I would not be able, nor allowed, to attend full-time college. I was working with special-needs kids and realized there was a huge gap in treating them. In India, we did not have psychometric scales to assess children before middle school. However, if problems are identified early, measures can be introduced to ensure kids are able to adapt and learn. I decided, after many wrong turns and lots of time spent in thinking and doing, to assess human personality from an Indian perspective.  I felt it was more holistic and well-rounded, and would give me a complete picture as compared to western methods.

I developed scales to assess personality, taking into account the physical, psychological, and spiritual aspects, namely the Tridoshas and Trigunas.  I had to standardize the tests on a sample of 1,200 people. If I did this manually, it would take a minimum of one week/person to analyze.  I realized that I needed software to do this or I’d spend the next 10 years of my life doing the analysis! I identified a software development company to help me, but this is when the real challenges started.  It took nearly two years for them to deliver a product, which collapsed time and again when people took the tests.

At this point, a friend told me about a network that helped women entrepreneurs through mentoring over the internet. I jumped at the opportunity and applied to join. Shortly afterwards, I was connected to a mentor who is an IT specialist. I was wary of starting this relationship given the most recent fiasco in my professional life. Like in any other relationship, there is a certain amount of give and take, and a need for genuine warmth and interest in each other’s lives.

This was a perfect match.  From the word “go”, I felt a rapport with my mentor and was able to discuss the problems I was facing. I got her unbiased opinion and advice on how to handle them, and on the ins and outs of doing business as a woman! We focused on software development; why the company I hired was unable to process my work; whether to go to some other person for the development of my system; and which issues needed to be handled as a priority.  My mentor’s ideas also opened up a different business segment I had hitherto not considered.

I can now confidently say that I have a product out in the market which is competitive.  The issues with my software development and more have been sorted out with lots of help and support from my mentor and the Mentoring Women in Business community.  The tests are now online and I have developed a software/algorithm to do the analysis within a few minutes.  I have applied for a patent for the software, revised my business plan, and published my work in peer-reviewed, scientific journals.  Because of my mentor’s advice to tap into different geographical areas and clients, I entered into an MOU with an organization in the US last month.  The final process of marketing and bringing my site on par with other technologically-advanced sites was daunting, but with the help of my mentor I seem to be navigating the pitfalls pretty well! 

I am in constant touch with my mentor through email and Google chat. This gives us space and time to think, and helps me try out ideas and incorporate her suggestions. The blinders that most of us have on are taken off through mentoring. In daily life, you do not want to take another’s opinion if they are too “close to you” or “biased”. The tendency to overlook advice is strong, but in a mentoring relationship, that is not the case. You know you are speaking to an expert who is helping you without bias.  You don’t know them from your circle of family or friends, so you can make mistakes. They have a different take on things, which helps you modify your pitch to suit different needs. Also, this has proved to be a genuine two-way conversation in that my mentor has also used this opportunity for some enthusiastic learning about unfamiliar topics and is happy that this has been an enriching experience for her too.

It was one of the defining moments of my life to reach out and ask for help! The feeling that I am not alone trying to stumble along is indescribable!   It has the added advantage of knowing that someone is not out to take me for a ride and that there is a support system I can depend and fall back on at any point for my professional needs.

Source: http://www.businessfightspoverty.org/profiles/blogs/my-journey-as-a-woman-entrepreneur-in-india-succeeding-with-some