From left, clockwise: Rajan Anandan, Sairee Chahal and Chetna Gala Sinha said that having role models is crucial for aspiring women entrepreneurs.
NEW DELHI: They say that 'educating a woman is like educating an entire family', but a recent report by Google and Bain & Company suggests that empowering a woman entrepreneur can help India's economy that is currently down in the dumps.
The comprehensive, joint report, titled 'Women Entrepreneurship in India: Powering The Economy With Her', highlights the need for encouraging shepreneurs and how they can alone generate 150–170 million jobs by 2030.
Sapna Chadha, Senior Marketing Director, Google India and Southeast Asia at Google, also says that women can break barriers when they have access to information and opportunities.
In a panel discussion moderated by Megha Chawla, Partner at Bain & Company in the National Capital, Chetna Gala Sinha, Founder And Chairperson of Mann Deshi Foundation, Seema Chaturvedi, Founder & Managing Partner of Achieving Women Entrepreneurs (AWE) Funds, Rajan Anandan, Managing Director of Sequoia Capital, and Sairee Chahal, Founder of Sheroes, got together to unlock the secret that can empower more women to take up entrepreneurship, and become independent. (L-R) Panel discussion by moderator and Bain & Company Partner Megha Chawla, Chetna Gala Sinha, Founder And Chairperson of Mann Deshi Foundation, Seema Chaturvedi, Founder & Managing Partner of Achieving Women Entrepreneurs (AWE) Funds, Sairee Chahal, Founder of Sheroes, and Rajan Anandan, Managing Director of Sequoia Capital discuss what can empower women entrepreneurs better. Need for knowledge Chahal, who built the community platform for women in the early 2000s, believes conversations about making money and managing finances should start at school. "A lot of self recognition and cultural changes are needed. We need to make space for all sorts of people as the range is really broad," she pointed out. "Being a shepreneur should be a part of curriculum at B-schools," she stressed.
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Gala-Sinha concurred with Chahal, and said that the knowledge about investing is important, and digital exposure also helps.
Adding to the need for financial literacy, Chaturvedi pointed out that women need to understand profitability first before turning to scalability. "Women usually don't have collateral or equity in their name, and it is important to make a business case for them," she added.
Chaturvedi also shared that women need to feel a sense of belonging as their 'hunger for learning is real'.
The panel emphasised the need for empathy and understanding gender parity at an institutional level. "Don't judge when women face failures or voice their dreams. Open the floodgates for financial inclusion. Things can change when they are not judged," Chahal said.
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While presenting the report, Megha Chawla (in pic) said that women entrepreneurs can generate 150–170 million jobs by 2030. Financial independence A voice that resonated the most during the discussion was to encourage women to 'work first', and how it will ensure their financial independence. The panel also mentioned that financial independence will allow shepreneurs to pursue their dreams and make a brand for themselves.
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While presenting the report, Chawla mentioned that women spend their money differently compared to men. "Women tend to invest more money on their health, the health of their children and families, and education, as compared to men, as research across India and Africa shows," she said.
Chaturvedi thinks 'financial independence can create multidimensional aspect', while Gala-Sihna is a strong believer of 'listening' when lending to women entrepreneurs. Meanwhile, Anandan said that a 'dedicated pool of capital for shepreneurs' is an interesting idea.
The Mann Deshi Mahila Sahakari Bank founder shared the importance of financial freedom, and also spoke about one of the key aspects that drive women towards entrepreneurship. "The idea of being a leader gives power to women," she said to ETPanache on the sidelines of the event.
Be A Sharp Cookie At Work: Update Your Skills, Keep Learning To Stay Relevant
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Amazon plans to retrain nearly a third of its workers in the US. This is how you can reskill yourself to adapt to new markets.
Adaptability is the order of the day. It’s important to ride along with the change so that you don’t get left behind. Amazon US is training 100,000 workers in new skills, such as machine learning and even nursing. Whether it’s recession, boredom or job insecurity that’s the cause, reskilling can only be a boon for your career. Take a look at how you can keep yourself updated in the ever-changing workforce:
Amazon plans to retrain nearly a third of its workers in the US. This is how you can reskill yourself to adapt to new markets.
Adaptability is the order of the day. It’s important to ride along ..
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When it comes to spending extra time at work, few of us do so voluntarily. But in many big companies, employers offer various training programmes to help their employees improve and fine-tune their skills. These programs are usually free, but go under the radar simply because employees are unaware. So, keep up to date with what your company is doing, not just in your own team, but across sections. Your bosses will then know you’re keen to push yourself and are up for the challenge.
When it comes to spending extra time at work, few of us do so voluntarily. But in many big companies, employers offer various training programmes to help their employees improve and fine-tune their ..
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Instead of using your free time to surf the internet, get tangled in online debates or play mindless games, use the internet proactively. You can get online streams of seminars, talks and even podcasts on various topics that can help you. This is an easy way to learn about industry trends. If you aren’t finding the right way to up your skill set in the real world, try the virtual.
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Write down your current skill set and make a note of what you would like to add to it. Whether it’s communication, management or customer service, seeking out skills will help you retain and further your career. While seminars and web series are great for learning softer skills, when it comes to technical skills, find a course you can do. Seek a professional course online or after-office hours to help you add a specialised certification to your resume. These usually take only a few months.
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While access to learning is everywhere, it boils down to nothing if you do not apply your skills. It may be a cliché, but practice does make perfect. Don’t wait for the ‘right job’ to show off your skills; use them in any given opportunity. Dive into projects where you can use your new skills, even if it means not getting credit or being paid. Use your learnings to help colleagues gain confidence. Applying them to real-life situations can help you see how far you’ve come and how much further you need to go.
While access to learning is everywhere, it boils down to nothing if you do not apply your skills. It may be a cliché, but practice does make perfect. Don’t wait for the ‘right job’ to show off your s..
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Hanging out with people who already have the traits you’re keen to pick up will help you get a deeper understanding of what you want to learn. It can also help you see what kind of experience you need to secure a better opportunity. Networking sites are also a good place to get acquainted with people within your industry with whom you can learn and job search if you want to put your new skills into play.
Hanging out with people who already have the traits you’re keen to pick up will help you get a deeper understanding of what you want to learn. It can also help you see what kind of experience you ne..
Networking Anandan, who is currently funding around 27 women-led start-ups through Sequoia Capital, stressed the importance of networking. "While need for knowledge and capability building are important, building a network is the backbone," the VC boss said.
"Building informal networks helps. Women need to get access to people who care as not many people are willing to be a part of early-stage funding. A new class of capital for entrepreneurs should be made available," he added.
Role models Having role models in life can have a positive impact in people's lives. The 52-year-old Anandan feels that role models bring in a different kind of energy. "India has 630,000 villages. If we create 1 role model in each of these villages, it will be a completely different scenario in the next 10 years," he said.
Agreeing with Anandan, Gala-Sinha shared, "India needs more role models who are investors, and have the courage and patience to wait".
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