Entrepreneurship is the new cool these days – how we know this? There are endless articles and journals filled with stories of budding as well as successful entrepreneurs all around. Planning, ideation, innovation, strategy, funding etc are the words that seem fascinating not only to the new generation but also the middle aged people.
There was a time, when the business field was ruled by men and while women had to bow down to their household responsibilities. As the dates on the calendar changed, so did the notion that the world of entrepreneurship is ruled by men. Gone are the days when business, start-ups and entrepreneurship were known to be dominated only by the men. In the last two decades, women entrepreneurs have proved that managing a start-up and taking it to the peaks of success don’t necessarily require a Y-chromosome!
Women who think of a business or start-up enterprise, take steps to initiate, organize and combine the required factors of production, operate the enterprise and undertake risk and handle economic uncertainty involved in running a business enterprise. That is what defines women entrepreneurs.
There are a number of reasons why women get into entrepreneurship. In developing countries like India, the most common reason is to provide a living to their family, rising up the income ladder and hence. In more developed countries, where the people, especially women are financially stable, it is a quest for something new and innovative that drives them to entrepreneurship. But regardless of needs and circumstances, women have proved themselves fair and square in the field of entrepreneurship.
A few amazing businesswomen who have made their mark in the business world are:
Naina Lal Kidwai, a Successful Investment Banker
Listed by the Fortune magazine as one of the world’s most powerful businesswomen in 2003, India Inc knows her as one of its most powerful investment bankers. Naina Lal Kidwai, HSBC·s deputy CEO, isn’t just a simple woman-her professional vision transcends gender.
Katherine L. Adams
The Senior Vice President and General Counsel, Katherine Adams at Honeywell International, the world’s biggest maker of cockpit electronics is a highly regarded top executive and the most senior woman at Honeywell. Phew! That’s a lot to be respected for.
Tan Le
A Vietnamese-Australian telecommunications entrepreneur, president and co-founder of Emotiv Systems and also named the Young Australian of the Year.
Kanika Dewan
Kanika Dewan, the name the nation knows as the diva who designed the floors of IGI’s terminal 3. We wish her more and more success.
The above-mentioned examples are only a handful of the brave and confident women entrepreneurs who inspire us everyday with their stories. The examples set by them inspire budding women entrepreneurs. The confidence, passion and dedication along with patience needed to run a start-up are the basic qualities that need to be installed into an aspiring entrepreneur; and the women entrepreneurs of the society are doing this job well too.
Here are some excerpts from the speech of Sara Blakely, founder of Spanx
“Don’t be intimidated by what you don’t know. That can be your greatest strength and ensure that you do things differently from everyone else.”
Thanks to her popular collection of garments, Sara currently sits on a fortune of $1billion to her name.
These are just a few of the names who have made the ladies proud with their awesome business skills. They are undoubtedly doing their bit for the society as well as themselves but it’s high time we promote and encourage women entrepreneurs more. A woman is born not just to remain shackled in the chains of domestic responsibilities forever, she has the potential to adapt herself to every situation her life conspires for her.
It would be no wrong if we take the liberty to say,
“A woman is one who bravely accepts new challenges to meet her personal needs and become economically independent.”
