Last updated: February 14th, 2020 4:51 PM

Best Time for Women Entrepreneurs to Start Business

Freedom to work on your own terms is an aspect both men and women desire. The times have changed and so have the way of thinking for many who once held an orthodox opinion about women working. Patriarchy does exist in one form or the other even today but that cannot be held as a reason for talented women to hold back on their creativity or start a business.

There are a substantial amount of supportive men if not many, who are constantly motivating women to pursue their dreams. The leap has already been made with several women entrepreneurs have made it big with their business setups. Women entrepreneurs have proved their mettle in the last decade as go-getters. The difficulty of juggling between family and work exists even today. However, there are myriad options that make managing both personal and professional life with ease these days. At the moment it can be easily agreed upon that the time is just right for women to take a plunge and become successful entrepreneurs.

Successful Women Entrepreneurs in India

• Shahnaz Husain gave to the world a new meaning of holistic treatment. Her herbal products hit the shelves across the globe and continue to be used by many even today. There are nearly 600 active franchise clinics and the operations run in 138 nations making Shahnaz Husain a top name to be associated within the beauty industry. Shahnaz Hussain can and should be credited for inspiring many women who took the plunge and opened beauty parlour or herbal rejuvenation centre on both small and big scale. Many women entrepreneurs use Shahnaz Hussain beauty products to offer various rejuvenation services in their beauty parlour thereby earning a substantial amount of income independently.
• Shri Mahila Griha Udhyog Lijjat papad was started by seven women on a terrace in Mumbai. Today the business is worth 650 crores. This business alone stands as a towering example of how successful women entrepreneurs can be by selling a simple but delicious “papad” (pappadam, appalam etc.).
• Priya Paul the chairperson of Apeejay - The park hotel chain took over the family business at the age of twenty-four after the untimely death of her father. Presently the Park group comprises of more than ten boutique hotels under the leadership and entrepreneurial skills of Priya Paul.
• Simone Tata, the owner of Trent Limited is regarded as a powerful Indian woman. Simone is known to be the pillar behind the success of the well-known cosmetic brand – Lakme and the retail chain – Westside.

India has in the last decade seen several women entrepreneurs rise to global fame bringing pride to the country. These women entrepreneurs are a force to reckon with and are standing example to those women who aspire to be the next success story.

Good time for women to become entrepreneurs now

[caption id="attachment_2327" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] Melinda Gates Quote on Women Entrepreneurship

• The concept of working at your leisure and on own terms is fast catching up in India too. Women especially can now separate their timings for work as well as set aside time for family-thereby maintaining a balance between both lives. The liberty of working at your own time and the feeling of being the boss tops the reason why women should consider becoming entrepreneurs.
• As a female entrepreneur, the idea of constantly creating and innovating will leave you feeling elated. To become a leading entrepreneur does not mandatorily call for an extensive educational or professional background. All it requires determination and the skills to lead the business to success. In the past women, entrepreneurs had lesser sections to consider such as – beauty parlors, garment stores, tailoring etc. were some of the businesses that women could think of starting. These days’ women can choose to start a business in the field of finance, eCommerce, biotechnology, IT industry, fashion, so on and so forth.
• The potential to earn unlimited money is definitely possible with entrepreneurial startups. No one can put a cap on the income earned when you run your own company. There is more gender equality. As a matter of fact, women have even managed to acquire the designation of CEO and other similar titles meeting the pay scale once extended only to men.
• Women entrepreneurs also enjoy income tax benefits availed under section 80C and 80CCF. Women pay lesser tax compared to men. If a woman entrepreneur earns an income of ten lakhs and above she is liable to pay a tax amount of rupees 1.18 lakhs as opposed to the 1.19lakhs tax amount men have to pay.
• Banks like Bhartiya Mahila bank now offer support to women entrepreneurs with funding to pursue their dream business. Bhartiya Mahila bank has its tie-up with beauty salons and provides easy loans for women entrepreneurs.
• The 2015 National Policy for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship has placed a special focus on the development of women entrepreneurs with special schemes.

Over the years women have been recognized as major revenue generators mainly because of their determination to pursue their aspirations and make their business a success. The journey has indeed been difficult for women entrepreneurs who have made it big. But, today the Government and Banks are taking many initiatives to boost women entrepreneurship in India. So there is no better time to start a business than now for women entrepreneurs.