ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I would like to express my special thanks of gratitude to my

teacher Ms. Vaishali Rawat as who gave me the golden
opportunity to do this wonderful project on the topic
WOMEN ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN INDIA, which also helped
me in doing a lot of Research and I came to know about so
many new things I am really thankful to her.
Secondly, I would also like to thank my parents and friends
who helped me a lot in finalizing this project within the
limited time frame.
 CERTIFICATE
This is to certify that the project entitled “WOMEN
ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN INDIA” has been done by KAJAL
SACHDEVA of Master of Commerce from Institute of
Technology and Management, Dehradun under the
guidance of Ms. Vaishali Rawat.
 WOMEN
ENTREPRENEURSHIP
IN
INDIA
 Introduction
Entrepreneurship has traditionally been defined as the process of
designing, launching and running a new business, which typically
begins as a small business, such as a startup company, offering a
product, process or service for sale or hire. It has been defined as the
capacity and willingness to develop, organize, and manage a business
venture along with any of its risks in order to make a profit. While
definitions of entrepreneurship typically focus on the launching and
running of businesses, due to the high risks involved in launching a
start-up, a significant proportion of businesses have to close, due to
lack of funding, bad business decisions, an economic crisis or a
combination of all of these" or due to lack of market demand. In the
2000s, the definition of entrepreneurship has been expanded to
explain how and why some individuals (or teams) identify
opportunities, evaluate them as viable, and then decide to exploit
them, whereas others do not, and, in turn, how entrepreneurs use
these opportunities to develop new products or services, launch new
firms or even new industries and create wealth.
Women entrepreneurship has been recognized as an important
source of economic growth. Women entrepreneurs create new jobs
for themselves and others and also provide society with different
solutions to management, organization and business problems.
However, they still represent a minority of all entrepreneurs. Women
entrepreneurs often face gender-based barriers to starting and
growing their businesses, like discriminatory property, matrimonial
and inheritance laws and/or cultural practices; lack of access to
formal finance mechanisms; limited mobility and access to
information and networks, etc.
Women’s entrepreneurship can make a particularly strong
contribution to the economic well-being of the family and
communities, poverty reduction and women’s empowerment, thus
contributing to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Thus,
governments across the world as well as various developmental
organizations are actively undertaking promotion of women
entrepreneurs through various schemes, incentives and promotional
measures.
Importance of Women Entrepreneurship in India
It is an extension of kitchen activities. In certain businesses, women
entrepreneurs are doing exceedingly well and even they have
exceeded their male counterparts. Women are successful not only in
law, science, medical, aeronautics and space exploration and even in
police and military services, but now they are showing their might
even in business and industry. They have proved that they are no less
them men in the efficiency, hard-work, or intelligence, provided they
are given proper scope.

Women entrepreneurs tend to be highly motivated & self-directed,

they also exhibit a high internal locus of control & achievement.
Researchers contend that women business owners possess certain
specific characteristics that promote their creativity and generate
new ideas and ways of doing things.

Women in the present day have been recognized as an indivisible

part of the global struggle for a stable economy. Same is the case in
India where women have recently become the symbol of change.

Reasons that motivate women’s entry in commerce vary but despite

all of their variations in socioeconomic backgrounds, they have
proved their worth time and again. They have taken risks in
businesses and managed to make them pay off. Over and over,
Indian women have competed with men and proven to be equal in
every race, including entrepreneurship.
Role of Women Entrepreneurs in India
Strong financial performance
Women-led businesses and enterprises have shown strong financial
performance across industries over the past couple of years. More
than money management, it is about the utilisation and investment
of capital earned. Such crucial decisions make huge impacts on
businesses in the longer run. Budgeting offers a better hold of the
cash flow. Even at the time of unprecedented events, the financial
performance can be sustained while managing the capital at hand in
accordance with essential or needed growth.  

Promote empathy-led structures

Another prominent factor that female entrepreneurs leverage in
catalysing business and economic growth is promoting empathy-led
structures. When you understand the workflow and build required or
essential structures for the team or employees, it facilitates work,
productivity, and business growth.
Empowering female professionals 
The potential female professionals have is remarkable! Their ability,
consistency, dedication, mindfulness, and accountability towards
their work are beyond appreciation. While we empower female
professionals with gender-balanced opportunities, we praise their
abilities and innovation they lay on the table and their vision to grow,
personally as well as professionally, while contributing to the
collective growth of the organisation. 
Significance of Women in India’s Entrepreneurial
Sector
Indian women have been at the receiving end of criticism but much
to the dismay of their skeptics, they have mostly appeared
triumphant as the dust of criticism settled. The industry has much to
gain and literally nothing to lose with women in business. The merits
are innumerable.
 Indian industry’s think-tank gets bigger
 New opportunities are created.
 More employment opportunities are generated.
 Per-capita income increases.
 Indians enjoy better standard of living.
 Education and awareness becomes common.
 Future becomes brighter for the next generation.
 Women gain a better understanding of managing family and
business concurrently.
 Indian women achieve a sense of self-realization and self-
fulfillment.
 Women gain better ability to take risks and business decisions.
 Women become more confident.
 Better in finance management
 To establish their identity in the society
 Improved Innovation
 Poverty Reduction
 Better Education
 Better Awareness
 Inspiration
Opportunities to Indian Women Entrepreneurs
Educated, gifted, and qualified females can enter virtually any
business. Successful women have been representing and still
continue to represent brands like Times of India, PepsiCo, ICICI, TAFE,
HP, HSBC and J.P Morgan along with other names. The list in the
lines to come puts forward few sectors where women entrepreneurs
of India can excel as senior managers and owners.
1. Opportunities Based on Business
Women entrepreneurs are bestowed with numerous business
opportunities depending upon their area, choice of industry, capacity
to invest, technical and non-technical skills etc.,
When a woman decides to become an entrepreneur she has
extensive opportunities to tap into. The following are the
opportunities unfolding in different spheres of commerce.
i. In the sphere of manufacturing women can start ventures like
Agarbatti manufacturing, papad making, bedspread making,
embroidery, export of handicrafts, apparel manufacturing,
sweet stalls, manufacturing soft drinks, pickle making ,
manufacturing garments, handicrafts, printing press etc.
ii. In the sphere of service industries, women entrepreneurs may
try their hand in ventures like catering service, computer
centres, tutorial centres, Typewriting institutes, beauty
parlours, dry cleaning, small restaurants, tailoring, crèche,
florist shops, event management etc.,
iii. In the realm of trading ventures, women can enter the ventures
like fancy stores, diagnostic centres, milk distribution, sweet
stalls, drug stores, grocery stores, textile retailing, cool drinks
parlour, coffee parlour, cell phone repairs, photo studios,
photocopier firms, working women’s hostel etc.
iv. Highly educated, experienced and broadly exposed women
technocrats can start larger venture like running hospitals,
coaching centres, diagnostic laboratories, manufacturing
activities, suited to their field of specialisation, advertisement
and media firms, call centres, hotels etc.
2. Financial Opportunities
All Banks in India provide financial support to the women
Entrepreneur, in the form of micro small loans to buy Raw Materials
and Equipments.
3. Non-Financial support
Women entrepreneurs are provided with the following non-financial
support in the form of :
i. Putting in Policies, regulations and legal structures suitable to
women entrepreneurs
ii. Financial counselling and training
iii. Business advisory service
iv. Handling legal barriers
v. Establishing Commercial linkages
vi. Client research
vii. Profitability and Efficiency analysis
viii. Offering and designing the products based on their needs
ix. Lower rate of interest
x. Collateral free loans
xi. Simplified processing system
xii. Flexible repayment system based on business nature
4. Opportunities Created by Associations
 There are various associations like Self Help Groups (SHG),
Federation of Indian Women Entrepreneurs (FIWE), Women’s India
Trust (WIT), Small Industries Development organisation (SIDO),
National Bank for AgricultureandRuralDevelopment(NABARD), Self
Employed Women’s Association (SEWA), Association of Women
Entrepreneurs of Karnataka (AWAKE), The International Centre for
Entrepreneurship and Career Development, TiEStree Shakti (TSS),
Tamilnadu Corporation for Development of Women Ltd. (TNCDW),
Marketing Organisation of Women Enterprises (MOOWES), Women
Entrepreneurs Promotion Association (WEPA), Women
Entrepreneurs Association of Tamil Nadu (WEAT)andWeoW by
Google are aggressively promoting women entrepreneurship in
India.

Similarly, MSE cluster development programme bear a substantial

portion of the project cost in respect of ventures owned and
managed by women entrepreneurs. The percentage of guarantee
given by Credit Guarantee Fund Scheme for Micro and Small
Enterprises extend upto 80% for MSEs owned and operated by
women.
5. Opportunities Created by Government
a. Mudra Yojana :-
The Mudra loan scheme is a government initiative in India aimed at
promoting entrepreneurship and providing financial support to micro
and small enterprises. The scheme has a special focus on women
entrepreneurs, as it aims to empower and promote women's
entrepreneurship in the country. Mudra loans for women are also
available on easy terms and conditions, with no collateral required
for loans up to ₹10 lakhs. The scheme also offers lower interest rates
to women entrepreneurs, making it a lucrative option for those
looking to start or expand their businesses.
b. Stand-Up India Scheme :-
The Stand-Up India Scheme is a government scheme that aims to
promote entrepreneurship among women and other marginalized
communities. It provides bank loans to at least one scheduled caste
(SC) or scheduled tribe borrower and at least one woman per bank
branch for the establishment of a greenfield business. In the case of
non-individual firms, a SC/ST or woman entrepreneur must possess
at least 51% of the ownership and majority stake. Under this scheme,
women entrepreneurs can get a loan ranging from ₹10 lakh to ₹1
crore to start or expand their small business.
c. Mahila Coir Yojana :-
Mahila Coir Yojana (MCY) intends to empower women by providing
spinning equipment at reduced prices following proper skill
development training. Under this scheme, women entrepreneurs can
get a subsidy of up to 75% of the cost of equipment and machinery
for coir processing. The scheme also provides a margin money
subsidy of up to 25% of the project cost. The scheme is available to
rural women artisan who are above 18 years of age and has
completed a training programme in coir yarn spinning at any of the
Coir Board's training institutes.
d. Credit Guarantee Fund Trust for Micro and Small Enterprises
(CGTMSE) :-
The Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) and the
Ministry of MSME introduced the initiative to provide collateral-free
financing to the micro and small enterprises. Both existing and new
enterprises are eligible to be covered under the scheme, for which a
Trust named Credit Guarantee Fund Trust for Micro and Small
Enterprises (CGTMSE) has been established to provide credit facilities
up to ₹ 200 lakh per eligible borrower covered, provided they are
extended on the project viability without collateral security or third-
party guarantee. The extent of guarantee cover is 85% for Micro and
Small Enterprises being operated and/or owned by women; while
other borrowers get up to 75%.
 6. Opportunities Created through Training Programme
Government of India has introduced National Skill Development
Policy and National Skill Development Mission in 2009 in order to
provide skill training, vocational education and entrepreneurship
development to the emerging work force. This has been catalysing
the emergence of women entrepreneurs in India. The following
training schemes are being implemented for promoting self
employment of women by Government of India.
i. Support for Training and Employment Programme of Women
(STEP)
ii. Development of Women and Children in Rural Areas (DWCRA)
iii. Small Industry Service Institutes
iv. State Financial Corporations
v. National Small Industries Corporations
vi. District Industrial Centres
7. Consortium of Women Entrepreneurs of India (CWEI):-
Consortium of Women Entrepreneurs of India (CWEI) was registered
as a civil society in the year 1996 which is a non-profit organisation in
New Delhi. It is accredited by Government of India. It is a member of
National Board, Ministry of MSME and is working closely with
Ministry of Rural Development in the Public Private Partnership to
support below poverty line families in India. They are rendering the
following functions:
i. They are acting as a springboard for enterprises started by
the women.
ii. It is helping women achieve high economic empowerment.
iii. It is acting as a catalyst to improve the access of womenfolk
to natural resources.
iv. It is providing technological support in the sphere of product
design and development in the case of women owned
enterprises.
 v. It is providing quality control, marketing and technological
supports to women owned enterprises.
vi. It is spreading knowledge to women entrepreneurs about
various government schemes.
vii. In sum, it can be stated that women consortium is an agency
providing a comprehensive service of various types to
women owned enterprises.
Barriers to Indian Women Entrepreneurs of India
Problem of Finance
The access of women to external sources of funds is limited as they
do not generally own properties in their own name. Financial
institutions too do not consider women in general creditworthy as
they are sceptical of their entrepreneurial capabilities of women.
They impose stringent condition which discourages women to avail
themselves of loan assistance from banks. In this context, they are
pushed to rely on their own savings and small loans from friends and
relatives. Because of the limited funds, women entrepreneurs are
not able to effectively and efficiently run and expand their business.

Limited Mobility
Indian women cannot afford to shed their household responsibilities
towards their family even after they plunge into the venture started
by them. This restricts the mobility of women entrepreneur
significantly. The domestic responsibilities do not allow women
entrepreneurs to freely move out of business enterprises in
connection with business activities.

Lack of Education
Illiterate and semi -literate women entrepreneurs encounter a lot of
challenges in their entrepreneurial journey with respect to
maintaining accounts, understanding money matters, day-to-day
operations of the company, marketing the products, applying
technology etc., This reduces the efficiency of operating the business
successfully.

Lack of Network Support

The successful operation of any venture irrespective of the size
depends upon the network of support extended by various
constituencies like family members, friends, relatives, acquaintances,
neighbours, institutions and so on. Women entrepreneurs need
much needed psychological support and wiser counselling especially
during the time they actually encounter challenges. But it is reported
that women entrepreneurs get very limited support in times of crisis
from most of these constituencies.

Stiff Competition
Women entrepreneurs have to face acute competition for their
goods from organised sector and from their male counterparts. Since
they are not able to spend liberally due to financial constraints, they
are not able to compete effectively and efficiently in the market.

Sensitivity
Women are more prone to a variety of emotions. Being mother,
women are vulnerable to many emotions. They tend to have
sympathy and empathy for others. This trait does not allow women
entrepreneurs to take objective decisions in many contexts during
the course of running the entrepreneurial venture. Besides, the weak
emotions do not allow them to tolerate failures and disappointments
arising during the normal course of their entrepreneurial journey.
This inherently tone downs the effectiveness of their functioning.

Lack of Information
Women entrepreneurs are reported not to be generally aware of
subsidies and incentives available for them due to their poor literacy
levels or due to their pre occupation with household responsibilities.
This lack of knowledge or limited knowledge about subsidies
prevents them from availing themselves of special concessions,
benefits and incentives awarded by Government and other agencies.

Dependent culture
In India, women however educated and talented are groomed to be
dependent on their parents, life partners and children during the
various phases of their life cycle. They could not take decisions on
their own in many contexts due to this dependency factor. They have
to take permission from their support groups to engage in any
purposeful and gainful activity. They are not treated as equals unlike
women in western countries. This cultural barrier does not allow
them to start and manage their ventures according to their free will
and pleasure.

 Lack of an Entrepreneurial Environment

Entrepreneurship is a long journey that involves a lot of learning, un-
learning, and upskilling. An environment that exudes a strong
entrepreneurial spirit is crucial for a person to become a successful
business owner. However, many women often suffer from the lack of
such a productive environment.
To begin with, many women are forced to manage their businesses
from home due to familial responsibilities. Consequently, they lose
out on opportunities to go out, interact with the business
community, and build their market access. It also impedes their
learning opportunities, access to resources and mentors, and more.

Family restriction
Women in India are very emotionally attached to their families. They
are supposed to attend to all the domestic work, to look after the
children and other members of the family. They are over burden
with family responsibilities like extra attention to husband, children
and in laws which take away a lots of their time and energy. In such
situation, it will be very difficult to concentrate and run the
enterprise successfully.

Family ties:
Women in India are very
emotionally attached to their
families. They are supposed to
attend
to all the domestic work, to look
after the children and other
members of the family. They are
over burden with family
responsibilities like extra
attention to husband, children
and in laws
which take away a lots of their
time and energy. In such
situation, it will be very difficult
to
concentrate and run the
enterprise successfully
Family ties:
Women in India are very
emotionally attached to their
families. They are supposed to
attend
to all the domestic work, to look
after the children and other
members of the family. They are
over burden with family
responsibilities like extra
attention to husband, children
and in laws
which take away a lots of their
time and energy. In such
situation, it will be very difficult
to
concentrate and run the
enterprise successfully
Family ties:
Women in India are very
emotionally attached to their
families. They are supposed to
attend
to all the domestic work, to look
after the children and other
members of the family. They are
over burden with family
responsibilities like extra
attention to husband, children
and in laws
which take away a lots of their
time and energy. In such
situation, it will be very difficult
to
concentrate and run the
enterprise successfully
Male dominated society:
Even though our constitution speaks of equality between sexes, male
chauvinism is still the order of the day. Women are not treated equal
to men. Their entry to business requires the approval of the head of
the family. Entrepreneurship has traditionally been seen as a male
preserve. All these puts a break in the growth of women
entrepreneurs.

High cost of production:

Several factors including inefficient management contribute to the
high cost of production which stands as a stumbling block before
women entrepreneurs. Women entrepreneurs face technology
obsolescence due to non-adoption or slow adoption to changing
technology which is a major factor of high cost of production.

Exploitation by middle men:

Since women cannot run around for marketing, distribution and
money collection, they have to depend on middle men for the above
activities. Middle men tend to exploit them in the guise of helping.
They add their own profit margin which result in less sales and lesser
profit.

Lack of self confidence:

Women entrepreneurs because of their inherent nature, lack of self-
confidence which is essentially a motivating factor in running an
enterprise successfully. They have to strive hard to strike a balance
between managing a family and managing an enterprise. Sometimes
she has to sacrifice her entrepreneurial urge in order to strike a
balance between the two.

Legal formalities:
Fulfilling the legal formalities required for running an enterprise
becomes an upheaval task on the part of an women entrepreneur
because of the prevalence of corrupt practices in government offices
and procedural delays for various licenses, electricity, water and
shed allotments. In such situations women entrepreneurs find it hard
to concentrate on the smooth working of the enterprise.
 Solutions to Barriers
The problems women face pose a challenge for government and the
authorities to tackle, but with the right approach and some time,
they can be solved. Every Indian must understand the importance of
women entrepreneurship. On top of all, women need motivation and
any discouragement must be dealt with. Following are some
measures that can be taken to make women empowered so that
they can continue their business activities as confidently as Indian
men.
 Creating better education opportunities.
 Making provisions for personality development and training.
 Improving communication skills.
 Institutions where women can learn entrepreneurial skills and
risk taking abilities.
 Measures to change the attitude of society concerning women
and women entrepreneurs in India.
 Attempts from nongovernmental bodies like agencies, trusts,
welfare societies and NGOs.
 More women’s associations for better financing and capital
management.
 Providing nationwide platform for women like forums to
discuss prevalent issues and solutions to deal with such
shortcomings.
 Government Role for Development of Women
Entrepreneurs
The government schemes for women entrepreneurs are discussed in
details below:
1. Mudra Loan for Women
Mudra Loan for Women was launched by the government as a
woman loan scheme to offer financial support for enthusiastic
women entrepreneurs. They seek a business plan like starting a
beauty parlour, tuition centre, stitching shop, etc. This scheme does
not require any collateral to grant the loan. However, there are
categories under which a Mudra loan application can be applied.
They are as follows:
Shishu Loan: The maximum loan amount granted to businesses in
the initial stage is Rs. 50,000.
Kishor Loan: This loan is for businesses that are already established
but wish to improve services. The amount of loan granted varies
from Rs. 50,000 to Rs. 5 Lakhs.
Tarun Loan: This loan is for well-established businesses planning to
expand their reach and is short on capital; they can avail as much as
Rs. 10 Lakhs for the purpose.

2. Annapurna Scheme
The Annapurna Yojana is one of the many government schemes for
women. Under this, the Government of India offers women
entrepreneurs schemes in food catering businesses loans up to Rs.
50,000. The borrowed amount could be used for working capital
requirements such as buying utensils, mixer cum grinder, hot case,
tiffin boxes, working table, etc.
After the loan is approved, the lender doesn't have to pay the EMI
for the first month. Once sanctioned, the amount has to be repaid in
36 monthly instalments. The interest rate charged is determined
based on the market rate and the concerned bank.
3. Stree Shakti Yojana
The Stree Shakti package is a unique government scheme for women
that supports entrepreneurship by providing certain concessions.
This woman loan scheme is eligible for women who have the
majority of ownership in the business. Another requirement is that
these women entrepreneurs be enrolled under the Entrepreneurship
Development Programme (EDP) organised by their respective state
agencies. This Stree Shakti scheme allows women to avail of an
interest concession of 0.05% on loans more than Rs. 2 lakh.
4. Dena Shakti Scheme
The Dena Shakti Scheme provides loans up to Rs. 20 lakh for women
entrepreneurs scheme in agriculture, manufacturing, micro-credit,
retail stores, or small enterprises. This government scheme for
women also provides a concession of 0.25 percent on the interest
rate. In addition, women entrepreneurs can avail of a loan of up to
Rs. 50,000 under the microcredit category.
5. Bhartiya Mahila Bank Business Loan
Implemented by The Bhartiya Mahila Bank (BMB), this is a public
sector banking company that offers loans schemes for women
entrepreneurs up to Rs. 20 Crores for working capital requirements,
business expansion, or manufacturing enterprises. Some of the
different plans under this woman loan scheme includes:
Shringaar: The BMB Shringaar loan applies to self-employed women
or homemakers planning a start-up or meeting their daily business
expenses. The loan doesn't require you to provide any collateral
security.
Parvarish: Similarly, the BMB Parvarish loan is for self-employed
women or homemakers to set up day-care creches. The upper limit
of this loan can be Rs. 1 Crore without any collateral security under
the Credit Guarantee Fund Trust for Micro and Small Enterprises
(CGSTSM) scheme.
Annapurna: Between 18 to 60 years, food entrepreneurs wanting to
start or expand their small businesses can avail of this loan. Its
features are similar to that of the State Bank of Mysore's Annapurna
scheme, minus that it does not require collateral security.
6. Mahila Udyam Nidhi Yojana
One of the most popular government schemes for women
entrepreneurs, the Mahila Udyam Nidhi Scheme, is offered by Punjab
National Bank and Small Industries Development BanK India (SIDBI).
OF The scheme supports women entrepreneurs to set up a new
small-scale venture by extending loans up to Rs. 10 lakh to be repaid
in 10 years. The rate of interest charged depends upon the market
rates.
7. Orient Mahila Vikas Yojana Scheme
Oriental Bank of Commerce launched the scheme, women with an
ownership of 51 percent share capital individually or jointly in a
proprietary concern can avail a loan through the Orient Mahila Vikas
Yojana. There is collateral required for loans between Rs. 10 lakhs to
Rs. 25 lakhs.
The repayment tenure of the loan is seven years. Orient Mahila Vikas
Yojana Scheme also provides a concession on the interest rate of up
to 2 percent.
8. Cent Kalyani Scheme
The Cent Kalyani Yojana is a government scheme for women that can
be availed by both existing and new entrepreneurs and self-
employed women. Micro/small enterprises like farming, agriculture,
cottage industries, and retail trade are all eligible to apply for the
Cent Kalyani Scheme. You do not have to provide any collateral as
security or need any guarantors for this loan. The interest rate on
loans depends on market rates. The repayment tenure of the loan
will be a maximum of seven years.
9. Udyogini Scheme
The Women Development Corporation has implemented the
Udyogini Scheme under the Government of India. This scheme
promotes and motivates women's entrepreneurship among the poor
by providing financial support to women. This scheme majorly
supports and helps illiterate women living in rural and backward
areas.
10. Pradhan Mantri Rozgar Yojana
The objective of Pradhan Mantri Rozgar Yojana (PMRY), one of the
various government schemes for women, is to provide opportunities
of self-employment to the educated young people of the country.
Initiated in 1993, the scheme provides the unemployed Indian youth
a loan amount to commence their personal business project and
subsequently create scope of employment for others. Just a few of
the approved business segments for which the government scheme
provides financial backup include manufacturing, trade, services,
etc., you can avail a loan up to Rs. 1 Lakh without having to provide
any collateral. The tenure for repaying the loan ranges from 3 to 7
years.
11. Synd Mahila Shakti Scheme
Syndicate Bank has introduced a scheme known as the “Synd Mahila
Shakthi Scheme” with an aim to support women’s entrepreneurship
development. Under this plan, the bank offers financial backup to
those women entrepreneurs and professionals involved in small
business, retail trade, or self-employed through its credit facilities.
The objective of this government scheme for women is to promote
economic empowerment of women by supporting them with
business loans to meet their need for working capital or expansion of
business. You can initiate as well as modernise your existing business
by availing a loan of a maximum of Rs. 5 Crores with a concessional
interest rate.
The minimum interest rate is 10.25% which is applicable for loans up
to Rs. 10 Lakhs, and no collateral is required. Concession is offered at
0.25% for loans above Rs 10 Lakhs, and there is no processing fee.
 Associations Promoting Women Entrepreneur
A brief analysis of various associations and agencies that are
functioning at state and national levels to promote women
entrepreneurs is made for reference.
1. Self-Help Groups (SHGs)
This is a voluntary association of small group of self-employed rural
or urban women entrepreneurs who join together to take care of
group welfare. The group with the help of financial institutions and
other NGOs get their needs satisfied. Each member contributes little
amount to cover seed money. Rest will be taken care off by FIs or
NG0s. Governments also provide funds through FIs. For example, in
Karnataka “Stree Shakti” scheme by Government of Karnataka. SHGs
provide facilities to its members in the form of loan or raw material
for production or skilled labor etc. These associations are helping
small women entrepreneurs to start and develop home-based
business. Women belonging to weaker sections of the society have
been greatly benefited in their entrepreneural activities.
2. Federation of Indian Women Entrepreneurs (FIWE)
FIWE is the outcome of resolution passed in 4th International
Conference Women Entrepreneurs held at Hyderabad. This was
founded in 1993. It mainly interacts with various women associations
of the country through a network to facilitate the members in
diversified activities.
Activities of FIWE are as follows:
1. To provide network facilities to women entrepreneurs in the
country and abroad to develop their business.
2. To provide facilities to member associations in the areas of
marketing, quality control, export management, standardisation and
also provides training facilities in these areas.
 3. Facilitates the member associations to participate in national and
International conference, fairs, exhibitions, to provide greater
exposure to women entrepreneurs in local, regional, national and
global business environment and provide an access to various
business opportunities available.
4. Provides facilities to expand the business of members and of
member associations. It may be new project or extension of the
existing business.
3. Women’s India Trust (WTI)
This trust was established in 1968. The promoter Kamila Tyabji made
a small beginning with two shops in Mumbai and a training and
production centre at Panvel. The trust was started with the main
objective of helping women entrepreneurs. Encouraged by the
growth of the activities of the trust, it further extended its activities
which are as follows:
1. Establishing Kamila Trust in UK in 1994 to market the products of
WTI members. The trust made its beginning by selling the products
from door to door and then opened a shop in London under the
name “KASHI”.
2. Encouraged by its success in London, WIT extended the export
activities to Australia, Europe and Germany from 1995 onwards.
3. Has started educational programme in “Nursing” and Kindergarten
training.
4. Has plans to launch computer training for women.

 4. CWEI
The consortium of women entrepreneurs of India is a voluntary
organization consisting of Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO). It
was formed with the basic objective of providing technological up
gradation facilities for female entrepreneurs.
 Tips for Women Entrepreneur
Get Networking
This is almost nothing more powerful for aspiring entrepreneurs than
the reach and help of their network. Think of all the people you know
(friends, relatives, current and former co-workers, fellow soccer
moms, or people you know from the yoga, etc.) who possibly can
help you get started—or know someone who can. In addition,
networking with contacts in different industries can help you narrow
your focus on the type of business you want to start and get a
realistic view of entrepreneurship.
Be a Joiner...
Once you narrow your choices, join relevant organizations, go to
trade shows and other events, and find local networking groups,
where you can hopefully expand your network.
and a Pest
I don’t mean you should stalk other women business owners, but do
reach out to the women you want to emulate in your community.
Most women entrepreneurs are mindful of the challenges of
business startup and happy to give advice and help other women
succeed.
Find a Mentor
Mentorship is crucial—particularly if you’re starting in a new
industry. A SCORE mentor can help you navigate all phases of
business ownership and can often connect you with other key
players, such as vendors or suppliers.
Form a Pod
I have always tried to surround myself with people I trust and rely on
them for advice and support. In return, I support them. Don’t
hesitate to ask for favors (when we first started, I subleased space in
a friend’s office at a discount).

These people have stuck with me through my business’s startup

phase and as my company has grown. Your pod doesn’t need to
consist only of women—mine doesn’t—but the women in my pod
are badass and brave.
Save for Startup
I immediately learned that starting a business is more expensive than
you think. If you can keep your current job while you plan your
startup--and save, save, save as much money as you can, so you’re
not caught short. Startup funding is hard to get whether you’re a
man or a woman (though typically, it is harder for women), so it’s
smart to build and keep an emergency fund in the bank for
unexpected expenses.
Barter for Services
Initially, it’s always a good idea to trade skills with other businesses
when you need help and can’t afford to pay for it. For example, if you
know a good graphic designer, you can offer to assist with their
marketing copy or accounting services in exchange for a new logo.
Promote Yourself as a Women Business Owner
Consumers want to support women business owners, particularly
other women. Make sure you are the face of your company and that
your story is a part of your marketing efforts. Create an “About Me”
page on your website and tell your audience what makes you tick.
Then spread the news across social media.
Hire Slowly
It’s expensive to hire an entire staff when starting, so consider using
part-time employees, independent contractors, and interns. Not only
will you save some money, but you’ll give yourself time to figure out
exactly what roles you need to fill in your company to make it a
success.
Delegate
Hiring slowly doesn’t mean you should do everything yourself. Many
women have a problem delegating because they’ve personalized
their businesses and tasks so much that they feel no one can do
them as well as they can. Focus on the big picture and delegate the
smaller jobs to someone else.
Manage Your Time
I’m going to be brutally honest: There is no life/work balance when
starting a business. This can be a massive trigger for guilt in women
—especially those with families to raise. Women still tend to handle
the bulk of household responsibilities, which takes valuable time
away from investing in their businesses. It’s okay to ask for help! Tell
your family and friends you may need extra support during your
business’s startup stages and let go of the guilt.
Get Used to Hearing No
Starting a business is exciting and one of the most fulfilling things
you’ll ever do. But it can also be heartbreaking and full of rejection.
Be prepared to be told “no” more times than you’ve ever heard the
word. My advice is to follow the wise words of Taylor Swift—“shake
it off” and keep on going.
 QUALITIES OF WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS

1)
Mental ability:
1)
Mental ability:
1)
Mental ability:
Mental ability:
Mental ability consist of intelligence and creative thinking. Women
entrepreneurs
must be reasonably in
Mental ability consist of intelligence and creative thinking. Women
entrepreneurs must be reasonably intelligent, and she should have
creative thinking and must be able to engage in the analysis of
various problems and situation in order to deal with them.
Clear objectives:

Women entrepreneurs should have a clear objective as to the exact nature of goods to be produced
and subsidiary activities to be undertaken. A successful women entrepreneurs may also have a
objective to establish the product, to make a profit or to render social service.

Business secrecy:

Women entrepreneurs must be able to guard business secrete. Leakages of business secrete trade
competitors is serious matter which should be carefully guarded against by an entrepreneurs.

Human relation ability:

The most important personality traits contributing to the success of women entrepreneurs are
emotional ability, personal relation consideration and tactfulness. Women entrepreneurs must
maintain good relation with her customers.

Communication ability:

Communication ability is the ability to communicate effectively. Good communication also means
that both the sender and the receiver understand each other and are being understood.

Technical knowledge:

Women entrepreneurs must have a reasonable level of technical knowledge. Technical knowledge is
the one ability that most people are able to acquire.

Motivator:

Women entrepreneurs must build a team, keep it motivate people and provide an environment for
individual growth and career development.

Self-confidence:

Women entrepreneurs must have belief in themselves and ability to achieve their goals.

Initiative:

Women entrepreneurs must take an initiative accepting personal responsibility for actions and
above all make good use of resources.

Goal setter:

Women entrepreneurs must be realistic goals setter.

Moderate risk takers:

Women entrepreneurs must be a moderate risk taker and learn lesson from failures.

Moderate risk takers:

Women entrepreneurs must be a moderate risk taker and learn lesson from failures.

Hard work:

Women entrepreneurs must be hard workers.

 India’s most successful female entrepreneurs
Gone are the days when women were considered no match for all
powerful men in this world.
The male dominated world was always reluctant to even
acknowledge the fact that women were as good as men on
parameters of hard work, intelligence quotient (IQ) and leadership
traits.
The new generation women across the world have overcome all
negative notions and have proved themselves beyond doubt in all
spheres of life including the most intricate and cumbersome world of
entrepreneurship.
Yes, there is a section among women who believe in short-cuts but at
the same time there is no dearth of women who are confident,
believe in themselves and have enormous fire in their bellies to take
on the best in the business and beat them at their own game.
India too has its own pool of such bold and fearless women who
have made a mark for themselves both within the country as well as
overseas.
Their relentless zeal, incessant quench for success and willingness to
walk the extra mile have broken all myths about their inborn
limitations that were supposed to be major roadblocks on their
success expressways.
Let's meet some of such Indian women who can be easily termed as
role models for every Indian- both males and females:
1. Indra Nooyi

Current position: CFO, Pepsico

Indra Nooyi,56, is the current chairman and CFO of the second
largest food and beverage business, PepsiCo.
Born in Chennai, Indra did her Bachelor's in Science from Madras
Christian College in 1974 and a Post Graduate Diploma in
Management (MBA) from Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta
in 1976.
Beginning her career in India, Nooyi held product manager positions
at Johnson & Johnson and textile firm Mettur Beardsell. Nooyi joined
PepsiCo in 1994 and was named president and CFO in 2001.
She has been conferred with prestigious Padma Bhushan for her
business achievements and being an inspiration to India's corporate
leadership.
2. Naina Lal Kidwai
Current position: Group General Manager & Country Head – HSBC,
India
Naina Lal Kidwai,55, is presently the Group General Manager and
Country Head of HSBC India.
Naina has a Bachelor's degree in Economics from Delhi university and
an MBA from Harvard Business school. In fact, Kidwai was the first
Indian woman to graduate from Harvard Business School.
She started her career with ANZ Grindlays. Presently, she is also
serving as a non-executive director on the board of Nestle SA. Kidwai
is also global advisor at Harvard Business school.
Indian government conferred Padma Shri award on Naina for her
contributions in the field of Trade and Industry.
3. Kiran Mazumdar Shaw
Current position: CMD, Biocon
Kiran,59, is the founder Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of
Biocon Limited.
Born in Bangalore, Shaw completed her Bachelors in Zoology from
Mount Carmel College, Bangalore University. She later did her post-
graduation in Malting and Brewing from Ballarat College, Melbourne
University.
Born in Bangalore, Shaw completed her Bachelors in Zoology from
Mount Carmel College, Bangalore University. She later did her post-
graduation in Malting and Brewing from Ballarat College, Melbourne
University.
She worked as a trainee brewer in Carlton and United Breweries,
Melbourne and as a trainee maltster at Barrett Brothers and Burston,
Australia.
She started Biocon in 1978 and spearheaded its evolution from an
industrial enzymes manufacturing company to a fully integrated bio-
pharmaceutical company.
Today Biocon under Shaw's leadership has established itself as a
leading player in biomedicine research with a focus on diabetes and
oncology
Kiran is also a member of the board of governors of the prestigious
Indian School of Business and Indian Institute of Technology
Hyderabad. Kiran received the prestigious Padma Shri (1989) and the
Padma Bhushan (2005) from the government of India.
4. Ekta Kapoor
Current position: JMD & Creative Director, Balaji Telefilms
Ekta Kapoor is the daughter of legendary star of yesteryears
Jeetendra and brother of Bollywood actor Tusshar Kapoor.
Ekta has created a niche for herself in TV serial and film production.
She can easily be termed as the most successful female producer of
entertainment world.
Ekta has produced many successful films including Kyo Kii... Main
Jhuth Nahin Bolta , Kucch To Hai, Once Upon a Time in Mumbai, Shor
in the City, Ragini MMS, Kya Super Kool Hai Hum and The Dirty
Picture.
5. Suchi Mukherjee
Limeroad was started in 2012 by Suchi along with Manish Saksena,
Ankush Mehra and Prashant Malik. The company has raised a
funding of $20 Million from Lightspeed venture partners, Matrix
partners and Tiger Global.
Suchi post graduated from London School of Economics and
graduated from St. Stephen’s College, Delhi. In his life Suchi received
many awards and recognition like K.C. Nag Economics Prize for best
student in Economics, George K. George Memorial Scholarship for
overall contribution, all at St. Stephen’s College, Delhi University,
Cambridge Commonwealth Trust, Scholarship & Fellowship, and
Chadburn Scholarship for merit, both at Cambridge University and
British Chevening Scholarship, at the London School of Economics.
Suchi was selected as 1 of 15 women worldwide ‘Rising Talents, high
potential leaders under 40. Suchi is an ex-ebay, Skype and Gumtree.
6. Richa Kar
Richa is the founder of online lingerie store Zivame , she grew up in
Jamshedpur and completed her engineering from BITS Pilani (2002)
and after having worked briefly in the IT industry she acquired
Masters’ degree from Narsee Monji Institute of Management Studies
in 2007, and worked with a retailer and global technology company
before starting Zivame.com.
Zivame is probably the first in the online lingerie space in India and
has played a role in educating women across the country about
intimate wear and shaping consumer behaviour.
7. Falguni Nayar – Nykaa
Everyone was awestruck when the managing director of Kotak
Mahindra Bank quit her lucrative job to launch her startup. It was
April 2012 when 50-year-old Falguni Nayar decided to launch Nykaa
—a homegrown beauty and wellness brand—with ₹10.68 crore from
her pocket. Cut to 2022, Nykaa is now a public-listed company and a
remarkable success story. The company grew 345% last year.
Nykaa is also proof that entrepreneurship is not as much about age
as it is about the state of mind. When most people her age start
taking things slow and looking for retirement options, Falguni
decided to venture into a new world and became a billionaire with a
net worth of $1.1 billion. As per Hindustan Times, Falguni is the
richest woman in India, with a net worth of ₹38,700 crore.
8. Ghazal Alagh: Mamaearth
Mamaearth is a D2C (direct-to-consumer) brand and today is a ₹700
crore company in terms of revenue. What was born out of parental
stress in 2016 became a leading baby products company. The Alaghs
struggled to treat their child’s skin condition as the products
available were generic and contained toxins. Although they managed
to order suitable products from the US at the time, it was
inconvenient and led them to start Mamaearth.

They initially got ready with six baby products that were natural and
toxin-free. The company is backed by some of the leading investors,
including Sequoia Capital India, Stellaris Venture Partners, Fireside
Ventures, Sharp Ventures and Titan Ventures. Consumer-first
approach and listening-based innovation were the two major
reasons behind the success of Mamaearth.
9. Vineeta Singh: SUGAR Cosmetics
Vineeta Singh founded the online beauty brand SUGAR Cosmetics in
the year 2015. Vineeta also founded the cosmetics brand FAB BAG in
the year 2012. Both SUGAR and FAB BAG are subsidiaries of Velvette
Lifestyles Pvt Ltd, a larger conglomerate operating in the beauty and
cosmetics industry.

SUGAR Cosmetics also has a YouTube channel with over 8 lakh

subscribers as of November 2022.
10.Shreya Lamba
Before Shreya joined forces with Farah to develop The Mumum Co.,
she was also working in consultancy. Shreya gained a bachelor’s and
master’s degree from the London School of Economics and started
her career working for A.T. Kearney.

In 2008, she decided to pursue an MBA at INSEAD and transitioned

into senior management at A. T. Kearney before quitting her job to
pursue entrepreneurship. With The Mumum Co., Shreya helped raise
multiple investment rounds and, since then, has also launched The
Mommy Network, India’s largest curated parenting community,
which helps give new mothers in India a judgment-free network to
ask questions and share advice with other mothers. 
 Conclusion
India is a male dominated society and women are assumed to be
economically as well as socially dependent on male members.
Women entrepreneurs faced lots of problems like lack of education,
social barriers, legal formalities, high cost of production, male
dominated society, limited managerial ability, lack of self-confidence
etc. Various factors like pull and push factors influencing women
entrepreneurs. Successful leading business women in India.
Government takes various steps for the upliftment of women
entrepreneurs in 7th five year plan,8th five year plan and in 9th five
year plan. Women have the potential the potential and
determination to setup, uphold and supervise their own enterprise in
a very systematic manner, appropriate support and encouragement
from the society, family, government can make these women
entrepreneur a part of mainstream of national economy and they
can contribute to the economy progress of India.
THE STUDY ON WOMEN
ENTREPRENEURS
THE STUDY ON WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS
QUESTIONNAIRE
1. Age:
20-29 30-39 40-49 Above 50
2. Educational Qualification:
School College Professional
3. Marital Status of the time to starting business:
Married Unmarried Widow
4. Motive behind starting business?
Status Passion Livelihood
5. Entrepreneurial experience (in years)
1 to 2
3 to 4
5 to 6
Above 6
6. Are you ready to take risk in your business?
Yes No
7. Who undertake day to day managerial functions?
Self Paid Managers Husband
8. Type of capital used for starting business:
Owned Borrowed Both
9. From where you borrow money?
Friends & Relatives
Commercial bank
Private money lenders
 Development bank
10. What are the main problems faced while taking loan?
Lack of proper security
Lack of convincing power
Lack of proper knowledge
Others
11. Which is your Mode of Sale?
Cash sale Credit sale Both

Do you think, whether

―
Entrepreneurship Development
Programmes‖ ( EDP‘s) for
women will increase the
prospects of women
entrepreneurship or not?
Do you think, whether
―
Entrepreneurship Development
Programmes‖ ( EDP‘s) for
women will increase the
prospects of women
entrepreneurship or not?
12. Do you think, Entrepreneurship Development Programme
(EDP’s) for women will increase the prospects of women
entrepreneurship or not?
Yes No
13. Did you face any misbehaviour from the side of others as a
women?
Customers Middleman
Workers Others
14. Are you the 1st generation entrepreneurs from your family?
Yes No

In your opinion, which type of

business enterprise has more
opportunities to women
entrepreneurs?
In your opinion, which type of
business enterprise has more
opportunities to women
entrepreneurs?
15. In your opinion, which type of business enterprise has more
opportunities to women entrepreneurs?
Service Trading Manufacturing
16. Do you face any financial problem?
Yes No
17. Have you got any support from your family?
Yes No
18. Do you face any difficulties due to lack of technical
knowledge?
Yes No
19. Indicate your opinion regarding Women Entrepreneurs
Guidance Cell?
Excellent Very Good
Good Average
20. How are Feeling after starting your career as an Entrepreneur?
Extremely Happy Happy Unhappy