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Women entrepreneurs lead the way (View Comments)
Anju Maskeri
Posted On Wednesday, November 11, 2009 at 12:31:10 PM
For Dr Rupal Shah, the growth of women entrepreneurs is no novel revelation. “I think women entrepreneurs were always there, but have now simply become more evident and visible. The slowdown has simply thrown opportunities to grow. As during the testing time for the family, women stand up with courage to support the entire family, because of their inherent resilient nature; it also so happens in the industry during the recession,” says Shah, one of the directors of Life Force Homeopathy.
While there is a woman behind the success of every man, in Shah’s case it’s her husband who has been her partner in success. “My husband, Dr Rajesh, started Life Force in 1985 on a small scale but with a vision to bring homeopathy benefits globally. I joined his dream in 1989, post marriage,” she says. However, the journey from a humble clinic in a small corner of Mumbai to a world class centre today was anything but easy for Shah, as alternate medicine was not a very popular recourse back then. “In my case, when Life Force launched global practice online in 1995, I took up the study of international patients. In fact, the phrase ‘global medical practice’ was absolutely new and people always were curious to know how that was possible. My role was to understand the psyche of the patients suffering with chronic diseases such as allergies, asthma, migraine, colitis, skin diseases, etc. The challenge then was to design a protocol as to provide the best deliverables using homeopathy,” says the mother of a thirteen year old.
Today, Life Force homeopathy is globally recognised and has patients from all over the world. The introduction of new technology has just facilitated further flexibility and mobility helping Shah to take the business forward. Despite recession, the organisation continues to forge ahead as medicine by its very nature can never suffer a continual setback whether in boom or bust.
As we see the economy chugging onto the path of recovery, entrepreneurship is fast proving to be an important engine of sustainable growth. In fact, a recent Nasscom report shows that the Indian economy has grown steadily because of the diversity and global exposure of 30 per cent women workforce and 45 per cent new entrants which includes people with voluntary retirement, contributing constantly. Catering to this growing need for entrepreneurship is SIP Academy. The organisation provides a significant platform to women to explore their entrepreneurial skills by running non-school skill based education programmes. “In our model where training and education of children is the key focus, there is a huge demand for women entrepreneurs. We provide product training for 28 days-5 days initially and the rest 23 days over two years. We also provide an ongoing marketing and administration training and support to the franchisees during our monthly meetings and also one a one-to-one basis,” says Dinesh Victor, Managing Director, SIP Academy.
Apart from sheer skill and dedication, their inherent sense of compassion and the ability to work as a team player are values that women bring to the profession, believes Victor. Concurs Shah, “By nature, women are creative, compassionate, and great balancers. When it comes to medical entrepreneurship, we need more than aggression; it is the human touch that is required. When my patients suffering with asthma or migraine or neuralgia or psoriasis, report from many small towns from America to Zambia, sharing joy of recovery, using our online homeopathic treatment, there I find the real translation of entrepreneurship,” she says with joy.
After working for eleven years in NIIT as a group consultant followed by freelancing for an IT company, one would probably consider the next step to be in tandem with the past experience. But Nandini Rao did the contrary. She quit her cushy corporate job and spearheaded a program that worked on enhancing children’s mental abilities. “Through these programs that include Abacus and other techniques of gauging smartness quotient, we try to develop the child’s concentration and focus. The spotlight is on the weaker students who find it difficult to cope in class,” says Rao who holds classes every week in a suburban area. Although she has a loyal coterie to assist her in these activities, the biggest challenge she believes is to find the right people. “The success of the program hinges on the commitment level of the instructors,” she explains. But Rao is tiding over these problems with élan as she is involved in doing something that comes naturally to her- interacting with and understanding the needs of children.
All it takes is a steely resolve and single minded dedication to achieve your goal and these women have just proved the same.
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