It was a celebration of women in business and the arts with a panel of new age female entrepreneurs indulging in immersive discussion at the Angel Summit at FICCI Auditorium. By Sharang Bhaskaran
Behind every successful woman is a tribe of successful women, who have her back. This certainly seems to be true for this panel of women entrepreneurs aptly called ‘Game Changers’ who have ventured into an otherwise male-dominated bastion of startups and entrepreneurship in the country. From fashion accessories to real estate to online magazines for young women, these ladies have taken the world of startups by storm proving that they are not far behind their male counterparts.
Women in India have cracked numerous conundrums and have come up with out-of-the box paradigms. They have already joined ‘being an entrepreneur’ bandwagon and have braced themselves to ride the wave of entrepreneurship. They are no longer ‘damsels in distresses’ but are ‘amazons in entrepreneurship.’ Their love for entrepreneurship is so infectious that it rubs off on you, anybody and everybody. Most women entrepreneurs face stereotyping by the more jaded men in the business who immediately tend to write them off as amateurs or just living under the shadows of their husbands or fathers. But for these businesswomen, their success is not dependent on the men in their lives. “When you are involved in the manufacturing industry, people generally tend to assume you are just filling in for some man. When I first started out, I would be constantly asked if the company was owned by my father,” said lubeina Shahpurwala, Director of Mustang Socks which was founded by Nazneen Katrak in 1987 in Mumbai. But for her love of fashion and design is the thing that drives her work, and any stereotyping doesn’t bother her. “It’s all about changing perspectives. How well you do it can you change the perceptions people have of you,” she pointed.
Being women, what major challenges did they face in the predominantly male world of businessIJ For Swati Bhargava, co-founder of CashKaro a cash-back business, making it big in a man’s world was nothing new. “I worked in investment banking for five years, which is largely a male-dominated business, but I soon found my way around it,” she said. “I did not face any such challenges that a man normally wouldn’t. However, at pitch meetings and while meeting potential investors, you tend to be sidelined if your partner is a man,” said Bhargava, whose husband Rohan Bhargava is the co-founder of CashKaro. Priya Maheshwari, co-founder of Properji, a real-estate listings and information website shares some similar experiences. Maheshwari, who co-owns the business with three other men, said, “When you, as a woman ask questions in meetings and discussions, people tend to answer to the men, and not you, even if you are the one doing most of the research and having the data.”
Women in power more often than not have to face their fair share of naysayers and opposition from men almost on a daily basis. Nevertheless, these ladies through their experiences have learnt that nobody gives you power; you just take it. Priyanka Gill, founder of POPxo, a community and digital media platform catering to young women said, “When you do your job with complete dedication, people will eventually stop doubting your capabilities as a woman and they will stop questioning you on your ideas and methods.” Many business experts hold the opinion that women are generally better at managing than men. “It’s very important to identify the right tone of your management style. If you’re too harsh, they think you’re a hard taskmaster and if you’re too soft, they think you’re not capable of doing the job. So it’s essential that you find the right balance and stick to it.” adds Shahpurwala. “The trick to getting it right is not taking no for an answer. If they say something can’t be done, show them how to do it and see that it does.”
So what according to these women makes game changersIJ “Never doubt yourself, no matter what,” said she. Priya Maheshwari added, “Don’t go by what others tell you. Always follow your gut. That’s how you can break the clutter and make your own way.” These ladies certainly have it all sorted to make it on their own in this man’s world.