Money
Young women entrepreneurs find the going tough in Nepal
Finding buyers and growing a business are the major challenges for young women entrepreneurs in the countryKrishana Prasain
Finding buyers and growing a business are the major challenges for young women entrepreneurs in the country. It is always difficult to sell a new product or service, and lack of capital makes life hard for women wanting to start their own business, women entrepreneurs said.
The number of young women entrepreneurs is increasing compared to a few years ago. They are engaged in different sectors such as agriculture, food and medicine, and they come with innovative concepts. Women entrepreneurs with new ideas face many challenges in society while doing business, they said.
Nabina Subedi, co-founder of The She Thing, a monthly period subscription box, said, “Since menstruation is still taboo in our society, running a business related to it is itself challenging.” Males think that it’s a women’s thing, and women also do not show interest in menstrual hygiene. For this reason, it is difficult to make them understand and sell the product.
Sharing her experience, Nikita Acharya, co-founder of e-commerce platform Urban Girl, said that very few people showed interest in investing in startup ideas. “Getting business investment is a huge challenge for women entrepreneurs in the country.”
While pitching business ideas in front of investors, trust issues arise for women entrepreneurs, said Sabi Singh, CEO of Online Aushadhi which sells medicines online.
Investors do not believe women entrepreneurs and ask whether there is a male founder in the business. “I have been asked many times,
‘Are you the man of your organization?’”
Acharya said that even after you have started a business, it is difficult to make it grow. Though banks and financial institutions are providing special services for women entrepreneurs, it is always a hassle to obtain them, she said. “We have to do a lot of running around to get the special loan schemes provided to women entrepreneurs.” According to her, loan schemes provided to women entrepreneurs are also male oriented due to which women entrepreneurs remain on paper only.
Eeda Rijal, co-founder of Sochware, feels that government offices give priority to her male counterparts.
“When I visit government offices with my male partners, the officials tend to speak to them and ignore me,” she said. Sometimes, one’s physical problems like having your period also makes it challenging when you have to work for long hours, she said.
“Doing business also requires spending long hours at work and reaching home late, which our society frowns upon.” Bhintuna Jyapoo, owner of Bhav Products, a shop which sells handmade stationery, said it was difficult to find a market for products and services which have a new concept and are produced by women.
“In the early days, I sensed the different ways people treat men and women entrepreneurs,” she said.
Another woman entrepreneur Singh said that balancing business and family was a major challenge, especially when you have kids and you have just started your business. She has to rush home after 5 pm due to which she could not attend networking events after that time.
“It is difficult to look after home and business.” Singh has attended several networking events and never found a female investor. She also said that 90 percent of the participants at these networking events were men.