Women have an inherent strength to fight all odds in their journey to reach their entrepreneurial dreams. This was the underlying message that women entrepreneurs shared at the ‘Shakti Women Entrepreneurs Meet’ organised by the India SME Forum on Friday. Addressing a gathering of over 150 women entrepreneurs, Sailaja Kiron, MD of Margadarsi Chit Funds, said that finance, right man power and execution of idea were the key to success. “My biggest strength has been my focus ever since I was a child. After returning from school, I would sit down to first do my homework even before I removed my shoes,” she said. Today, with a turnover of ₹7,750 crore, she is one of the dominant business women in the finance industry.
“I am grateful to my parents for giving me great education. My school – Kalakshetra – in Chennai gave me a very good exposure on world views and perspectives,” she added. Though her childhood dream was to become a doctor, her forward community status came in the way of her getting a medical seat, despite topping the college with 92 per cent in the science stream, she said. On gender biases in business, Sailaja disagreed by saying, “It’s not a man or woman thing. It’s purely on how the organisation functions and the commitment you have towards the functioning of your enterprise.”
Yallapragada Rajeshwari of Siddhi Creations, garment manufacturing unit, spoke about her entrepreneurial journey that started from starting a printing press with a loan of ₹30,000 to building a garment manufacturing firm that has a turnover of ₹4 crore. Smita Naram, MD, Ayushakti Healthcare, said entrepreneurs should focus on marketing and strategy.
Awards given away
Union MSME Minister Kalraj Mishra felicitated
Ms Sailaja Kiron, Ms Smita Naram, MD of Crux Management Services Hema Jain and Ms. Yallapragada Rajeshwari and presented them Women Achiever Award.
Mr. Mishra also launched the Andhra Pradesh chapter of India SME Forum, to be headed by AP Chambers of Commerce and Industry Federation Director G. Narayana Rao and Ms. Hema Jain.
