Women entrepreneurs in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi district have set up business ventures in a range of industries.
A document sourced from the Kanara Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) shows that the women entrepreneurs own business in varied sectors such as digital printing of smart cards, automobiles, spa management, foodgrain storage, paper bag making for challenged adults, and cut work (machine-work on fabric).
Some others had been doing business in the arecanut processing industry, herbal products, teaching classical dance, and managing coaching institute. Dakshina Kannada has 50 women entrepreneurs running business and another 50 aspiring to start their own ventures.
Sandhya Kini, a partner in a family-owned business, handles the administration of cold storage for foodgrains and horticultural produce. She said: “Definitely, business itself is a challenge.” She has to manage labour and take care of machinery during power shutdowns.
Prathibha Nambiar, who has a business in fitness, and yoga in Mangalore, said one challenge she faced was that it took time for returns on investment for expenditure in space and capital for the business in Mangalore. The second challenge was to keep customers motivated in a facility that was for exercise. “It is not easy to convince them that they should go on with fitness beyond one month,” she said. For Manipal-based Sarita Santosh, the birth of her travel business coincided with that of her child. The 10-year-old business was based on providing customised holidays to people. For her, the hurdles were handling finances and dealing with finicky travellers, she said.
To be a woman entrepreneur meant everyday was a challenge but if one had the conviction, it could be a success, said Ms. Santosh, who is founder member of the two-year-old Platform of Women Entrepreneurs (POWER), which has 30 members, half of whom were established entrepreneurs.
