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INTRODUCTION
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Nowadays women empowerment has been increasing so rapidly all over the
world and women are starting their own business to seek greater control over
their personal and professional lives. In Pakistan, women do not enjoy the same
opportunities as men. The s e g r e g a t i o n o f g e n d e r s t a r t s e a r l y a n d b e c o m e s a
w a y o f l i f e . H o w e v e r, e c o n o mi c necessity is forcing more and more women to
engage in economic activities-employment or entrepreneurship. These women are
engaged in crafts such as embroi dery, tailoring, carpet or durree making,
shawl making, leatherwork, pottery, ceramics and food processing having incredible
skills and potential.
It is general belief in our society that role of women is restricted in four walls of home or
you can say women are involved in mainly household activities like cooking and reading.
Economy of any country can't boom without contributing women. The growing
industrialization, urbanization and social legislation and with the spread of education and
awareness women have shifted from kitchen to higher level of professional activities.
Today's women are taking more and more professional and technical degrees to cope up
with market need.

The position of women and their status is any society is an index of its civilization.
Women are to be considered as equal partner in the process of development. But,
because of centuries of exploitation and subjugation Indian women have remained at the
receiving end. Women in India have been neglected lot. They have not been actively
involved in the mainstream of development even through they represent equal proportion
of the population and labor force. As technology speeds up lives women are as emerging

economic force which can not be neglected by policy maker. The world's modern
democratic economy depends on the participation of both sexes.
Today women is advance market economies own more then 25% of all businesses &
women owned business in Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe and Latin America are growing
rapidly. Women as an independent target group account for 495.74 million and represent
48.5% of the country's population as per the 2001 census. No country can achieve its
potential without adequately investing in and developing the capabilities of women. In
the interest of long-term development it is necessary to facilitate their empowerment.
In many developing countries including India women have much less access to
education, jobs, and income then men. Ever after five and half decade of planned
development Indian women have not achieved expected success in the mainstream of
life. Our country will be unable to have a competitive edge over others until and unless
the status and role of women is improved. In Indian context, National level Standing
Committee on Women Entrepreneur constituted by the Ministry of Industries The Govt.
of India(1984) notes women entrepreneur as "An enterprise owned and controlled by
women having a minimum financial interest of 51% of the capital and giving at least
51% of employment generated in the enterprise to women. " However, the validity of
such a definition had been challenged at every step particularly in 8th National
Convention of Women Entrepreneurs held in 1990. Finally the schemes that were offered
condescend to drop the second requirement but the first is applicable till today.

The generally accepted definition includes women who create something new, organize
production and undertake risk and handle economic uncertainties (Anuradha, 1988) to
adjust their personality needs, family life, social life and economic independence (Singh
and Gupta, 1985) .Further they may not necessarily be the independent
organizer\manager (Singh et.al., 1986)
According to Kamala Singh," A women entrepreneur is a confident, innovative and
creative woman capable of achieving economic independence individually or in
collaboration generates employment opportunities for others through initiating

establishing and running an enterprise by keeping pace with her personal, family and
social life.
According to Medha Dubhanshi Vinze, a women entrepreneur is a person who is an
enterprising individual with an eye for opportunities and an uncanny vision, Commercial
acumen, with tremendous perseverance and above all a person who is willing to take risk
with the unknown because of the adventures spirit she possesses.
Thus a women entrepreneur is one who starts business and manages it independently and
tactfully takes all the risks, faces the challenges boldly with an iron will to succeed.
Entrepreneurship before it was considered as a male dominated activity but time has
changed the situation and brought women as today's most memorable and inspirational
entrepreneur. Today you can see a women in every where whether it is super market or
departmental store. Even in rural area in STD PCO shop also. We can states the example
of Shanaj Hussain , Kiran majumdar who started their business at small level now they
have reached a great height. It is a good sign for country that Indian women are coming
out from their home and contributing in national economy because a little beginning can
show great results. Women have all the traits that are required to run an enterprise but
there is only need to identify them and work on that direction. Being a woman is not a
weakness for them it is strength or a god given advantage for them.

DEFINITIONS
Technically, a "women entrepreneur" is any women who organizes and manages any
enterprise, especially a business, usually with considerable initiative and risk.
However, quite often the term "women-owned business" is used relative to government
contracting. In this instance, the entrepreneur (a woman) owns (more than 50%), controls
and runs the enterprise.
An organization like the U.S. Women's Chamber of Commerce can provide details about
"women entrepreneurs" and "women-owned."

An enterprise owned and controlled by one or more women having a minimum financial
holding of 51% or more, giving 51% or more employment to women Some Fact:
Women Constitute not only half of the Worlds population but also way the growth of the
remaining half
They produce half of the worlds food supply
They account for 60% of the work force
Own less than 1% of the real estate

Objectives
To create new working possibilities and preserve existing working places
New international networks for partners and target groups are created
The development of new raw materials from nature and foresting and the use of nature in
an environmentally sustainable way
Networking among women with university degrees or corresponding education in
leading positions in organisations in rural areas focusing on leadership
To provide a national networking forum for women in business that will support them in
starting and growing their businesses.
To highlight female entrepreneurship
The project has four overall aims:
Exposing circumstances that influence women's wish to start and develop their own
enterprise.
The results are meant to provide input to political initiatives with the aim of increasing
the number of viable enterprises which are set up or taken over by women.
The results and the analyses are to be incorporated as statistical documentation and
inspiration in connection with the development of new entrepreneurial typologies.

It must also be possible to incorporate the results from this project into further research
and instruction in entrepreneurship, including woman entrepreneurship.

Growth-Oriented Women Entrepreneurs:

Womens entrepreneurship research and the understanding of factors influencing the
growth of women-owned business have advanced significantly over the last decade. Yet,
challenges remain. Women Entrepreneurs and the Global Environment for Growth
provides wide-ranging insights on the challenges that women entrepreneurs face growing
their businesses and how these may be addressed.
Indian women started their entrepreneurial work in 1970s. Their entrepreneurship is
traced out as an extension of kitchen activities mainly pickles, powder and pappad.
Women are encouraged to start an occupation or venture with an urge to do something
independently started to tide over their economic difficulties and responsibilities.
problems faced by women entrepreneurs:
Women entrepreneurs face a series of problems right from the beginning till the the
enterprise functions. Besides the above basic problems the other problems faced by
women entrepreneurs are as follows:
Family ties:
Male dominated society:
Lack of education:
Social barriers:
Shortage of raw materials:
Problem of finance:
Tough competition:
High cost of production:
9.Low risk-bearing capacity:
10 Limited mobility:
11. Lack of entrepreneurial aptitude:
12. Limited managerial ability:
13. Legal formalities:

Feasibility Study

If the project seems to be feasible, pre-investment studies and design development are
undertaken. If project does not seem to be feasible, project idea is abandoned. If the data
is not sufficient to arrive at decision regarding feasibility of project, the investment
decision is postponed till the additional required information is collected.
1.Pre-feasibility study:-it is preliminary assessment of project idea. It helps project
assessing bodies to decide about the viability of the project by looking into the
information supplied in the study. A project should be analysed from all angles. Any
opinion about feasibility of project should be supported by the reports of market surveys,
laboratory tests etc. it is on the basis of pre-feasibility study that an investment decision
can be taken.
2.Feasibility study:-in feasibility study, the project is analysed from six aspectseconomic, managerial, technical, commercial, financial and organizational. All these
aspects are not equally important and their relative importance varies considerably
according to the nature of project involved. But one thing is sure and that is-the
feasibility study must cover all the aspects of an investment project even alternate
solution. If supporting data or studies point towards non-viable project, then adjustments
should be done in production programmes, inputs or technology to make the project
viable one. However if project is viable, then it must be justified and staed well in the
study.
Project report:-the feasibility report provides information that is required for project
appraisal. It enables the concerned authorities to take objective decision on project and
enables financing agencies to purposefully evaluate the project before extending
financial assistance.

Types of Feasibility Studies

There are many different types of feasibility studies; here is a list of some of the most
common:
Technical Feasibility - does the company have the technological resources to undertake
the project? Are the processes and procedures conducive to project success.

Schedule Feasibility - does the company currently have the time resources to undertake
the project? Is the project completable in the available time?
Economic Feasibility - given the financial resources of the company, is the project
something that can be completed? The economic feasibility study is more commonly
called the cost/benefit analysis.
Cultural Feasibility - what will the impact on both local and general cultures be? What
sort of environmental implications does the feasibility study have?
Legal/Ethical Feasibility - what are the legal implications of the project? What sort of
ethical considerations are there? You need to make sure that any project undertaken will
meet all legal and ethical requirements before the project is on the table.
Resource Feasibility - do you have enough resources, what resources will be required,
what facilities will be required for the project, etc.
Operational Feasibility - this measures how well your company will be able to solve
problems and take advantage of opportunities that are presented during the course of the
project.
Marketing Feasibility - will anyone want the product once its done? What is the target
demographic? Should there be a test run? Is there enough buzz that can be created for the
product?
Real Estate Feasibility - what kind of land or property will be required to undertake the
project? What is the market like? What are the zoning laws? How will the business
impact the area?
Comprehensive Feasibility - this takes a look at the various aspects involved in the
project - marketing, real estate, cultural, economic, etc. When undertaking a new
business venture, this is the most common type of feasibility study performed.

Indian Women: Natural Potential to be an Entrepreneur

If we look a site on physiological variables in men and women we will find that
* Female has more nerve cell in central areas
* Women transfer data due to larger corpus collusm making it easier for increased
flexibility and multitasking
* Gray Matter the part that allows thinking is 55.4% in women and 50.8% in men
These data reveals us that women are empowered with natural advantage that aid in
creating, developing and fostering relationship
If we see the role of a woman in their home we'll find that the psychological
characteristics that she required to mange their home best fit in their entrepreneurial
characteristics. All the women who are running their home can successfully run an
enterprise al effort in this article to correlate women inherit characteristics with
entrepreneurial characteristics.

Basic Characteristics of a Indian women

Characteristics required for a successful Entrepreneur
1. Indian women are known for juggling many tasks at same time in their personal lives
for e.g. women can talk on phone and the same time she can easily handle their kitchen
also.
Multi task oriented
This attribute is known as multi task oriented that is most essential trait for an
entrepreneur this help in saving time and handling more works.
2. Indian women can easily connect with people and they don't hesitate to ask for help.
Indian women always do this in their routine life like to take admission in new school
she contact with guardians and get information about best school.
This trait of women in our business language known as ability to make strong network
3 Indian women are very calm and they solve any family problem gently. Indian women
show great extent of patience in their family life.
Being patient is most urgent for an entrepreneur. To receive result an entrepreneur have
to wait till the process is complete.
4. Indian women always give emphasize on positive attribute of any product weather it is
related to health or any home accessories. She always ready to tell others about their
positive experience
Marketing skill
This skill of women in business language known as marketing skill women are natural
marketer. To emphasize the benefit of their service to their potential customer this skill is
required to run an enterprise.
5. Women are thorough with their daily task. They don't get bored with their routine
activities.This attribute of women is known as being consistent and thorough with daily
task. This attribute help women to get more clients, they get more chance to be seen by
potential customer if they consistently watching your name like providing consistently
good product and services help with maintain customers

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6. women can effectively mange their house budget, they are more aware about price of
the product.
Having cost conscious is very crucial to run an enterprise. To solve the problem of
scarcity of funds an entrepreneur should be cost effective.
7. Indian women can easily grasp anything that is new either it is any food recipe or any
new required skill.
Open and willingness to learn is most essential for an entrepreneur to survive in this
competitive world
8. Indian women can easily adjust in joint family and can work with them coordinately
This attribute of women show team work and loyalty in women that required if u work
in a group
9. Indian women always fight for their problems and take initiative and try to solve any
family matter
This attribute of women called as ability to focus intensely and decision making
10. In spite of having lots of responsibilities problem she always try to think about
themselves like further study or career advancement.
This quality of women shows that they are highly ambitious and an entrepreneur have to
be ambitious.

Effective entrepreneurs require certain basic qualities which can be listed as follow

Innovative thinking and farsightedness

Quick and effective decision making skill
Ability to mobilizes and marshal resource.
Strong determination and self confidence.
Preparedness to take risk.
Accepting changes in right time.,
Access and alertness to latest scientific & technological information
In spite of having all the characteristics of being a women entrepreneur a women face lots
of problems that hurdle them to be an entrepreneur.

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Problems of women entrepreneurs

Women owned business are highly increasing in the economics of almost all countries.
The hidden entrepreneurial potential of women has gradually been changing with the
growing sensitivity to the role and economic status in the society. Skill, knowledge &
adoptability in the business are the main reason for women to emerge in to business
venture. Women entrepreneurs" is a person who accepts challenging role to meet her
personal needs and become economically independent, strong desire to do something
positive is an inbuilt quality of entrepreneurial women who is capable of contributing
values in both family and social life.
Women is advanced nation are recognized are more prominent in the business world but
the Indian women entrepreneurs faced many problem to get ahead their life in business.
A few problems can be detailed:The greatest deterrent to women entrepreneurs is that they are women. Male member
think it is a big risk financing the venture by women.
The financial institutions are skeptical about the entrepreneurial abilities of women. The
bankers consider women loonies as higher risk then more loonies. The bankers put
unrealistic and unreasonable securities to get loan to women entrepreneurs.
The women entrepreneurs are suffering from inadequate financial resource
&and working capital. The women entrepreneurs lack access to external funds due to

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their inability to provide tangible security. Very few women have the tangible property in
hand.
Women's family obligation also bar them from becoming successful entrepreneurs in
both developed and developing nation. The financial institutions discourage women
entrepreneurs on the belief that they can at any time leave their business and become
housewives again. The result is that they are forced to rely on their own saving and loan
from relatives and family friends.
Indian women give more emphasis to family ties and relationship. Married women have
to make a fine balance between business and home. The interest of the family member is
a determinant factor in the realization of women folk business aspiration.
Another argument is that women entrepreneurs have low management skills. They have
to depend on office staffs and intermediaries to get things done especially the marketing
and sales side of business.
The male female competition is another factor which develops hurdles to women
enterprises in the business management process.
Lack of knowledge of availability of the raw material and law level negotiation &
bargaining skill are the factors which affect women entrepreneurs' business venture.
Knowledge of latest technological change, know-how and education level of person is
significant factor that affect business. The literacy rate of women in India is found at low
level compare to male population although great advance are being made in technology ,
many women's literacy , structured difficulties and lack of access to technical training
prevent the technology from being beneficial of even available to female.
The studies indicated that uneducated women do not have the knowledge of
measurement and basic accounting.
10. Low level risk taking attitude is another factor affecting women folk decision to get
into business. Low level education provides low level self-confidence and self reliance to
the women fork to engage in business. Which is continuous risk taking and strategic
decision making profession .Though the risk tolerance ability of the women folk in day
to day life is high compare to male member while in business it is found opposite to that.
11. Achievement motivation of the women folk found less compared to male member.
The low level of education and confidence leads to low level of achievement and
advancement motivating among women folk to engage in business operation and
running a business concern.

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12. Finally high production cost of some business operation adversely affects the
development of women entrepreneurs. The installation of new machinery during
expansion of the productive capacity and like similar factor dissuades the women
entrepreneur from venturing in to new area.
Strengths of Women Entrepreneur
Despite the many challenges women face, this early socialization has given women
specific traits and abilities that define the female model of business ownership. This
different management style can be an asset and one from which men can learn. The style
can be described as more cooperative than the competitive male model now taught in
business schools. This style is often further developed through volunteer activities in
early adulthood. The cooperative style naturally used by most women comes from their
early experiences and focuses on the welfare of the group. Participation is shared among
the employees with attention paid to their ideas and needs. The style often extends to
social issues that are frequently driving forces within the company. The business strategy
is formed through active listening and educational experiences and focuses on issues
not just the bottom line. The ability to build relationships is an asset with customers and
suppliers, and in the international marketplace. In order to overcome the obstacles they
face, women often come up with creative, out-of-the-ordinary methods to help further
their goal.
These variables help define the cooperative style that has developed from early
socialization of females. Once aware of these traits they become more apparent to
observation. This cooperative style is easier to recognize in women business owners
where the women are not conforming to a culture set by males in a large corporation.
This new, distinctive business is one from which we all can learn. The new model of
business for the next century will combine the talents of this cooperative style used by
women with the more traditional business approach.

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Conclusion
Matching the basic qualities required for entrepreneur and the basic character of Indian
women reveal that much potential is available among the Indian women on their
entrepreneurial ability. This potential is to be recognized and exposed for utilization in
production and service sector for the development of the nation. Women have all the
disposition of becoming asuccessful entrepreneur just identify your passion and start
living it
So wishing all the women the very best of their lives. We hope to have a world that is
more respectful toward a woman
It is rightly said well begun is half done

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Some examples of successful female entrepreneurs

New Delhi: Gone are the days when women were considered no match for all powerful
men in this world.
The male dominated world was always reluctant to even acknowledge the fact that
women were as good as men on parameters of hard work, intelligence quotient (IQ) and
leadership traits.
The new generation women across the world have overcome all negative notions and
have proved themselves beyond doubt in all spheres of life including the most intricate
and cumbersome world of entrepreneurship.
Yes, there is a section among women who believe in short-cuts but at the same time there
is no dearth of women who are confident ,believe in themselves and have enormous fire
in their bellies to take on the best in the business and beat them at their own game.
India too has its own pool of such bold and fearless women who have made a mark for
themselves both within the country as well as overseas.
Their relentless zeal, incessant quench for success and willingness to walk the extra mile
have broken all myths about their inborn limitations that were supposed to be major
roadblocks on their success expressways.
Lets meet 15 such Indian women who can be easily termed as role models for every
Indian- both males and females:

1. Indra Nooyi

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Current position: CFO, Pepsico

Indra Nooyi,56, is the current chairman and CFO of the second largest food and
beverage business, PepsiCo.
Born in Chennai, Indra did her Bachelors in Science from Madras Christian College in
1974 and a Post Graduate Diploma in Management (MBA) from Indian Institute of
Management, Calcutta in 1976.

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Beginning her career in India, Nooyi held product manager positions at Johnson &
Johnson and textile firm Mettur Beardsell. Nooyi joined PepsiCo in 1994 and was named
president and CFO in 2001.
She has been conferred with prestigious Padma Bhushan for her business achievements
and being an inspiration to Indias corporate leadership.
2.
Naina Lal Kidwai

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Current position: Group General Manager & Country Head HSBC,India

Naina Lal Kidwai,55, is presently the Group General Manager and Country Head of
HSBC India.
Naina has a Bachelor's degree in Economics from Delhi university and an MBA from
Harvard Business school. In fact, Kidwai was the first Indian woman to graduate from
Harvard Business School.

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She started her career with ANZ Grindlays . Presently, she is also serving as a nonexecutive director on the board of Nestle SA. Kidwai is also global advisor at Harvard
Business school.
Indian government conferred Padma Shri award on Naina for her contributions in the
field of Trade and Industry.
3. Kiran Mazumdar Shaw

Current position: CMD, Biocon

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Kiran,59, is the founder Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of Biocon Limited.
Born in Bangalore, Shaw completed her Bachelors in Zoology from Mount Carmel
College, Bangalore University. She later did her post-graduation in Malting and Brewing
from Ballarat College, Melbourne University.
She worked as a trainee brewer in Carlton and United Breweries, Melbourne and as a
trainee maltster at Barrett Brothers and Burston, Australia.
She started Biocon in 1978 and spearheaded its evolution from an industrial enzymes
manufacturing company to a fully integrated bio-pharmaceutical company.
Today Biocon under Shaws leadership has established itself as a leading player in
biomedicine research with a focus on diabetes and oncology.

References
Book on successful women entrepreneurs
Bibliography
www.scribd.com
www.indiatvnews.com
wikipedia.org/wiki/Female_entrepreneur