In the recent years women have made their mark in different walks of life and are coming head to head with men in the corporate world despite the various barriers they face. The traditional Indian culture drills it into young minds that the rough and tumble of doing business is the domain of men, but times have changed and women are taking the corporate world by storm.
Who better to prove this than the Indian TV industry’s leading lady, Ekta Kapoor.
Balaji Telefilms. One word that gives the perfect introduction to the woman who changed the face of Indian Television.Whether you choose to love them or not, you ‘re sure to have come across this one-man army hit production house and their innumerable soap operas on TV.
The turning point in her life came when an old family friend Ketan Somaia, owner of Dolphin Group offered her father Jeetendra Kapoor a hard-to-refuse business offer. An opportunity to create a television software for his network which would be broadcasted widely. Jeetendra asked the women of the house to take up the job. This lead to the foundation of Balaji Telefilms.
Kapoor started of with big hopes, however her first few telefilm pilots and filmed ventures were drastic failures. It was only in 1995, when she launched the television serial – Hum Paanch, did she receive the much needed success. Thereon success and fame followed. The rest is history.
Suchi Mukherjee, founder of LimeRoad is another such exemplar. Even though she came from a family having no business background, Suchi went on to complete her Master’s from London School of Economics. Her decision to start an online business, especially for women is what brought her back to India. This is when LimeRoad came into existence. It stands out in the e-commerce industry by combining fashion e-commerce with social discovery, influencing her insights on engaging with women shoppers. Suchi was also selected as 1 of 15 women worldwide as a “Rising Talent” and high potential leader.
From being a housewife and mother at 16, Padma Shri Shahnaz Hussain is the perfect example of ‘Rising Women Entrepeneur”. The monotony of housework and married life made her long for more. She started reading about beauty and cosmetics at the age of 17. She is the pioneer of organic beauty care, achieving unparalleled international applause for her practical application of Ayurveda. Adopting the principle of “Care and Cure,” she set up her own herbal clinic at home with low financial investments, formulating a variety of beauty care products, based on Ayurveda. Her formulations and treatments have become major discoveries in natural beauty care. In fact, she has also become known for specialized treatments for specific skin and scalp disorders.
Meena Ganesh, cofounder of the home healthcare startup Portea Medical is nothing less than a role model for women entrepreneurs in India, especially in the ever rising startup ecosystem. As an ex-promoter of TutorVista and partner of GrowthStory she has gained nearly three decades of experience in various industries. Ganesh was chosen the winner of the ‘Woman Ahead’ category because of the sheer scale she has been able to achieve, said Vani Kola, managing director at Kalaari Capital.
Portea acquired specialty pharmaceutical distributor MedybizPharma in November 2015 and picked up a majority stake in healthtech startup PSTakeCare in January this year.
Today’s trends show that women will be a driving force of entrepreneurial growth in the future. As every living thing grows gradually and walks away from its past for a better and sustainable future, women are finally taking advantage of their willingness to succeed and are working hard to earn the dream of a lifetime.
Women have always surpassed men in all the fields. Budding women entrepreneurs can find their inspiration at co-working space in Andheri West, Mumbai or business centre in Koramangala, Bengaluru.