IT S YOUR TURN NOW! Welcome to Ecorys programme for women empowerment through entrepreneurship

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1 IT S YOUR TURN NOW!

2 IT S YOUR TURN NOW! Welcome to Ecorys programme for women empowerment through entrepreneurship In India, as in most nations, women take second place in society. This hampers their pursuit of development, prosperity and happiness, and, in the worst cases, it makes them the victim of violence. Although in India, and in many other places in the world, women and men take massively to the streets to protest against this situation, old habits die slowly and women have to take their future in their own hands. One of the most effective ways to combat this situation is to encourage and support women to become entrepreneurs. Being an entrepreneur gives a woman independence, dignity, and income while in addition women entrepreneurs are powerful role models for their children and their surroundings. Women have seen their fathers, brothers and husbands succeed; it is now their turn. IT S YOUR TURN NOW! is an Ecorys programme to enhance women empowerment through entrepreneurship across the world. Ecorys would like to contribute to Indian women becoming important contributors to the country s economic and social development. Dr Julia Djarova Ecorys International

3 Women Entrepreneurship in India In recent years, India has seen an increase in the participation of women in the labour market and many initiatives and networks have been set-up specifically to support women. Nevertheless, women employment remains an area for improvement, as seen in a 2013 ILO report on global employment trends wherein India ranked 120 th out of 131 countries with regards to female labour force participation. Numerous factors are preventing a more rapid increase of women in the labour market, such as gender discrimination when applying for jobs, traditional roles wherein women stay at home and significantly lower wages for women. Self-employment through entrepreneurship successfully mitigates these issues and thus allows for women to become empowered and important contributors to India s continued economic and social development

4 It s your turn to become an entrepreneur The importance of the involvement of women in economic activities is increasingly being acknowledged and promoted around the globe. The benefits of women empowerment and entrepreneurship are exemplified on 2 levels: At a personal level, women are able to gain self-confidence and enhance their social and economic inclusion in society through entrepreneurship. They are able to contribute financially to their family and set a strong example for their children. At a regional level, the inclusion of women in the labour market is beneficial to economic and social advancement of the region. Increases in women empowerment and entrepreneurship have proven to promote local employment, prosperity, innovation, gender equality, and social advancement. The women empowerment and entrepreneurship programme will enable you to gain the confidence, knowledge, skills and support to set up your own business and become an entrepreneur

5 Rewards of Entrepreneurship In earlier projects, women entrepreneurs who were interviewed answered that additional money is their prime motivation. But if one reads the interviews carefully, other reasons emerge. Women are very proud to have their own enterprise and this is what we find with entrepreneurs the world over: the satisfaction and respect that comes with being independent, to lead your own life even if it means working hard. It is simply very motivating to create a product or service and to manage to sell it and make money.

6 Women Entrepreneurship Support Flow Model A factory of new enterprises requires five ingredients in order to be successful: A flow of potential entrepreneurs A flow of crafts or know-how on which the new firms will be based A flow of finance An incubator A flow of support

7 Supporting Existing Women Enterprises We aim at turning young entrepreneurs or self-employed members into experienced entrepreneurs. To realise this, we establish Women Entrepreneurship Support Centres

8 Setting up a Network People can learn a lot in courses, but they probably learn more from peers. This applies certainly to entrepreneurs. By exchanging experiences, entrepreneurs can benefit from each others data bases. Entrepreneurs all over the world are therefore typical networkers. Women are especially prone to networking.

9 Women Entrepreneurship Support Centres Women Entrepreneurship Support Centres are a unique opportunity for women who have a business idea, who would like to know whether this idea is feasible and who would like to pursue the realisation of this idea. The centres also provide support to those who already are small entrepreneurs and would like to grow or solve a real business problem. Women entrepreneurship support centres are a strong vehicle to create and enlarge networks of women entrepreneurs.

10 Training Women will acquire both up-to-date knowledge and skills to start up and run their own business Individual Coaching Women will find out what it means to be an entrepreneur WHAT DO WOMEN ENTREPRENEURSHIP SUPPORT CENTRES OFFER TO WOMEN? Individual & Group Consultancy Women will be assisted by experienced consultant to strengthen their self confidence, to overcome possible barriers and clarify questions Mentoring Women will be guided in specific business issues such as access to finance, product design, sales and distribution Group meetings to exchange experience Women can learn a lot from each other. They will be able to meet with women experienced in business to share experience and strengthen their self confidence Women who want to know what it is like to be an entrepreneur and what the benefits are Women who have a business idea and would like to start up a business Women who are running a small business and who are seeking opportunities to grow WHO CAN TAKE PART?

11 Women Entrepreneurship Training And Consultancy Programme Training for Business Start Training to Professionalise Should I start a business? How do I become a successful entrepreneur? How do I boost my self-confidence? What is a good business idea? How do I prepare a business plan? How do I start up my business Prepare documents and get approvals, name and logo, bank and financing, find suppliers and customers, etc. How do I run my business successfully? Make plans and strategies, organise my business, lead and motivate staff, promote and sell my products, start exporting, improve my quality, production, purchasing, etc. Exchange of Experience Group for Women Entrepreneurs How to realise a business idea, networking among women entrepreneurs, best practise to establish a business, how to finance the start-up, growing business ideas, Advising, Coaching, Mentoring the Business Process Continuous guiding during the establishing process; hands-on coaching and mentoring for running businesses

12 The Partnership Approach Women empowerment and social inclusion is an important task of today s societies. Therefore, IT S YOUR TURN NOW! programme works through partnership between public, private, and not for profit organisations. Partnerships are shaped for the needs of the specific country. In India IT S YOUR TURN NOW! programme will start by Ecorys joining forces with Foundation Diversity and Inclusion of Women Across(DIWA) and Janki Devi Memorial College, and aiming at enlarging the partnership. Financial Institutions NGOs Municipalities PARTNERS Ministries Companies Educational Institutions Public Employment Services

13 IT S YOUR TURN NOW!

14 Contact Details Ecorys Headquarters Watermanweg GG Rotterdam P.O. Box AD Rotterdam The Netherlands T +31 (0) julia.djarova@ecorys.com Ecorys India Private Limited , Lakshmi Bhawan 72, Nehru Place New Delhi India T india@ecorys.com