BENGALURU: Over 100 Muslim women gathered in the city on Saturday to break stereotypes and share their entrepreneurial journey.
At the founding of the Association of Women Entrepreneurs (AWE), an organization dedicated to supporting and connecting Muslim women entrepreneurs, a group of enthusiastic businesswomen took the lead.
For example, 38-year-old Nushen Taj has turned the stereotypical role of a woman in the kitchen into a successful business catering to corporate offices.
“I use Dunzo to deliver Dunzo for now,” she says of her six-month-old startup, Areha Foods. The unique selling point of her service is the promise of a non-repeatable menu for an entire month.
Nushen, who holds an MSc degree, worked as an administrator in a Hyderabad hospital till 2017. Away from her family in the city, she said she craved home-cooked meals every day. “I know this pain and that’s why I wanted to prepare fresh food for people far from home,” she says.
Her startup runs 26 days a month on a subscription basis. It is based in the milk circle and serves the surrounding areas.
“It’s an all-female army. My sisters help me cook and I have two helpers for other things,” she says.
Among the women is Ishana, who convinces her family to invest her wedding savings in her business venture. The start-up produces cloth sanitary pads and provides employment to 25 women.
Like Nushin and Ishana, around 10 entrepreneurs spoke about their ventures at the AWE launch. AWE is a wing of Muslim Industrialists Association.
Shabana Begum of Sacred Oven, a bakery company, and Akila of Alpha Creative, which specializes in designer hijabs (head coverings) and jilbabs (prayer gowns), turned some heads at the event with their unique designs.
Salma Musa, founder of the city-based Startups Club, said, “If I can do it, you all can. We need to be seen and heard as women.
FacebookTwitterInstagramKO APPYOUTUBE
