According to a census data, nearly 160 million women in India, 88 percent of which are of working age (15 to 59 years) just remain at home doing 'household duties'.
But now, various business options available for women to work and earn from home. Women can explore and still make good amount of money while managing their homes and family. Here is a glimpse of how women can keep their heads high while making money from home.
Few call it work from home while others may call it as a home-based business. Operating from their comfort zone while managing the family at the same time is what majority of the women are looking at. The hectic lifestyle and late night working schedules are no longer in the wish list of most career oriented women. Therefore many national and International brands like Tupperware, JAFRA, Modicare are offering easy-to-operate business opportunities for women entrepreneurs.
Associating with women entrepreneurs on board, brands have customised the working hours. Most of the brands do not follow a stringent joining process as women are involved. The brands plan to make it as easy as possible for those working from home. For Modicare, a beauty brand there is no investment required in the business. One can join free of cost and can start selling products and earn money. RoI is very high as there is no joining fee and the company provides all the trainings to sell products. To join hands with Tupperware, a leading brand selling kitchenware products, the only requisite is to have a passion to succeed. Woman can just buy an inexpensive starter kit which will help them sell effectively and which contains Tupperware products which are easy to demonstrate and the value of whose is much more than the price paid. For being a JAFRA consultant, a brand that is into beauty products, all that a woman needs to do is to be sponsored by an existing JAFRA consultant, fill a registration form and buy a business starter kit for just Rs 381. MAPP, a brand into packaging currently has two academies in Gurgaon and retail stores in Agra and Kanpur. It has trained around 500 women and there are 100+ success stories to tell. The brand provides business options via various models like home, outlet, floating classes, academy etc. Minimum investment of Rs 8-9 lakh is required and women can start off the business with full craft material and other support from MAPP.
Headquartered in New Delhi, Oriflame, an established beauty brand has 17 offices pan-India. With only 59 products in the portfolio in 1995, Oriflame India today offers its customers a portfolio of over 550 products for men, women and kids. To join Oriflame a free of cost registration is required with a nominal fee for the starter kit.
Brands to woo women
Earn by spending two hours/ week
Amongst the many brands that offer money making opportunity for women, JAFRA is one. Owned by JAFRA Ruchi Cosmetics India Pvt Ltd, it believes in power to transform lives of women. Women above the age of 18 years can start their own independent business with JAFRA in spare-time, on part-time or full-time basis. JAFRA provides free beauty and business training to maximise their success by giving them knowledge, skills and personality development tips. By becoming a JAFRA Consultant, women have the benefit of joining an international community of 600,000 women and sharing global experiences on how to build a life-style they want. They learn from the rich experience of other women like themselves as JAFRA has successfully given the opportunity to women in countries as diverse as Mexico and Germany for the last 58 years. Shilpa Ajwani, Joint Managing Director, JAFRA cheerfully informs: “Women make commission when they sell, invite more friends to join their team actively and build bigger teams. The opportunity helps them make money with just two hours spent every week on their JAFRA business.”
Profits, well wrapped
Another Delhi-based brand called MAPP - Magnificence Academy of Packaging Professionals provides avenues to women since 2007. Its Founder Shalini Beriwal takes pride in the fact that after her rigorous research on the streets and crafts markets of Kolkata, she could give shining careers to many aspiring women entrepreneurs. Beriwal says: “I was instinctively good at packaging and decided to make it a career at the age of 40. I am confident of the concept. India is a handicraft rich country. Not every woman is allowed to travel outside the city she lives in. so, we thought of expanding via more outlets and academies across India.”
Invest in beauty
Founded in 1967, Oriflame sells beauty products directly in more than 60 countries. Its wide portfolio of Swedish, nature-inspired, innovative beauty products are marketed through approximately three million independent Oriflame Consultants, who generate an annual sales of around €1.5 billion. Oriflame provides business opportunity to millions of women across the globe. Modicare is yet another direct selling organisation that offers more than 150 products from various categories which women can easily sell while working from their home. It is an alternative to traditional employment for those who desire a flexible income to supplement their household income, or whose responsibilities or circumstances do not allow for regular part-time or full-time employment.
HR consulting @ Home
Human resource consulting brand, Morpheus that has its offices in Dubai and across India offers a chance to housewives to become entrepreneurs operating from home yet balancing their household chores. They will be working on assignments online, communicating with their candidates through calls/mails, so no travel is required here. Brand's franchise model can also be carried out by people who are working professionals and wish to start their own business.
Develop network, make money
Well known brand, Tupperware offers a zero investment, self-starter, and work at convenience business opportunity to women to join and sell great quality Tupperware products. Chandan Deep Singh Dang, CMO, Tupperware India says: “Our brand offers a fantastic business opportunity to women. Women can start as a consultant and then become a manager, group manager, executive manager and finally to a distributor and accordingly increase their earnings at every level. Women who were housewives are today empowering many other women.”
Challenges
Challenges are a part and parcel of every trade. MAPP deals with the challenge of migration. Even after training a lot of women in packaging, they refuse to travel outside their city. The brand is still optimistic about training women and is soon planning to open a store and academy in Hyderabad. Oriflame has a participation of 95 per cent women in its workforce. Oriflame India's Sales Director, Pradnya Deshpande proudly says: “Our concept is about changing people's life. Your dreams are our Inspiration but there are certain challenges too like the test to take out time from the family and work to fulfill your dreams.”
JAFRA is a four year old brand in India. It looks at opportunities more than the challenges. It even looks at its low brand visibility as a huge opportunity for the future for all the JAFRA consultants. Out of the total associates, 50 percent are women in Modicare. On the challenges, Vikas Arora, Chief Executive Officer, Modicare Ltd opines: “Women who are homemakers are normally tied-up with family affairs and are not able to give enough time to the business. This restricts them from achieving their full potential. Brand awareness is also a challenge that we and our associates face as direct selling organisations normally do not advertise.”
If we talk of recruitment, it is definitely a women centric Industry. Once you start working from home and see revenue coming from your business it's time to take the next leap. Morpheus Human Consulting offers joint ventures for women entrepreneurs. Kailash Shahani, Founder, Morpheus Human Consulting Pvt Ltd agrees that women handle this business better than men. He asserts: “First time entrepreneurs are excited, passionate but also impatient for their revenue which creates an artificial pressure on them and business model. We arrange conference calls with our senior partners and ask them to mentor in their day to day routine.” Tupperware deals with major two kinds of challenges. Firstly, people do have questions on the safety of using plastic storage products. However, Tupperware products are of virgin, food grade and 100 per cent recyclable plastic. Secondly, sometimes women also doubt whether they would be able to sell Tupperware products or not. For this, quality tools and training is provided to them.
There are exemplars too!
With the accomplishment of each brand, success story of a few womenpreneurs is learnt by heart too. Brands feel proud to mention about their successful women associates. JAFRA takes pride in its two Platinum Royal Executive sisters- Dipti and Shailja Sharma. Both have been into direct sales for many years and had been doing well but still felt a void. JAFRA has transformed their lives not only in terms of financial independence but also development of personalities, confidence and leadership qualities. MAPP marvels at the success of its franchisee Deepti Gupta who opened a franchise store cum academy in Gurgaon in 2011. Morpheus has a Mohali-based women associate who is a B.com graduate and has partnered with the brand since last three years. From a home maker, she has now carried out the business individually from her residence and is mentoring a team of four consultants.
Tupperware's Hyderabad distributor, Neeharika Katikaneni is a doting wife and she chose to create an identity of her own with Tupperware. She began leading a team and managing a business. Her passion for success and perseverance earned her the status of a distributor within three months and won her the respect of all her associates. Modicare tells the story of Dr. Surekha Bhargava, from New Delhi who is now a top leader and earns the highest in the business. She was a housewife and in the last 18 years she has grown herself into a top leadership position. For Oriflame, Kolkata-based Kamini and P.N Jha's husband wife duo has one of the most stirring stories. Kamini hails from a village but coming to Kolkata and joining Oriflame completely transformed her life. The couple is now a part of the top global leadership.
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