How fair is the business opportunity for the fairer sex?

Several brands are coming forward with initiatives and business opportunities for women empowerment. Let us learn how franchise brands want to grow with their women business partners as they consider them as prospective franchisees.

Indian government is promoting entrepreneurship at a grand scale. However, women entrepreneurs constitute only 10% of the total number of entrepreneurs in the country. Women are profound in multi-tasking and are believed to give attention to minute details in business much more effectively and efficiently. Recognising the potential of women entrepreneurs, franchise brands are generating opportunities for them and rendering support in various forms to tap women entrepreneurs.

Opportunities in store

Paathshala Learning Solutions Pvt. Ltd has come with a micro playschool programme, Masti which is a step undertaken to promote women entrepreneurship. “Our aim is to give the women in tier II and III cities in India a low entry cost entrepreneurship opportunity wherein they can convert their home into a playschool,” shared Sonal Seth, Director, Paathshala Learning Solutions Pvt. Ltd. Starting with Muzzaffarpur, Jamshedpur and Ranchi, the brand plans to cover 25 tier II and III cities by the end of 2016. It intends to establish itself as the foremost micro-playschool brand in India and cover 120 cities in the next five years.

Makeup India, a brand founded by IIT and IIM alumni, Shweta Sachani, also aims to recruit women franchisees. “In five years, we plan to create 150 successful women entrepreneurs. Our business model is not only profitable for our company and our brand, but also potentially profitable for any franchisee, who chooses to invest in it,” she says.

Curbing finances

Snap Fitness unveiled its plan of launching a finance scheme, specially for the women. The company which currently runs over 60 clubs in India and is looking to opening 300+ clubs in the next three years is keen to partner with women franchisees. “We will soon be launching a financing option only for women where every woman will have an opportunity to become an entrepreneur and be a proud owner of a Snap Fitness. Through this project we will ensure that they are financially self-reliant and we stand as a support to them with our knowledge base of several years,” said Srileka Reddy, Director -Marketing and Co-promoter, Snap Fitness.

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