The popular saying goes, 'Behind every successful man there is a woman'. But for some women entrepreneurs, the converse is true. Fettle bio products proprietor P T Ashmi received the women entrepreneur award from Bharatiya Mahila Bank (BMB) for running a successful business. After receiving a PhD in biotechnology, she got the idea of making natural medicines for heart health, which could prevent bypass or angioplasty.
“With my husband’s support, I applied for `25 lakh loan in BMB and started my business in 2014. My husband, a mechanical engineer, encouraged me to set up the business. Now I’m running a successful business with 20 employees in my company. Our product, Cardiac Risk Free has no chemical preservative and is a herbal product,” says Ashmi.
Another women entrepreneur, Santhosh Kumari, administrator of ServConnect, a facility management company, helped two wards in Mannarkudi Municipality set up a reverse osmosis plant with remote monitoring, where water can be bought with the swipe of an ATM card. With a turnover of `3 crore and her husband’s technical support, Santhosh Kumari too has been in the business for two years. “My husband helps me with certain technical aspects, while I handle general operations. My dream of running a successful business has come true and my husband is part of my success. BMB approved our `23 lakh loan request and now we have their support too,” says Santhosh Kumari.
S Rukmani, Kumari’s mother adds, “Women and men should accept that without working together, it’s difficult to attain success.”
Ten entrepreneurs handling different businesses such as paper roll manufacturing, photography, masala powder manufacturing, medicine and others received the Women Entrepreneur's award from Madhu Saran, founder of River, a women's NGO at the Women's Day Function at BMB.