KOCHI: It all started when two women, Pushpy Muricken, an accountant, and Sheela Kochouseph Chittilapilly, the founder and chairperson of V Star, decided to create a WhatsApp group for Kochi-based women entrepreneurs in 2016 to guide and assist them in their entrepreneurial journey.
Seven years later, the group has over 800 members from across the state. Under the umbrella Women Entrepreneurs Network (WEN), it is a thriving business group of women entrepreneurs helping each other in their business activities.
“Women at any age should come out and grab the opportunities. Women should support women to grow,” Sheela said.
Indu Jayaram, director of CareerFit 360 and vice chairperson of WEN, said when the group was formed, they were pleasantly surprised when 200 businesswomen, from bakers to tailors and those running small shops in and around Kochi, joined the group immediately. It was a turning point.
“We realised that women did not have a platform and that we must establish one as more and more women joined. In WEN, we have women business aspirants, small-business owners and powerful executives. Everyone receives equal opportunity to grow and flourish,” Indu added.
The organisation is now registered under the Travancore Literary, Scientific and Charitable Societies Registration Act, 1955, and currently has five chapters in Kerala - Kochi, Calicut, Thrissur, Kottayam, and Thiruvananthapuram.