Multitasking Makes us ‘Superwomen’, Say Women Entrepreneurs

KOCHI:
Women entrepreneurs who have to juggle between the demands of home life and workplace pressures are truly “superwomen” whose singular multitasking abilities make them both unique and successful — the sentiment is echoed by three mothers who have made their mark in the business world.
At the 4th edition of Meetup Café organized by the Kerala Startup Mission on Tuesday, Pamela Anna Mathew, the Managing Director of O/E/N India Limited; Sheela Kochouseph, Chairperson and Managing Director of V Star Creations Pvt Limited; and Lekha Balachandran, Managing Partner of Resitech Electricals, described their experience of battling personal and social challenges and excelling in their chosen fields.
They shared their success stories and gave advice to aspiring entrepreneurs at the hardware products incubator Maker Village in Kalamassery (Kerala Technology Innovation Zone campus).
“Entrepreneurs are always a bit crazy, and they tend to ignore the society; however an entrepreneur should be aware of what is happening around,” said Mathew. Interpersonal skills are a critical requirement for business, she noted, and added that entrepreneurs should “dream nothing less than being a leader”.
The Meetup Café is held as a platform to bring innovators, industry leaders, investors, academicians and government officials together, and reach out to the young players in the startup ecosystem.
Kochouseph spoke about how she and her husband Kochouseph Chittilappilly chose to pursue different business interests; while he led V-Guard Industries to new heights as an electric goods manufacturing company, she branched into the completely unrelated field of fashion.
“Unlike Kochouseph, I was least interested in engineering. Though, I spent initial days at V Guard, I decided to start my own business in the fashion sector. That was how V Star took off. Although I faced number of hurdles, I remained unfazed and moved forward,” she said.
Her advice to the young leaders was that they should listen to subordinates, but never be carried away by their words. Balachadran hailed the state government’s change in industrial policy and the emergence of ‘ease of doing business’ as a big mantra.
“The government is set to implement a single window system and the policy has changed ‘from red tape to red carpet’. Thirty years ago, the scenario was totally different and we had to make our own way through obstacles. What kept me going then was the idea that ‘if someone can, why can’t I?” said Balachandran.
The session concluded with a Q&A session and Maker Village CEO Prasad Balakrishnan delivered vote of thanks.