BUILD Mag June 2023

Editor's Note
Another month, another workshop! It has been such a rich experience working
with so many women from such varied industries. While I facilitate these
workshops and share my knowledge and experience, the greater learning has
been what I have taken away from these incredible women-owned businesses.
BUILD is creating the much needed space to help micro women owned
businesses understand their businesses and navigate the plethora of
challenges and external conditions. Our BUILD Network members receive all of
the training and business development consultations absolutely free, as part of
BUILD's commitment to making resources, tools and knowledge accessible to
small businesses.
Why women? If there is something that I have learnt personally, from doing
these sessions with these ladies is that the landscape for men and women is
vastly different. In addition to the usual challenges that women deal with in
terms of running a business, they have added complications to contend with -
this varies from clients and customers who don't take them seriously and
ignore making payment; to suppliers not keeping to their commitments and
giving other businesses preference. And the only way they are able to get
anywhere with this, is to enlist the help of a male family member or friend to
resolve it. How is this acceptable? How have we come this far and still have
these kind of issues to deal with? The women I work with have been secondguessed
in terms of their capability, some have to contend with spouses and
partners who think they are wasting their time and cannot create value.
And having said all that, and all the challenges they face - these are the women
who employ people from their communities, who give of their time and money
to social causes. Who are always willing to give back.
Thus far we have built strong business foundations and skills. We have worked
together on growth strategies and we are transforming those into action plans.
Help me, empower these women. Your Enterprise Development support can
make deep and meaningful impact.
Zainab
Just changing the world. Nothing fancy...
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