Gulmira Akhmetova: "Women in business are more responsible and less adventurous"
What pushes women to get engaged in business? The desire to gain financial independence or the desire for self-realization? We tried to get the answer to this question from the chairman of the Business Women's Council of the Chamber of Entrepreneurs of Kostanay oblast, director of Kostanay Branch of JSC "Halyk Bank of Kazakhstan" Gulmira Akhmetova.
- Gulmira Askarovna, women in business are no longer a rarity. A successful woman is a common thing, and you are a direct proof. What makes women to choose this path?
- Women want to be on an equal with men, that's all. They are great in it, the statistics does not lie: more than 41.5% of small and medium-sized businesses across the country are represented by women. Firstly, the businesswomen know how to count every penny, and secondly, women's initiative is different from the male creative ideas, methods of promotion. Women are more responsible and less adventurous, as guided by the objective circumstances of life, they actively use their intuition. Therefore, it is the reason to say that women quite successfully master the activity, which previously used to be regarded as purely masculine.
- In your opinion, is gender juxtaposition appropriate in business?
- I believe that the business has no gender. Everything depends on the skills and human qualities. Women are interested in those areas that match their abilities and, I would say, especially characteristic. It is very important to "find themselves" in life. To find a business in which they can fulfill their potential at 100%. Therefore, if a woman got engaged in business, she certainly weighed what skills and where she can invest.
- And in what do they often invest?
- Mainly, they get engaged in sphere of service at trade organizations. Manufacturing and production of consumer goods, tourism, insurance, advertising, and marketing, organization of holidays. Women often get engaged in catering, restaurant business. The tax and audit sphere, art, creativity ... There are many directions. Only doing what you are good in you can build a successful business, become famous and well-respected, lead the country to prosperity. If it does not happen, a person can simply loose both personal and professional qualities.
- The correct definition of objectives, starting capital - are some of the ingredients of a successful business recipe. What else does it include?
- Knowledge. Often their absence is the reason of many problems. Knowledge of legal and tax issues, financial literacy. The Council of Business Women under the Chamber of entrepreneurs sets this task to help the novice business woman. Therefore, we willing participate in training sessions, seminars and support perspective business ideas, provide advise on any questions.
- Is there any result?
- In the framework of the Council, we have traveled to remote regions, met with women. We noticed one characteristic. Many people want to start a business, they want to try, some of them have a huge desire. But, as it was noted by my colleagues, there is something that holds them. You begin to study the reasons and it turns out, they just need a stimulus, a push. Sometimes you just need to tell, to give a positive example in the end. This is especially true of young women who have the desire, they absorb knowledge very well. But they just need to be told, to be send to the right direction. Therefore, in the first year of operation, we just provided practical assistance. We shared experiences, participated in business trainings. There are twenty-one woman in the Council, each one has great experience, which is worth sharing.
- What do you usually advise those who are determined to break the stereotype of female weakness and want to get engaged in entrepreneurship?
- I advise to study the laws of the market, in general, to study law, pre-assess the risks and concretely imagine what you might encounter on your way of implementation of this or that project. I think it is enough for the first steps. We, as a Council of Business Women, will help to maintain it. This is our task!
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