Secrets of successful female entrepreneurs
Over the years, in response to the "Women's Entrepreneurship" movement, hundreds of successful women entrepreneurs have emerged in Nghe An province. They not only create economic value and community benefits but also serve as exemplary role models of women who excel in both their professional lives and their family responsibilities.
The startup model is booming.
Ms. Tran Thi Nhu Hoa (born in 1979), residing in Hung Loc commune, Vinh city, was once a disabled mother who single-handedly raised her children amidst many hardships. Overcoming adversity, she became the owner of a unique garment factory; because among her more than 10 seamstresses, the majority have physical disabilities.
Ms. Hoa recounted that she entered the sewing profession after having worked various jobs such as selling fruits and groceries to earn money to support her children. She learned sewing at a factory, initially taking on minor roles such as making buttonholes, sewing simple items, and other tasks. After a period of hard work, she became a master seamstress and was able to sew products requiring advanced techniques.
After a short apprenticeship at a garment factory, Ms. Hoa boldly opened her own business. Initially, she only hired a few employees, but as the number of customers increased, she hired more and paid them stable salaries of 6-10 million VND per month. She trained her workers, who initially lacked skills, so they could handle products requiring complex cutting and sewing techniques, and together they created new fashion items.
Sharing about her achievements after more than 10 years of entrepreneurship, Ms. Tran Thi Nhu Hoa said: "My clothing shop is now very busy with customers placing orders. Although we are overloaded, we always meet deadlines and receive praise from customers. Each year, my shop has an average revenue of about 600 million VND."
Ms. Hoa added that while the fashion tailoring business is no longer as dominant in the market as it was about 10 years ago, her tailor shop is still popular because she knows how to target her intended customer group and always pays attention to the quality of her products.
In the province, there are also many women who have successfully started businesses with highly sustainable production and business models; such as the herbal medicine model of Ms. Nguyen Thi Hang - Director of Hang Moon Herbal Import-Export Co., Ltd., Lam Son commune (Do Luong district), established in 2021. Ms. Hang is the owner of the project "Bringing rural herbs to the market," which was recently honored at a competition organized by the Central Women's Union with the theme "Women starting creative businesses, developing local resources." Her project was highly appreciated for its creativity and safety. The skin and hair care products are made by her company using medicinal herbs grown right in her hometown, such as lemongrass, stinkweed, mugwort, and basil.
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Ms. Nguyen Thi Hang recounted that in 2018, upon learning about the numerous healing, cleansing, and beautifying properties of medicinal plants in a safe way, she decided to develop a business model. Initially, the products didn't attract much attention from consumers, so she offered samples to customers. Once she gained customer trust due to the product's effectiveness, she began promoting it widely. In rural areas, people prefer products that are deeply ingrained in their minds and are also inexpensive, so changing their habits was no easy task. However, through perseverance and a passion for medicinal herbs, Ms. Hang and her colleagues succeeded.
“I was originally a Geography teacher, one of my friends is a Chemistry teacher, and the other has a pharmacist's degree, so we were quite confident about the effectiveness and safety of the product. Therefore, the product has now gained a foothold in the community, generating approximately 1 billion VND in revenue annually.”
Providing practical support to members.startup
During the first half of its term, to support its members, the Nghe An Provincial Women's Union issued Plan No. 272/KH-BTV dated August 1, 2023.Supporting women's economic development, business startups, and successful entrepreneurship."The 2023-2026 term is linked to the implementation of Project 939 "Supporting women's entrepreneurship in the period 2017-2025", and the annual implementation plan of the "Supporting women's entrepreneurship" project."
The various levels of associations in the province have proactively developed activities and advised the Provincial People's Committee to allocate nearly 2,223 million VND for the implementation of the project in 2024. They have also coordinated with relevant departments to effectively implement the project.
Over the past period, the association has focused on organizing training courses to enhance capacity in supporting economic development, starting businesses, and entrepreneurship for association officials at all levels, female members, female business owners, and managers of cooperatives and cooperative groups. It has also promoted activities to support loans for economic development and entrepreneurship, and guided the establishment of cooperative models and cooperative groups managed by women. Furthermore, it has mobilized and supported vocational training and job placement for women, encouraging innovative entrepreneurial ideas and the application of science and technology to participate in the "Women's Entrepreneurship Day" organized by the Vietnam Women's Union, the People's Committee of Nghe An province, and the Nghe An Provincial Women's Union.
Ms. Le Thi Huong Giang - Vice President of the Provincial Women's Union
Ms. Giang also stated that, to date, the Women's Union at all levels has provided capacity-building support to 3,117 women who are business owners, cooperative managers, and household business owners; supported 616 ideas in accessing capital sources totaling 34.4 billion VND; and coordinated the opening of vocational training classes and introduced 24,989 female workers to participate in vocational training, with 18,136 workers finding employment after training.
During the first half of the term, the entire province supported the establishment of 7 women-owned cooperatives with 77 female members, including: Agricultural Cooperatives in Nghia Yen and Nghia Tho communes, Nghia Dan district; Sen Vang Cooperative, Hung Loc commune, Vinh city; Hai Hoang Tofu Production and Processing Cooperative in Cua Nam ward, Vinh city; Nghe An-style Eel Production and Processing Cooperative, Hung Chinh commune, Vinh city; Diem Village Agricultural and Handicraft Cooperative, Chau Khe commune, Con Cuong district; and Mulberry Cultivation Cooperative, Dang Son commune, Do Luong district.
The entire province established 73 cooperative groups with 1,130 participating members. After establishing these cooperatives and groups, they received support from various levels of associations in accessing loans, training on modern production processes and product quality management; regulations and standards for OCOP product development; market research and target market segment identification; management and operation of online stores on e-commerce platforms; and training in safe farming and cultivation techniques according to VietGAP standards, economic management skills, and business development.
