Entrepreneurship has become more popular than ever before. ‘Becoming your own boss’ has become increasingly attractive. Hence, people prefer investing their time, efforts, and finances on a venture they can address as their own rather than applying for jobs, waiting for their selections, and then working under a manager.
A notable fact is that there has been a significant increase in the number of women initiating their entrepreneurial journey, and the trend gained momentum during the pandemic. While in urban areas, this can be attributed to the availability and accessibility of technology, the internet, and increased use of social media; in rural areas, it is still a budding concept but has been enormously picking up the pace ever since COVID-19 entered our lives.

Due to the adoption of ‘Digital India’ initiatives, digitization is foraying into the rural areas. This has facilitated the rise of women entrepreneurs in rural cities of India. The increase in social media usage has allowed platforms that encourage networking and knowledge sharing to aid in this trend. ChekMarc is a global community where meaningful connections empower members to help each other achieve their goals in a more secure, private, positive and meaningful way. The firm has analyzed key trends in the growth of women entrepreneurs throughout 2020. This report titled, ‘How social media and networking platforms have been a game-changer for women entrepreneurs in rural cities of India’ highlights the increase in women entrepreneurs from rural regions of the country and the factors pushing their growth.

Highlights of the report
The report’s findings are based on the trends observed in the year 2020, immediately following the pandemic in the rural cities of Agra, Indore, Surat, Bhubhaneshwar, Bhopal, Kanpur, Madurai, Nellore, Guntur, and Kota, just to name a few.

• The percentage of women working at the forefront during the pandemic was higher when compared to men
• The male-dominated culture is slowly fading away, paving the way for female entrepreneurs
• Rural cities have witnessed a surge in women entrepreneurs, with the present entrepreneurship- figure standing approximately at 62%
• Internet penetration in rural areas is attempting to match the levels of urban regions and has led to the emergence of start-up ventures, especially by women in the rural cities
• Increased accessibility and affordability of smartphones and the internet has helped in digitization, thereby facilitating the increase of female entrepreneurship
• Increased smartphone usage during the lockdown coupled with data packs and special offers, reducing cost, further pushed the rising of women entrepreneurs amongst the rural cities
• Out of the 62% female entrepreneurs, the majority of them are homepreneurs, and the rest are professional sellers
• The top categories in which the women entrepreneurs are venturing into are health, especially feminine hygiene, beauty, fashion, home, lifestyle, food, home-cooked food, etc.
• A considerable percentage of these females prefer using e-commerce platforms like Amazon to sell their products

This growth is primarily due to-

• Provision of infrastructural facilities
• Accessibility of internet and social media
• Seamless power supply ensuring accessibility of the internet and smartphone usage 24×7 without interruptions
• Favorable working conditions and required support from the loved ones
• The abundance of talent and labour amongst females
• Increase in awareness and education levels
• Digitization of rural markets
• The female population is eager and keen to acquire the requisite skills and undergo relevant training to start new ventures

The Indian start-up ecosystem has welcomed women entrepreneurs with open arms, and this trend is indeed picking up pace. Over the past decade, female entrepreneurship increased at a nominal rate. However, the pandemic came as a blessing in disguise and drove the growth of this trend. The outcome was that women entrepreneurs from the rural cities got an opportunity to come out of their shells and kick their entrepreneurial journey.

How social media and networking platforms empower women entrepreneurs

Social media and networking platforms are powerful tools in the present times. They play an essential role in empowering women entrepreneurs, especially in rural cities, in various ways. Some of the significant ways through which they extend a helping hand is by-

• Helping women connect with existing and prospective consumers
• Enabling them to connect and enforce the creation of a network or community that fosters a collaborative environment
• Giving them the flexibility to work from home while simultaneously managing their homes and families
• Giving them a platform to transform their dream or concept into a business venture
• Providing them access to necessary training and resources
• Accessing business activities and deals from the comfort of their homes
• Helping increase their sales and revenue
• Helping them build their brand
• Helping bridge the technical gap by providing necessary training to build knowledge and skills

Despite the pandemic, women in rural cities saw that time as an opportunity and worked hard to turn the situation by initiating their entrepreneurial journey. Increased penetration of social media and networking platforms has allowed females to convert their passion into a source of income.

Women entrepreneurs think out of the box and aim to mark their presence in new markets. They work hard to come up with innovative products and tap into unknown markets. Examples include business-focused schools, eco-friendly sanitary and hygiene products, unique kitchen products, etc. Rural females specifically have realized the need to be independent and financially stable.

Today India has 13.5–15.7 million women-owned enterprises, and they represent 20% of all enterprises as reported by Google and Bain and Company. This is indeed a huge number, and it is mainly comprised of single-person enterprises, which provide direct employment for an estimated 22 to 27 million people. However, the alarming truth is that a majority of females are household managers and homemakers. A minority of females step outside to work. Women have to face structural, social, economic barriers and challenges of stereotyping and biases.

Inc 42’s Analysis by Datalabs shows that only 20% of the total startups in India are based in Rural and Tier 3 cities, with over 5,800 startups in Rural cities alone. Funding of $87 Mn was raised outside of the tier 1 cities in 2020 compared to $234 Mn raised in 2019. Additionally, rural solopreneurs comprise approximately 38% share of the women entrepreneurship ecosystem.

One of Cisco’s reports states that while India’s population is estimated to touch 1.42 billion by 2023, we are already using 1.5 billion-plus connected devices. The same report also indicates that by 2023, India’s internet users are expected to cross the 900 million mark with connected devices touching a figure of 2.1 billion by then. This implies that mobile phones’ increased use will eventually lead to a rise in social media and networking platforms usage, thereby carving the path for women entrepreneurs, especially in rural cities, to come forward and pursue their dreams.

Sharing his/her views on the emerging era of women entrepreneurs in rural cities of India, Vrinda Johnson, Chief of Strategy & Operations at ChekMarc, Inc., said, ‘’What often goes unnoticed is that when provided with equal resources, women-owned ventures produce equally strong outcomes. They play a major role in the economic sphere rather than playing a peripheral one. Women entrepreneurs make way for social and economic prosperity. The interesting bit is that they are now realizing the power of entrepreneurship and that it will give them the opportunity to be more independent. Rural cities of India are moving towards the adoption of digitization and the female population is making use of the available resources and utilizing them optimally to come up with their ventures and initiate their start-up journey. It is indeed joyful to witness this trend of the emergence of women entrepreneurs, especially from the rural areas. We are glad that social media and social networking platforms have given the required push to driving this shift during the pandemic. It is these positive outcomes that make us believe that the purpose of having such platforms is fulfilled- to create an engaging community where people come forward to help each other and ensure the provision of relevant opportunities to the community members for their growth. Having said this, we anticipate that women entrepreneurs from the rural cities will soon be at the forefront and we are glad to have been a part of this women entrepreneurship-driven era.’’

The users don’t just share information but are also well-informed about each other’s activities, life updates, and whereabouts, thanks to social media’s reach. Amid the ever-increasing competition, social media platforms are revamping their strategies and features to meet the users’ growing needs.

They work intending to connect individuals and cater to their needs & interests in various fields like acting, dancing, influencing, matchmaking, interacting, presenting, cooking & so on. Amidst the increasing inclination towards social platforms, India’s social media landscape is undergoing rapid transformation with the changing times.

Have a glimpse at the top emerging social media platforms in India that are revamping the social media space-

1. ChekMarc:
ChekMarc is a first-of-its-kind globally social community that positively connects people one on one to help each other accomplish something. Connections are private and safer, without the worry of negative comments or responses. Anyone, anywhere in the world (over the age of 18) who is looking for guidance or would like to help others can use ChekMarc. It is accessible in over 35 languages ranging from English to Italian, French, German, Japanese and Korean.

The platform has recently launched in India and works at a global level. In the initial stage, the platform will be functional in three languages, including Hindi, Urdu, and Bengali. It will be accessible to Indian members via both the website and application version and available on both the iOS and Android operating systems.

2. NOFILTR:
NOFILTR is a social media label that primarily incubates young talent by giving them creative and resourceful direction. They establish collaborations between influencers and brands and desire to create a network that facilitates personal expression and intriguing content.
NOFILTR connects the brand to the influencer and the influencer to the world at large by offering a wide array of services ranging from personal branding, content creation and curation, influencer marketing, brand collaborations, and campaign design with campaign execution and analysis. With a resource pool of 50 influencers on board exclusively working with NOFILTR Group, some of the famous artists they have groomed are Mrunu, Ashi Khanna, ManavChhabra, AwezDarbar, Nagma, etc.

3. Bolo Indya:
Bolo Indya is a short-form infotainment video network with the unique potential to help its creators monetize their content through the Bolo Indya network that opens infinite revenue opportunities for them. The platform experienced a steady 8x growth within 18 months of its launch, along with a retention rate of 80 percent for creators due to this unique bid. The platform now has more than 65 lakhs monthly android and iOS users, aged 18-30 and rising in more than 14 languages at a rate of 4x. The platform frequently collaborates with over 75 brands during the festive season with a mission to empower them and increase their brand value. The partnership usually happens in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, and English languages, with its strong influencers.

4. Do Your Thng:
This is one of the leading content creation apps in India. It facilitates collaboration between brands and creators and provides them a platform to interact, promote their products and create aesthetic posts. The brand aims to drive the creators to pursue their passion that is creating and posting content. The platform’s unique bit is that all kinds of users can post their original content on the app. Be it amateurs, a common social media user, or an influencer; everyone has the opportunity to join the community and start creating content.

The brand gives the creator the flexibility to choose from various campaigns, and they will be doing what they love, creating their original yet artsy content. Eventually, they are rewarded via cash or kind once their content gets approved if adhering to the guidelines. Offering such creative and communicative activities at zero cost, this is one of the go-to apps for indulging in fruitful leisure time.