LAHORE: The first thing that springs to mind when we hear the words “startup”, “incubation” and “entrepreneur” is technology, tech-savvy people and enterprises run entirely through computers, tablets, mobile phones Apps and other such devices.

Saima Asif, a retailer of ready-to-wear clothing and handicraft as well as an event planner, was never given the chance to join an elite incubation in the city despite the fact that doing so would allow her firm an opportunity to flourish and attract investors. Additionally, she never felt the need to rush into incubation because both of her businesses were thriving and mostly drew customers from her social network.

When events came to a halt due to Covid lockdowns, customers for handicraft disappeared. She was preoccupied with the idea of going back to being a full-time housewife.

In 2021, she was given the opportunity to join a women’s-only resource centre that was created to assist in bringing non-tech ideas to life.

Ms Asif feels more organised now that she has fulfilled the batch requirement, and her event management booking is back on track.

“I was already an independent business person and needed no help to operate from the scratch,” she told Dawn. “I needed to discover the outside-the-box strategies for achieving my great dreams. Although some people believed I was crazy, the resource centre staff thought I met their requirements for training.”

Three batches of women entrepreneurs have been mentored by the Women Resource Centre and Incubation (WRCI), a partnership between the Punjab Industries Department, the Women Chambers of Commerce and Industry (WCCI), and regional public and private higher educational institutions. The fourth batch is close to graduating.

Anjum Naheed is an Amazon vendor who provides local handicraft to the company’s European warehouses. When officialdom obstructs their ability to conduct business, she says, working women get depressed.

According to Ms Naheed, “The WRCI, being a public sector venture, helps its mentees cut the red tape in government departments and connect us with the relevant individuals both nationally and globally.”

Every visitor to the WRCI is shown a billboard outside the building, which Project Director Sohaib Zafar refers to as “the board of dreams.” The board provides a list of some of the WRCI graduates’ successful businesses.

What does it take for a company to be deemed stable?

“Well, if the business has employees, is not in financial difficulty, and has a steady future,” he responds.

Every woman is welcome at the centre regardless of her academic background or lack of computer skills. “We don’t always value prior business expertise; we just value the company idea and, to a certain extent, the business idea itself. Our strict phased admission requirements put business concepts to the test. The WCCI and WRCI representatives, instructor and a few additional people make up the admission committee.”

Although the incubator does not provide money, it can help connect people with local and international financial institutions and funders.

In Ms Asif’s case, the centre assisted her in obtaining cost-free stalls at the city’s major department shops, which, according to her, increased the number of her clients. During her degree, she learned about digital marketing which allowed her to network with clients worldwide.

According to Mr Zafar, “We teach trainees how to establish business models, how to sell their products, how to develop business and produce business products, how to build one’s own brand, how to groom oneself and one’s business, etc.”

The centre is tucked away in a commercial complex on MM Alam Road where other high-tech businesses work in shared offices.

Dr Shehla Javed Akram, the founder president of the WCCI, has closely observed the WRCI’s formation, development and issues.

“The WRCI is a project of which I’m proud. I was encouraged to pursue this businesswomen-only facility by incubator programmes in public universities,” she told Dawn.

She says she tried to get working women admitted to the LUMS incubator but it did not work. It took her three years to turn her vision into reality when she presented the WRCI plan to the Punjab government.

“Choosing the best instructors, creating an efficient syllabus and selecting the proper candidates for the first batch were tedious tasks. Fortunately, the success rate for WRCI graduates is 64 percent which is fantastic.”

Ms Asif finished her batch work a year ago but she still stops by the centre to talk to trainees about her experiences.

“I do it as a way of giving back. I feel it is my duty to share with other trainees anything I have learnt at the centre and whatever difficulties I encounter,” she says. In this way, the entrepreneur’s family continues to thrive.

Published in Dawn, November 14th, 2022