{"id":14324,"date":"2025-08-08T07:09:42","date_gmt":"2025-08-08T07:09:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.smilefoundationindia.org\/blog\/?p=14324"},"modified":"2025-08-13T07:17:28","modified_gmt":"2025-08-13T07:17:28","slug":"women-centric-businesses-in-india","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.smilefoundationindia.org\/blog\/women-centric-businesses-in-india\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Women-Centric Business Models Look Different (And Should!)\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In the quiet lanes of Girgaum, Mumbai, in 1959, seven women with no formal education and barely any money came together on a rooftop with a simple yet powerful idea: to make papads<\/em>. With just \u20b980, they started this venture from a small kitchen. Operating in a socio-cultural context that largely relegated women to the domestic sphere, these women defied prevailing gender norms by founding what would later become one of India\u2019s most iconic women-led cooperatives. Without access to formal financial support, professional training or external investment, the founders built a decentralised, home-based model that enabled women to generate income without leaving their households. They deliberately rejected hierarchical business structures, adopting instead a cooperative model in which every member was treated as an equal \u201csister,\u201d sharing both labor and profits. This egalitarian ethos remains a foundational principle of \u2018Lijjat Papad<\/strong>\u2019 till date. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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By the 1990s, Lijjat had achieved national recognition and was operating in over 62 locations across India. As of 2023, the organization employs more than 45,000 women and reports an annual turnover exceeding \u20b91,600 crore (approximately USD 190 million), all while maintaining a no-outsider ownership policy. More than a commercial success, Lijjat stands as a transformative model of gender-inclusive enterprise, demonstrating that when women are empowered to design economic systems around their lived realities, they do not merely participate in business\u2014they redefine it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This case study, in fact, offers a valuable lens through which to examine the importance of women-centric business models and how they consistently challenge conventional approaches to enterprise. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Defying conventional systems\u00a0with women-centric businesses<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

For decades, the prevailing blueprint for business success has been a linear, high-growth, venture-capital-driven model. Silicon Valley’s ethos\u2014move fast, scale faster, exit big\u2014has shaped not only how startups are built but also who gets to build them. This emphasis often sidelines businesses that are rooted in community, sustainability and long-term resilience, thus, as more women, and especially women from marginalised communities, enter entrepreneurship, they signal a quiet revolution. Women-centric business models often look radically different. For starters, such organisations tend to be community-led, care-oriented and often circular by design. And in fact, women-led organisations \u2018must\u2019 look different. They are solving a different set of problems and often from a more inclusive, human-centered perspective. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to a 2025 study by research scholars at Mahatma Gandhi Kashi Vidyapith, published in the Journal of Marketing and Special Research, women entrepreneurs are emerging as powerful agents of change\u2014economically and socially. Their involvement in business introduces new ways of thinking that often emphasise sustainability, inclusiveness and community welfare. Unlike conventional models, their approach tends to be more flexible and rooted in real-world social needs. Importantly, women-led enterprises do more than create jobs or generate revenue\u2014they actively disrupt gender stereotypes and expand what leadership looks like. In doing so, they lay the groundwork for a more equitable entrepreneurial landscape, inspiring the next generation of women to lead on their own terms. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thus, it is no doubt that women entrepreneurs frequently prioritise stability over hypergrowth, collaboration over competition and long-term impact over short-term profit. This is so because they are building businesses that are not just scalable, but also sustainable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Advancing community, culture and care<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In contrast to the top-down model of leadership celebrated in traditional startup culture, women entrepreneurs often adopt horizontal leadership structures that empower team members and encourage shared ownership. This care-oriented lens doesn\u2019t just humanise business but it makes it more robust in the face of systemic challenges. This shows up in flexible work arrangements, trauma-informed leadership, ethical sourcing and cooperative ownership models. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s take the case of the garment and textile industry, where women make up an estimated 80 per cent of the global workforce, according to the International Labour Organization (ILO). This sector, particularly in Asia and the Pacific, holds immense transformative potential\u2014not just economically, but socially\u2014as it employs millions of women, often from marginalised backgrounds. The ILO notes that women\u2019s leadership in this space is proving to be a catalyst for more sustainable business practices and alternative forms of governance. The report cites the example of Ka-Sha and its approach of producing custom-made products in small quantities. The business is profitable and contributes to environmental and social sustainability goals. In the process, Ka-Sha engages in enabling circular processes and focuses on community development efforts. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

While these approaches may not align with traditional investor metrics focused on rapid scale and profit, they offer powerful benefits: reduced waste, stronger local economies and a more equitable distribution of value. These examples underscore the need to recognise and support women-led innovations that prioritise sustainability and community well-being. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Building inclusive, rooted entrepreneurship <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In rural India, many women with entrepreneurial spirit remain sidelined\u2014not for lack of drive, but due to deep structural barriers: limited access to finance, low digital literacy, mobility constraints and social norms that confine them to the private sphere. Smile Foundation\u2019s Swabhiman<\/a> <\/strong>programme operates on the understanding that true empowerment is holistic.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Swabhiman\u2019s entrepreneurship training equips women\u2014including adolescents\u2014with business skills, financial literacy and hands-on mentoring. The holistic curriculum includes digital marketing, linkages to government schemes and confidence-building. In 2023\u201324, the programme:<\/p>\n\n\n\n