Karachi, 22 August 2024 (TDI): Following the successful launch of the first edition of She’s Next global advocacy program in Pakistan, Visa, a world leader in digital payments, is set to initiate the She’s Next Club to further support female entrepreneurs.
She’s Next was launched earlier this year in partnership with Pakistan’s leading bank HBL to empower women-owned small businesses through funding, training, and mentorship.
Five women-led businesses in Pakistan secured grants worth $50,000 in the country’s inaugural She’s Next program. To initiate regular interaction and further support the important group, Visa will invite select alumni – including successful applicants to the program – to join She’s Next Club to offer hands-on training and networking opportunities.
According to Visa’s Women SMB Digitization Index survey, female entrepreneurs in Pakistan are eager to learn from their peers, with many women entrepreneurs needed specific help on overcoming problems (61 percent), developing online sales (54 percent), and building a team of employees (43 percent).
Nearly all (98 percent) women are keen on payment related training. A section of women (33 percent) seek advice on the types of payments accepted from customers and are interested in workshops on managing stress in crisis (46 percent), using social media for promotion (40 percent), and creating an online store (32 percent).
In recognition of these results, and in collaboration with Visa’s execution partners Katalyst Labs, She’s Next Club participants will get extensive knowledge training on topics such as team building and managing people, startup financials, effective marketing and sales strategies and enabling digital payments for businesses from industry leaders, as well as experts from Visa and HBL.
These sessions will be held over seven weeks in Islamabad, Faisalabad, Karachi, Lahore and Peshawar from 22nd August to 27th September 2024.
Umar S. Khan, Country Manager for Pakistan and Afghanistan for Visa, said that the response to She’s Next in Pakistan was overwhelming, with over 2,500 applications received in its first year.
He said that this reflects the strong demand and enthusiasm among Pakistani female entrepreneurs for learning and networking opportunities that can help them grow their businesses.
She’s Next Women SMB Digitization Index Research
She’s Next Women SMB Digitization Index, was a survey to dive into the female entrepreneurial journey. The businesses covered were a mix of micro, small, and medium businesses spanning across manufacturing, trading, and services.
The aim of the research is to understand the motivations and hurdles faced by the female entrepreneurs, with a special focus on digitization. The study was commissioned by Visa and managed by 4SiGHT Research and Analytics.
