Meena Bindra got married when she was 20 years old. She then had two sons and got busy taking care of kids and family.
She was creative, though and took up dress designing as a hobby. Then it became a source of pocket money for her. Starting a business was never her plan, though.
She says, "When I started designing clothes as a hobby to earn some pocket money, I never dreamt of becoming a businesswoman!"
However, she had courage and passion. "If you have the passion for something, just do it," she says. And that's exactly what she did!
She took up a loan of Rs 8000 and launched the brand BIBA, a brand specializing in salwar kameez and kurtas.
In 2004, Biba opened its first outlet in a Mumbai mall. In March 2012, BIBA's annual revenues stood at Rs 300 crore. And by 2020, BIBA was a 600-crore business venture!
On her way to become a successful businesswoman, there were so many myths that Meera proved wrong.....
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A woman cannot have a career as well as a family: Meena was married and a mum to two sons when she started her business. She has her husband's support. He helped her get her first loan to start the business. Her sons later joined her business and helped her run it.
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One needs to be young and start early to be successful in business: Meena was almost 40 when she decided to launch BIBA.
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Creativity doesn't pay. One needs a business degree to start a business: Meena had no earlier experience of running a business or working in a corporate set-up when she started designing clothes.
In fact, Meena was a self-taught designer. She had no formal degree in either dress designing or business. It was her determination, passion, hard work and creativity all the way.
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You need to be wealthy to start your own business or be a part of a business family: Meena's husband was in the Navy. She took a loan to start her business.
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Girls need to stick to conventions. And not think beyond: Meena followed an opposite route, in fact. Rather than limit her talent as a hobby, Meena decided to expand her horizons. She ventured out to start her business at an age where people start planning for retirement. It was this approach of expanding her horizon and thinking beyond what is the convention that helped Meera achieve success!
When Meena started her business, she had to learn everything on her own. Over a period of time, things have become easier for girls. There are scholarships available for girls to pursue their dreams, free online courses for those looking to hone their skills in a particular field and even free career guidance for those who may be undecided about their future.
If you wish to apply for a scholarship or wish to know more about the career options available for women today, click here!
