Nagaland: Entrepreneurs Associates holds meeting for street vendors in Kohima

Dimapur, March 7 (EMN): Entrepreneurs Associates (EA) on Monday organised a meeting for street vendors, wherein soft skills trainer Susan Angami emphasised on the importance of interpersonal skills to communicate more effectively with customers.

An update from EA informed that nearly 70 women street vendors from all parts of Kohima town attended the meeting at Aloha Learning Centre.

Angami stated that even a minute’s gesture could leave a huge impact on them.

‘Greeting a customer with a smile regardless of one’s mood, having a positive attitude despite challenges, understanding customer’s need and being punctual were some of the issues highlighted. According to her, the present market scenario has changed with an increase in vegetable supply and more people willing to take up farming’, it read.

She also motivated the street vendors to take pride in their jobs and maintain self-respect.

 “If you see the bigger picture, your contribution is immense in reducing imports. You are where you are supposed to be, God has placed you here. Your job is not small,” she said.

 Komuhero, a street vendor from Pudunamei, also attended the programme for the first time, it said.

She has been vending vegetables at Mao Market for the past 17 years. She began her business with just INR 40, when she was just 17 years old; purchasing a kg of Brinjal at INR 15 and a bunch of Mustard leaves for INR 25 with her first capital. “I sold them the same afternoon. I was so happy to see my money had almost doubled. That’s when I decided I would get into the business full time” Komuhero recalled.

Komureho was one among the many vendors who attended the programme of ‘Uplifting Women Street Vendors’ organised by Entrepreneurs Associates and supported by Capri Global Capital Limited.

Speaking on the importance of financial planning, EA’s CEO Neichute Doulo asked the vendors to set aside 20% of their earnings as savings. He encouraged them to be ‘open to learning new skills and learnings, but most importantly mastering the art of financial planning’.

 EA’s CEO also informed that the Interest Free Loans currently provided by EA is the outcome of EA’s intervention to help street vendors during the two pandemic years, through relief distribution and facilitating incomes when they could not operate their business.

He also suggested that women should also adopt technology to improve their business, citing the examples of EA’s programme on ‘Enabling Technology’ in Manipur wherein 800 women have been trained. The attendees also learned about other schemes available under EA, it added.