Nagaland women entrepreneurs have business acumen, says trainer from US

Our Correspondent
Kohima, Aug. 5 (EMN): Women entrepreneurs in Nagaland have great entrepreneurial ideas and are good at identifying problems, observed Dieter Bruhn, English Language Specialist from the U.S.

He trained women entrepreneurs from across the state at the five-day train-the-trainer workshop held in Dimapur for U.S. Consulate’s entrepreneurship programme Academy for Women Entrepreneurs (AWE) alumni, and other women entrepreneurs in Nagaland.

On Friday, the last day of the workshop, which was organised by the US Consulate General Kolkata in partnership with Regional English Language Office (RELO) of the U.S. Embassy in India, a total of eight participants pitched their businesses/ products at YouthNet office in Dimapur and they were given certificates.

Bruhn said that the women entrepreneurs were really trying hard to find innovative solutions to the problems. He also noticed transformation in their confidence level, organisational skills, and time management by the end of workshop.

He was of the view that women entrepreneurs (in the state) are preserving cultural heritage, environment, agriculture etc. and trying to expand not only product but culture as well which is a ‘beautiful thing’. 

‘For anyone starting a business, to identify the problem and solving it differently is the first thing. Being unique and different from others is important,’ he said.

The second, he said, is presenting the products and pitching it in a clear way to attract investors and partners.

“This is where a lot of entrepreneurs fail. A lot of people come with great ideas but they don’t know how to present it, how to market it, and how to make themselves known,” Bruhn said. 

One thing that particularly “impressed” him was “strong English skills” among the people in Nagaland.

The training was conducted with an aim hone the business communication and presentation skills of the participants; with a focus on networking, negotiating, elevator pitches, and formal pitches for specific audiences.

The programme prepared them to deliver a winning business pitch in front of a live audience including investors, industry leaders, entrepreneurs, and academicians, it was informed. Similar training was conducted in Ranchi and Patna last month, and the next destinations are Imphal and Kolkata.

Meanwhile, women entrepreneurs Imliben Lemtur (first), Temsusenla Jamir (second) and Tasangkala Imchen (third) were awarded for scoring most points during the training workshop in Dimapur.