Google conference helps aspiring biz women to hone skills

A conference on women entrepreneurs that was held in the city helped to connect many aspiring and bright minds with those who have already made a mark as businesswomen. The conference was organised by Google and SheThePeople, India's largest storytelling network that focuses on women entrepreneurs.

Speaking on the sidelines of the conference, Shaili Chopra, founder of SheThePeople, said fear of technology is perhaps one of the biggest stumbling blocks for women entrepreneurs.

"Take for example an entrepreneur who runs a boutique. Even today, many rely just on the word of mouth to increase their clientele whereas digital marketing tools can help her increase the customer base from say 30 to 300," said Chopra. The idea of the conference was to let potential and aspiring women entrepreneurs interact with those who have already made a name for themselves, she said. The session also saw Google executives explaining the basic elements of digital marketing to the over 200 participants. Shailini Amin, founder and CEO of Moral Fibre, a company that promotes Khadi and hand-woven fabric, is also helping the artisans in the process.

"Such events help potential entrepreneurs and those who wish to expand their business get inspiration and interact with women entrepreneurs who have already made it," said Amin. She said the digital marketing training sessions help potential entrepreneurs tap the online marketing tools from the word go. "Here, they get to know everything about how to set up a website, whom to contact, how it function,"said Amin.