30 Rural Women Trained to Turn Skills into Sustainable Businesses

By: Women Entrepreneurs Review Team | Thursday, 10 September 2026

The Department of Industries organized a three-day Entrepreneurship Development Program to equip 30 rural women engaged in stitching and embroidery with essential knowledge in entrepreneurship, business management and venture development. The initiative focused on strengthening their business skills and helping them explore opportunities to turn their traditional expertise into sustainable enterprises.

Held at the Global Hill Development Institute in Ghanahatti, Shimla, the program aimed to encourage participating women to develop their skills into viable income-generating businesses. The training also sought to promote entrepreneurship among rural women and motivate them to become job creators within their communities.

The participants received guidance on developing an entrepreneurial mindset, identifying potential business opportunities and understanding customer needs. They were also introduced to practical methods such as user interviews, persona mapping, evidence-based problem statements and idea validation to help them assess and refine their business concepts.

Key Highlights:

• 30 rural women received training in entrepreneurship, business management and venture development
• Participants learned about business models, pricing, marketing and financial planning
• Experts evaluated their ideas and guided them on building viable enterprises

The training covered key areas of enterprise management, including go-to-market strategies, business operations, finance, pricing, and compliance and risk management. Through expert-led sessions, the women gained practical insights into planning and managing their ventures while understanding the steps required transforming their stitching and embroidery skills into commercially viable businesses.

The participants were also introduced to concepts such as Minimum Viable Product (MVP), Value Proposition and Business Model to ensure they were able to analyze the practicability of their proposed stitching and embroidery business.

Pitching business ideas, readiness of the ventures, business models, and preparation for capstone presentations were explained by experts to the trainee women. The participants were also briefed on the various policies and support services offered by the government to the entrepreneurs.

The women had to present their business ideas and propose their business model before an expert panel. The panel assessed the business viability, market opportunities and financial planning and future growth aspects of the presentations and gave suggestions.

The training also allowed the participants to think outside the box of traditional stitching and embroidery work and explore the possibility of creating differentiated products, establishing customer base and growing businesses. The women learned about pricing, marketing and financial planning, enabling them to make well-informed decisions and enhance the commercial viability of their businesses.

The program also highlighted the need for bringing rural entrepreneurs to the markets and institutional support. Exposure to Government schemes, business development tools and expert guidance is expected to help participants transition from skill based activities to structured enterprises that offer improved income opportunity and future growth potential.

The project is part of the Department of Industries' work to encourage women entrepreneurship in the rural areas, and to empower grassroots businesses. The program seeks to empower women to become entrepreneurs and boost employment and economic activities through an entrepreneurial approach and preparedness, while utilizing traditional skills.