Our Mentors have personal experience of owning and managing a small or medium-sized business successfully for years, are aware of specific challenges that women entrepreneurs face (e.g. in starting a business, accessing finance, networking and balancing family and business).
Our mentor Mrs.Flutura Xhabija, a senior expert in support to women business, and especially
While many women mentored during the IPA CBC project implementation report that they own and regularly use mobile phones, not all of them have regular internet connection. Also, few own other kinds of ICT tools such as computers, broadband, internet-enabled laptops or smart tablets), and very few use the more advanced features of the online world. Also, this shows that ICTs are not being used fully for business purposes, but primarily for personal and social motives. The key challenges include women entrepreneurs’ limited ICT skills, and their lack of awareness of and low confidence in using ICTs for business purposes. Affordability and financial reasons might also be a constraint as smart tables, laptops, computers, mobiles and internet connection cost and women cannot afford to add to their expenses more than what they already have.
Mentor: Teuta Xhindi
micro enterprice development project for women in crosboarder area is offering expert mentoring to women entrepreneurs, to help them keep their new businesses going during their first, very challenging years. Each entrepreneur was matched with a suitable mentor (considering location, business type, etc.) and met her each month for three months in a row. .A clear outline of the goals and objectives was agreed between both parties to ensure that the best results could be achieved. Mentors have personal experience of owning and managing a small or medium-sized business successfully for at least five years, be aware of specific challenges that women entrepreneurs face (e.g. in starting a business, accessing finance, networking and balancing family and business), or experts that have experience in legal issues, or ICT, or Communication etc They undertook to share their knowledge and know-how with their mentees and be available to meet them regularly.
Our legal mentor is Ms.Dhurata Çupi, a senior expert in legal issues regarding local legal support to business, and especially supporting women entrepreneurship.
There is no denying that in current times, social media is a powerful tool for businesses to embrace. From improved communication with customers, increased brand awareness and authority to a growth in sales and website traffic, the benefits of social media can hardly be overstated. Going hand in hand with social media, digital marketing and the vital part it plays in every business’s success was another important element highlighted during the project.
Our mentor Blerjana Bino had a fruitful discussion and women shared their experience using social media for business.
Marketing systems are undergoing rapid transformation. Traditional marketing channels with ad hoc sales are being replaced by coordinated links between processors, retailers and others. As incomes increase, women business patterns are changing. Consumers are becoming more demanding in terms of quality and safety and demographic and income trends are leading to increased demand for convenience products, together with assurances of product safety.
It is against this background that donors, NGOs and others are recognizing the need for activities that link women businesses to market demand. Thus approaches such as “Linking to Markets”, which assume the development of long-term business relationships rather than support for ad hoc sales, were identified during the meeting in Elbasan. The meeting and discussions briefly reviewed examples of linkages developed both directly by the private sector and by projects where donors and NGOs provide the catalyst for women to work more closely within the private sector.
There is a growing trend towards branding on the basis of quality or taste attributes, and this may have the advantage of not requiring certification. Among some development agencies there tends to be emphasis on helping women to identify profitable markets overseas rather than domestically.
In the framework of the project ” Microenterprise development project for women in the cross-border area” supported by IPA Cross-Border Funds of Northern Macedonia and Albania for 2014-2015, Center for Comparative and International studies has organized on Jan 31, 2020 a policy discussion on local and regional policies to encourage women in the region of Elbasan to create new ventures and opportunities to support them on being entrepreneurs.
This policy discussion was organized from CCIS and Institute of Human Rights from North Macedonia and another Albanian NGO working with Women in Elbasan, WPS Albania and Mrs. Mimoza Hajdarmataj, ex- member of Albanian Parliament and co-founder. WPS Albanian and Identitet e.V, an NGO from diaspora in Germany, are implementing in Elbasan region the project “Step by Step! Women economic growth in Elbasani Region through knowledge exchange with Albanian diaspora in Germany” funded by GIZ International
The policy discussion brought together in a very intensive discussion the group of women working with CCIS in the project from two year by now and policy makers, academics, business women, had of Chamber of commerce and industry, businessman from diaspora in Germany, women NGOs and journalists.
