After Shital launched her rental clothing company, many competitors followed suit. However, Saris and Things remains the number one online rental Indian clothing retailer in the U.S. After her successful launch of SNT Biotech, a company she started during COVID-19 which sells lab supplies, lab kits, etc., Mrs. Daftari won the Enterprising Woman of the Year 2021 award. Mrs. Daftari dedicates her success to grit and perseverance. Positive attitude, strong work ethic, and ability to change course are also crucial, but she encourages young entrepreneurs not to overanalyze a potentially great idea. “If you think you have a great idea, go for it”. Mrs. Daftari is also the co-founder of the Women’s Empowerment Campaign Chicago (WE), a networking & empowerment platform for Indian & Southeast Asian women in Chicago.
Since she could start dreaming, Rachna Chandra has always aspired to be a fashion designer. She learned sewing from her mother and in classes at her high school in India. After she migrated to the U.S., Mrs. Chandra began a small sewing operation out of her basement. Now the founder and owner of the full-fledged Indian bridal boutique, Taj Cottage, and having recently watched her designs walk down the runway at New York Fashion Week, Mrs. Chandra is living her dream.
In order to help other women learn how to take control of their time and finances, Ms. Ali co-founded We Win, a non-profit dedicated to teaching women how to invest in real estate. In line with her dedication to enabling women financially, Ms. Ali recently published a book, “Diaries of a Female Real Estate Investor”, and has recently launched an online real estate investing class. According to her, one of the best things about being an entrepreneur is owning her time. She advises young entrepreneurs to believe in themselves and to stay away from “all the negative chatter”.
From arriving to the U.S. in the year 2000 to now being a CEO of her own successful business, Jana Iyer combined drive, smarts, and sense of opportunity to create her own niche product in the highly competitive liquor industry. With her good friend and partner Sonali Patel, the two young entrepreneurs, with zero experience in the liquor world, launched an upstart tequila which boasts to “elevate” tequila from the ignoble realm of shots and hangovers to the bright, sparkly world of tinkling tequila glasses.
Having a father as a highly successful entrepreneur helped instill the entrepreneurial spirit within Sonali Patel, who knew early on she wanted to start her own business after college. Upon obtaining her Bachelor’s degree in Management Information Systems, and drawing upon the fond memories of her grandmother “malishing” oils into her hair, Ms.Patel wasted no time in founding her own natural hair product line, ArganCoco.
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Fedex Small Business Resource Center
Chic CEO: How to Guides for entrepreneurs
National Association for the Self Employed (NASE)
National Small Business Association (NSBA)
International Franchise Association
National Retail Foundation (NRF)
National Restaurant Association
The Top 40 Start-Up Accelerators and Incubators in North America
The Top Startup Incubators and Accelerators in Each State