A Story of an Egyptian
Woman Entrepreneur
By: Dr.Yomna El Sheridy
President of BWE21
September 2011
Brief Background:
– Educational Background
– Crossroads between career and
personal..Faced the challenge
– International and Domestic
experience…
– From Pharmaceuticals to bar soap
– From Import to Export.
Baby Food Business
• Population :
84 MM
• New Birth : 1.8MM per annum
• Baby Born every 27 seconds
• Based on this statistics : Baby Food
should sell at least 2 million dozens of
jars
• No reliable data to base investment
especially we were the first Company
to launch Baby Food in jars in 92.
• Trial and Error is the Challenge we
faced.
FINDING OPPORTUNITIES IN
CRISIS
• Exchange rate and Currency crisis.
• Import Business total Collapse.
• Had to reverse the cycle from import to
export.
• From Trading to Manufacturing.
• Started Internet Business comparing
relative advantages of Egyptian
products and World Demand.
• Trial and errors from Onions to
Strawberries to olives to Sundried
Tomato
• From Trading to Manufacturing
What worked:
• Networking
• BWE and similar NGO cut red
tape and is welcome by official
Authorities
• Training and Upgrading your
knowledge.
• Traveling and Trade Shows
• NGO and Chambers of
Commerce
• Donors like IMC and Expolink are
of ample support to SME
• The entrepreneur’s
advice:
• Capitalize on networks and
connections..The world is
becoming very small
• “Always upgrade and
improve. Compare yourself
to competitors in other
countries and stay updated
on world markets. You can’t
be content to sit still; if you
do, you may lose it all.”
• Adapt to crisis and be
flexible
Business Women of
Egypt 21
BWE21 was registered in August 1998
• It is a self financed NGO whose mission is to
upgrade business women contribution to develop
the Egyptian economy.
• BWE21 strength lies in its members who
accomplish together what is impossible alone.
Who should be a member:
• Business Women
• Professional & Career Women
• Women who want to start a business
Thank You