By Prince Osuagwu, Hi-Tech Editor

Direct selling company, Qnet is leveraging the International women’s week to empower Nigerian women on how to start businesses and make gains without huge capitals. 

The global e-commerce company said it has done enough research to discover that the easiest way of establishing women strongly in business is through direct selling, and so, would want Nigerian women who never had the experience to benefit from Qnet’s empowerment. 

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Qnet believes that the best way to “break the bias” which is this year’s theme of International Women’s Day celebration, is to get a critical mass of women into enterpreneurship. 

It also believes direct selling is a sure way to doing that. 

Direct selling is simply the marketing of products and services directly to consumers in a face-to-face manner, away from a retail location.

It has helped modest women entrepreneurs overcome the challenges and barriers associated with starting a sales business as it relates to finance, capital and time needed. 

Qnet says it will bring mentorship, knowledge and skills training needed for Nigerian women to excel in Direct Selling business model.

 World Federation of Direct Selling Associations (WFDSA) says that an estimated 74.4 per cent of direct selling representatives across the globe are women.

QNET Regional General Manager for sub-Saharan Africa, Biram Fall said: “Direct selling will provide Nigerian women with the valuable opportunity to balance professional and personal lives on their own terms; while enabling them to overcome barriers that often keep them from entrepreneurship – such as a lack of capital, time and skills.

“Through our training, we ensure that our independent representatives, who are majorly women will provide experience coaching skills on learning and growing networks too. “

Biram added that the trainings enable them to contribute to their households and the economy, while serving as a viable platform for up-skilling and re-skilling.

While shedding light on the flexible working hours offered through direct selling model, Biram said: “The direct selling business model provides women with the freedom to choose where they work from and when they work.

 “The provided flexibility of working hours, unlike nine to five corporate jobs, have enabled women in the direct selling industry to work as desired – thus allowing women  to walk the find balance between work and personal life.” 

Direct selling is an innovative income generating solution that contributes to removing some of the barriers faced by women in other entrepreneurship platforms.

 The International Finance Corporation (IFC) among others agrees that women play a critical role in the global economy as entrepreneurs. 

They help create jobs, generate income, and boost revenue driving economies while reducing inequalities between women and men. 

A report by IFC indicates that in many emerging economies, women are starting businesses at a faster rate than men, significantly contributing to the economic growth

.

This is despite the fact that women face greater obstacles in almost all spheres of economic activity from access to finance and assets to technology and peer-to-peer networks. 

On average, women have just three-fourths of the legal rights afforded to men, according to the World Bank Group’s Women, Business and the Law report of 2021. 

In some countries, women cannot register a business, sign a contract, or open a bank account. 

With direct selling however, anyone can become an entrepreneur if the right mindset is adopted. However, Qnet said success here, as with any other business, is tied to discipline and dedication.