Daily Times

More and more women have been starting home-based businesses since COVID-19. Whether it is baking, art classes, fashion, crafts or a range of creative for-profit endeavours, they are by and large struggling with access to market and a bridge to help them serve the market. Technology is the easiest and most efficient bridge, but by and large, they are struggling to set up their own ecommerce sites. Hence, Dukan.pk This is a new platform by Monis Rahman, founder, rozee.pk. He is offering free ecommerce stores for women SMEs in the LADIESFUND Community and recently addressed them virtually. Although based in Lahore, he flew down to The Buraq Center by LADIEFUND in Karachi for Women’s Entrepreneurship Day’s as part of Global Entrepeneurship Week to virtually address thousands of women SMEs in Pakistan. More than 3000 women watched the talk live.

Rahman spoke first on how nascent the ecommerce market was in Pakistan and the steep slope for sales available. He then invited women SMEs to use Dukan to grow their markets and reach, without worrying about the technology. The discussion was very candid and insightful. The small studio audience members were each handheld by his colleague Warisha Amin in starting their own Dukan ecommerce store, were helped with any and all troubleshooting, and were able to ask Monis and his key team members about ways to scale.

“Let us grow together. We’re on a rollercoaster ride. Sit with us on the front row,” stated Rahman. “Not everyone will use a mastercard or visa, and we have a variety of payment methods available through us, including paypal.” He went on to say, “Some ventures succeed. Some fail. Inshallah Dukan will succeed. So just start. You do your part, and we will do our part.”

“Monis is a dear friend to LADIESFUND and someone who has built extraordinary, impactful companies that serve Pakistan and Pakistanis,” introduced Tara Uzra Dawood, President, LADIESFUND, “We are honoured to have him come down from Lahore to share with our community virtually his latest venture and an important, invaluable tool to help women entrepreneurs scale and grown multifold, and all free for LADIESFUND members.”