“You just need to start”
“You just need to start” was the life-changing moment that pushed Fadia and Shireen to get their business idea off the ground and start their joint home-based business venture in creating and selling cactus houseplants. Fadia Ameera and Shireen Jaber are two women entrepreneurs from Rafat village (near Ramallah) who participated in the Financial Literacy Training provided by Asala in September 2020.
Fadia Ameera (39-year-old) is a housewife with three children and has a diploma in Pharmacy, Shireen Jaber (39-year old) is also a housewife with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and has five children. Both Fadia and Shireen were unable to find a job due to the difficult economic situation and the high unemployment rate. However, both are active in their village and members at Rafat Women’s Association.
“Participating in the Financial Literacy Training pushed us to start our business. Before the training, we were reluctant and afraid to start, then the trainer in the financial training told us “you just need to start”, she pushed us to get started, and from there we began”. Fadia Ameera
After the training, Fadia and Shireen proceeded to purchase cactus plants, starting with a small amount of money (1000 NIS) split between both Fadia and Shireen. They bought the pots and other required materials. Then they created Facebook and Instagram pages with the name “Sabra wa Qowara”.
“We started from scratch, with small materials and pots, and then after making some sales, we bought larger pots, larger amounts of cactus seedlings and different types”. Shireen Jaber
Fadia and Shireen also described how the training equipped them with the necessary skills and confidence to begin and continue. They indicated that the training has shaped their understanding of the financial skills they need to start and grow their business, such as budgeting, pricing, marketing, calculation of profit/loss, etc.
“The financial training gave us the confidence to start, we wanted to do something but didn’t quite know where and how to begin, but after the training, the idea was more clear, we knew how to begin, what are the costs, how to calculate profit, how to make purchases, how to sell. It was also very helpful and encouraged us not only to start but also continue”. Fadia Ameera
In addition to the Financial Literacy Training, Fadia and Shireen also participated in the Farmers weekly Market and Christmas Market. Being Asala’s Associate Members have also enabled them to benefit from other services such as branding and logo design. Asala has helped them to design and print business cards by linking them with an Advertising Company with no costs, so they can hand out the cards during exhibitions and bazaars and therefore, promote their business.
Moreover, the networking meetings Asala conducts for its members have helped Fidaa and Shireen to exchange information, knowledge, and experiences with other peer members and learn from other women with similar businesses.
“Without the membership, we wouldn’t’ be able to figure things out on our own, where we stand, where we’re going. As two women, we are still making our way and getting ahead, we did not have enough information on where to market our products, and how to put our first step in the market. Joining Asala’s membership was a very important step to begin our journey and get the support we need”. Shireen Jaber
Participating in Asala’s exhibitions and markets such as the Farmers Market, Garage Sale, and Christmas Market has supported Fadia and Shireen on different levels. They were able to make sales and therefore, purchase more production inputs to grow their business. Furthermore, making sales allowed them to buy larger pots, different kinds of cactus plants, and pieces of decorations. In addition, the markets played a key role in boosting their sense of confidence, self-dependence as well as having ownership over their income. Communicating with people at the markets has strengthened their abilities to identify customer’s needs and priorities in addition to identifying customers’ purchasing preferences to meet customers’ needs.
“Participating in the markets has increased our self-confidence, helped us to depend on ourselves financially. When I have income, I can buy whatever I need without having to ask my husband for money. When we first started our business, we did not know what people prefer, but after our participation, we started to observe what customers want, what they tend to buy the most, what’s their preferences and we listened to their feedback, suggestions, and ideas, take notes to apply them to meet their needs”. Shireen Jaber
Besides, participating in the markets offered a valuable opportunity for Faida and Shireen to network with visitors and women participants. Networking and building business connections have immensely helped both women to increase their business visibility, meet new customers, learn from other women’s businesses, and explore different packaging ideas and marketing techniques. Some visitors contacted them and ordered products after visiting their stall in the market. As described by Fadia, the markets can be a selling point for customers who inquire about the products online. She elaborated that when customers see the products displayed in front of them it can increase their willingness to purchase more, especially if the products are displayed in an appealing manner.
“When some of our customers knew that we will be at the Farmers Market, they told us that they will visit the market to see the products there. Selling through the market is more efficient than selling online because in the market we get the chance to have real communication with the customers, promote our products, and sell customers what they really need”. Fadia Amira
On a household level, both beneficiaries realized the change in the attitudes and behaviors of their family members after starting their business. The stereotypical role of perceiving Fadia and Shireen ‘the sole caregiver’ began to shift gradually. Both Fadia and Shireen pointed out that they received family support from their children and spouses. They encouraged them to continue and even extend their help when needed. This has also contributed to prompting their family members to share the household responsibilities since not all of their time is dedicated to housework. For example, Shireen’s sons started cooking for themselves, since she is not free all the time. Her sons also learned to do some household chores such as cleaning, washing the dishes, and cooking. Her husband also helped her with business work, and as a photographer, he helped her taking professional photos of the cactus plants to post them on social media and promoted her business products on his social media channels.
Living in a conservative village, Fadia and Shireen did not receive the full support from the surrounding community. Some people in their village criticized them and did not accept the idea that two women are participating in activities outside the village. However, they did not get discouraged by social criticism and were determined to continue despite any hardships.
“My family has supported and encouraged me a lot; they even started sharing with me my business and household responsibilities. My husband helped me in planting the cactus plants, carrying heavy stuff, and taking photos of the plants. When I was a housewife I was doing almost all the housework by myself, but since starting my business, they realized that I’m not free all the time, so my sons learned to carry out some household work by themselves”. Shireen Jaber
“Unlike some people in my village, my family supported me and they took my business seriously, they motivated me to start and succeed. Not being fully accepted by our village for having a business did not stop or discourage us. We only surround ourselves with people who believe in us and push us forward” Fadia Ameera
Both Faida and Shireen seek to grow their business, reach more customers, and access wider markets. They want to access international markets and have the opportunity to export their products in the long run.
“We don’t only grow plants, we create an artwork. We design and decorate the plants in an artistic manner, in which we invest plenty of time and effort. We started with an idea, small plants, and little money, but we were able to move it ahead”. We are planning to expand our business through selling indoor and outdoor plants and not only ‘cactus’ but different kinds of plants as well”. Fadia Ameera
“My advice to any woman who wants to establish a business is “you just need to start”, even with small amount of money and tools, you should start”. Shireen Jaber
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