'Pakistan is good at launching women’s businesses. It’s bad at sustaining them'

Pakistan excels at launching women's businesses, showering them with awards, loans, and encouragement, but struggles to ensure those businesses survive beyond the start-up phase. Tech entrepreneur Mahe Zehra Husain highlights this gap in her book 'Women Rising: A Practical Guide to Building a Business You Love'. While Pakistan counts the number of women who start businesses and the amount of funding they receive, there is little focus on whether these businesses become profitable, remain operational beyond three years, or are still running five years later.

Husain argues that the conversation about women's entrepreneurship needs to shift from "how many women started businesses?" to "how many women built sustainable, successful businesses?" The current institutional efforts are designed to answer the first question rather than the second, with awards, loan schemes, and panels focused on the launch rather than the survival of the business.

Husain points out that this mindset leaves out women who are supporting families and caring for children, who may not have the luxury to take risks like other entrepreneurs. She emphasizes that true entrepreneurship should be recognized at all stages, not just at the launch. While individual mindset shifts are important, Husain argues that systemic problems like access to capital, legal infrastructure, and childcare also play a significant role in determining whether a woman's business will succeed.

Her book 'Women Rising' aims to help women understand their business models, identify resources and gaps, and navigate challenges that are within their agency. However, the real question remains: are these interventions, both individual and institutional, effectively producing lasting businesses?