When Gautami Joglekar started FabArtG during the mask shortage early in the COVID-19 pandemic, it introduced her to other women who started businesses during that time.
Throughout 2020, the North Wales resident sold handsewn cotton face masks on FabArtG and later began selling kitchen items like placemats, table runners, cozies, and kitchen towels. To reach more customers, she sold her products at local craft fairs and other vendor events. At the craft fairs, where she met other female entrepreneurs, she came up with the idea to build a platform for women business-owners to collaborate.
Soon, she launched HerBizNet, short for “Her Business Network” — a website that supports women-owned businesses by listing and selling their products.
The businesses featured on HerBizNet primarily sell handmade and handcrafted products. HerBizNet also has local craft fairs where more than 25 women-owned businesses are highlighted. The next craft fair is slated for Aug. 26 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Montgomery Township Community and Recreational Center.
The digital platform also hosts workshops, where Joglekar collaborates with one business per month to have two-hour activity sessions for community members to participate in. Previous workshops include painting and paper quilling, she said.
For women who were mainly selling their items at craft fairs, HerBizNet became an intimate platform that allowed them to further promote their products, as well as meet and learn from other women entrepreneurs, Joglekar said.
“I want people to feel comfortable,” Joglekar said. “I want them to help each other and support each other. There should be compliments not competition.”
Each year, HerBizNet selects a charity to donate to at the end of the year. This year’s charity is the Gulabis Foundation, a nonprofit based in Dresher, which raises funds and awareness for breast cancer and supports organizations that feed the hungry, according to its website.
“My philosophy is to try to donate when you can and when there is a need,” Joglekar said.
Eighty percent of the revenue made through HerBizNet goes directly to the business owner, while 20% goes toward HerBizNet, which helps with advertising, marketing, payment processing, maintenance of the website and the annual charity contribution.
Joglekar hopes that, through HerBizNet, she can empower more women entrepreneurs who are interested in growing their businesses and create opportunities for women to support and collaborate with each other.
“I just want to bring all these opportunities to these women-owned businesses, so that they can thrive and increase their business,” Joglekar said.
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