Welcome to the Business Playbox Spotlight, where we take a closer look at some members of our Playbox community.

This week, we're sharing a little more about two of the Business Playbox women entrepreneurs, the wonderful Malika Gandhi (L) and Rehana Sidat (R). Find out more below as they share their thoughts of the Playbox journey so far.

Malika

Coming onboard
​Malika joined the Business Playbox because she had a lot of passions, including writing and art, and wanted to narrow it down and explore the opportunity to convert her interests into a business. She also wanted to get out again and meet new people; after covid, she feels it's important to socialise with others, and was an important part of her decision to join. Finding a Mentor was also a big factor for her motivation to get involved in the Business Playbox.
 
She's hoping to learn something new that she could implement in her business. The ability to put into practice what she already knows and see results is something she hopes to explore during the course of the programme.

The now
So far, Malika’s experience has been really encouraging, and has been happy to see others with the same enthusiasm she has, and has been greeted with warmth and generosity. 

She's slowly learning what it really means to start a business. When she starting her business two (2) years ago, she jumped in without having knowledge on how to sustain it long term. Malika has already learnt about the importance of knowing your target market.

The future
Malika encourages all female entrepreneurs at all levels of their business to come along to as many workshops as possible. The exposure alone to people with similar interests is eye-opening. Even though it's free, she says the programme would be worth it even if she had to pay!

Rehana

Coming onboard​
Rehana joined business playbox because she was familiar with and trusted the organizers. She wanted the right support and liked the fact that it offered options online and offline. The coaching aspect was vital as she is a business owner and wanted to bounce ideas off people. It was also convenient especially for people with limited time and availability.

The now
She's not particularly 'tech-savvy' and hopes this might give her some technical skills. Meeting people in-person also gives her the chance to meet more people and develop more confidence and motivation.

Rehana feels that the experience has been surprising (in a good way!) and looks forward to having lots more interactions with coaches as well as others on their own Business Playbox journey, and she 's more motivated and confident and reaffirmed about her business decision and that she made the right choice.

The workshops are giving her space and time to focus her own ideas, and using the diverse skills of the coaching team has really motivated and inspired her. So far, the Business Playbox has exposed Rehana to new technology, and the online offer helps provide her with the flexibility she needs (Rehana is a very busy person).

The future
Rehana's enjoying her time on the Business Playbox and encourages others to join. The focus on BAME women as a part of the programme help provide a great support system, and whatever women join the Business Playbox community will benefit a lot from the diverse expertise of the deliverers and the wider network.