How to Help Female Entrepreneurs in Developing Countries Empower their Families and Communities

Today I had the pleasure to speak to Hira Almas about her experiences in the online workspace. Hailing from Pakistan, Hira is a tech and marketing executive for coaches and online course creators.

Hira helps coaches streamline their business growth without feeling overwhelmed with tech and marketing stuff. She provides done with you and done-for-you-services. She’s a tech and marketing pro, with having master’s degree in computer programming, digital marketing certifications with six years of working experience in this industry.

Today, we spoke about some of the challenges that she encounters in the online workspace and how we can address those in the larger community of female entrepreneurs.

Tell us a little more about yourself, Hira. How did you get to where you are?

I am from Pakistan, a country of people full of talent. I am proud to be a part of a generation where women have so many more rights.

I belong to a Muslim family where my father is responsible for all of his family expenses including the expense of his wife, children, their school bills, in other words, all expenses. One person will earn and the whole family will eat. There is no pressure on girls to go out and earn money for their living because all her expenses should be covered by her guardian, whether that’s her father, brother or husband.

When I was about 15 I became aware that my father’s earnings were far less than our family’s expenses, even though he is working so hard to provide a good life. This really hurt for me. We couldn’t even afford to have our own home. We lived in a joint family home with my father’s brothers. There was so much to do, and he was only one man who had to do it all. I was much too young to do anything about it at that moment, so I just focused on my studies.

I was a bright student from the start of my educational career. At the age of 17, I met my soulmate, my husband. He encourage me to focus on my dreams and helped me start my business. I started working as a freelancer on different sites like Upwork and Fiverr and started earning money for my family, but that wasn’t enough. My mother was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2020 and the medicine was much more expensive than my and my father’s income combined. I went to the UK and got a full-time job, while also working part-time on my business. I registered my own company in the UK and start focusing more on my business because a job can’t help me to build my dream life.

I scaled my business to five figures and flew back to Pakistan to take care of my mother. Although my business was established in the UK, I can work remotely from any part of the world, and this allowed me to be close to my family while also providing financial support.

We spoke about specific challenges that Muslim women face in creating profitable online businesses, can you tell me about these challenges and how they have affected you?

I am proud to be a Muslim and I always will be, but there are some limitations for women belonging to the Muslim community. Islam doesn’t oppose working women but with some limitations. Like they can’t show their face to NAMAHRAM-men other than their father, brothers, husband and sons. They can’t have a relationship with any men without marriage.

It was my dream to work from home so I don’t want to break any of my religious rules, and I did it. I am a proud Muslim woman entrepreneur with a six-figure business. When I started my business there was so much abuse I heard from the people around me. They thought I was doing something outside of our religious frameworks, but I wasn’t. My family and my husband trusted me and they knew what I was doing. So, with their support, I overcame this community challenge and kept myself shining bright. Still, there are a lot of women here who don’t have that family support and they can’t do anything for themselves or their families.

How can other (female) entrepreneurs support you and your peers to overcome such challenges?

People living in developing countries are full of talent, but some people take advantage of them and pay them at a much lower rate as compared to people in western economies. As a female entrepreneur, my aim is always to help other women grow, and I would encourage others to do the same. Paying competitive rates will provide women in developing countries with enough resources to establish their empire, and create a better life for themselves, their families and their communities.

To me, success is how much your family and friends are happy, because of you. There is no big blessing rather than seeing the smiling faces of your loved ones. So, when we can support women financially, they can create that success for themselves. And remember the restrictions we face are not from the divine, but rather come from people who don’t want women to be independent mentally and financially.

Where can people find you?

People can find me on Facebook, Instagram and Linkedin with my name (Hira Almas)

For more information, you can visit my website. www.shvirtualhelp.com

About FEM

FEM stands for Feminist Entrepreneurs Magazine (or Finally Eradicating Misogyny, if you’re feeling cheeky), and is a House of Hives publication. We started this magazine to support entrepreneurs who feel disenchanted with the 24/7 hustle culture, the competitive narrative of toxic masculinity and narrow definitions of success, value and wealth that it peddles. We want to talk about balance, the importance of mental health, the power of collaboration and diversity, and much more.

We hope to inspire and support entrepreneurs as they build their businesses in enjoyable and sustainable ways, by sharing stories and tips from thought-leaders and change-makers. Join the mailing list to have the FEM e-magazine sent directly to your inbox.

is one of the contributors to Feminist Entrepreneurs Magazine (FEM)

Originally published at https://www.houseofhives.com on March 28, 2022.