Naturals Salon’s Homepreneur Awards seeks to celebrate home-based businesswomen

Remember the delicious homemade meals you order from your nearby meal provider? Or the neighbourhood beautician who does your hair and makeup perfectly every time an event comes up? Or the agency that provides healthcare services to your ailing parents? Ever wondered who is behind these successful services? Interestingly, a majority of these home-based small and medium enterprises are owned and managed by women. These hardworking women who contribute to their homes as well as society -- India’s homepreneurs – are our unsung heroes and deserve to be celebrated just like all other entrepreneurs.

Two brands decided it was time to do just that. Naturals, along with House of Brand Avatar, launched the Homepreneur Awards (Suyasakthi Virudhugal) in 2017. The Homepreneur Awards seek to provide a platform to recognise women in India who have chosen to pursue their passion through entrepreneurship from home.

Celebrating the entrepreneurs in homepreneurs

The awards, which have completed two successful editions, received thousands of valid nominations from across Tamil Nadu, of which 1,800 nominations were shortlisted, one-on-one interviews held with 300 entrepreneurs and finally, over 90 women were chosen for the coveted awards. Now the third edition of the awards seeks to recognise, reward and transform home-based businesswomen in India involved in diverse home-based business activities, from baking, tutoring, freelancing, beautician services, to writing, healthcare services and catering.

At the press meet to announce the third edition of the awards held on July 2, 2019, C K Kumaravel, Co-founder of Naturals said, “It has been an uplifting journey over two editions. My faith in the abilities and capabilities of women were re-affirmed seeing the dedication and the passion with which they pursue entrepreneurship. Season 3 of Homepreneur Awards will be even more inspiring with the addition of the student edition for future entrepreneurs.”

Hemachandran Chandran, CEO of Brand Avatar, added, “The most heartening aspect of Homepreneur Awards has not only been to recognise the homepreneurs, but also watch how they benefited from the engagement that happened beyond the awards. Their opportunities multiplied, networks increased, and they enriched knowledge through the workshops conducted after the awards.”

Who can apply?

If you are making any income through homepreneurship in Tamil Nadu, you are eligible to apply for the award under the various categories mentioned below:

• Agriculture
• Arts & Culture
• Beauty and Wellness
• Education and Literature
• Food & Beverages
• Healthcare
• Home Professionals
• Home Retail
• Media and Entertainment
• Social Entrepreneurship
• Sports and Fitness
• Technology

There’s also a special award reserved for a homepreneur who has achieved a significant impact outside of Tamil Nadu. The shortlisted applicants will have a one-on-one jury interview on August 23, 2019, where they will be judged on these parameters - uniqueness of the business idea, business challenges, scalability, progress and revenue. The jury panel comprises renowned women from multiple disciplines, including Dr. Mariazeena Johnson - Pro Chancellor, Sathyabama University; Veena Kumaravel - Founder, Naturals Salon; Nina Reddy – Managing Director, Savera Hotels; and Aruna Subramaniam – Trustee, Bhoomika Trust, among others.

In addition, one applicant will be selected by an investor, who will then offer them mentorship and funding to expand their business. The applicant will be selected based on their feasibility and scalability of their business and the leadership ability of the applicant.

New initiatives for Season 3

This year, the awards also include the Homepreneur Circle, an exclusive club for homepreneurs to interact, network and meet with the best in the industry. Homepreneur Circle goes beyond the event to enable learning, growth for homepreneurs and also help them in marketing and sales of their products. Being part of the Circle enables them to enlist their products on the platform, promote it on social media, and participate in workshops organised by industry leaders. That’s not all. Homepreneurs can participate and interact in their YouTube show featuring the jury members of Homepreneur Awards.

There’s also a Student Edition for the Homepreneur Awards, to recognise and motivate college girls in their entrepreneurship journey. These student entrepreneurs can share their ideas, and how they intend to start up, execute and scale up. The most feasible and realistic ideas with clarity will be recognised. Any college-going girl student is eligible to register for the awards.

A grand finale to look forward to

The expo and award finale will be held on September 15, 2019 at Lady Andal School, Chennai.

Naturals has empowered 300+ women to become entrepreneurs in the past 16 years. Their vision is to create an India, where women are encouraged to earn their living by pursuing their passion. If you’re a successful woman entrepreneur running a business from home or you know of someone else who is, nominate them/yourself for Homepreneur Awards today. The last date to apply is August 10, 2019.