Story of a fearless woman

Azra Arshad Raza , Fashion designer
Venture : dshahisboutique
I have done my MBA in Human Resources. My hometown is Shahi near Bareilly and I have done all my studying from Bareilly itself. After my MBA, I want to work but my family didn’t allow me. This led to my decision of starting an online apparel business three years ago. There were a lot of times wherein I was made to feel small and worthless by the male society in the country. I was fed up with it and decided not to live like that. I am the first woman in my family to do so. After getting married, my husband and I frequently shared ideas with each other. My venture name is dshahisboutique , an online apparel brand. My husband and my mother-in-law have supported and helped me a lot with this business venture. In the beginning, I received a lot of negative feedback and poor responses. These barriers did not stop me and I worked harder and eventually started receiving orders from a lot of places. Today I have clients from all parts of the world including India, Saudi Arabia, Dubai, Canada, USA, Singapore and Malaysia. A big part of my staffs are women with 15 zari karigars and 10 tailors.
Today my family is proud of me, but my journey was not easy, and it was especially hard because I am a woman. There are always some challenges to face, professional or personal. I would encourage each and every woman to go out and work, earn for themselves, be independent.
Women don’t need to depend on a man. We are in no way inferior to men and as Adrian Michael says, “She is water. Powerful enough to drown you, soft enough to cleanse you and deep enough to save you.”