AWEC Alumnae Spotlight: Amina Ighoud on AWEC Giving Her the Confidence to Start Over
Amina Ighoud
Confidence plays a major role in business processes, especially at the startup stage. You’re more likely to go after opportunities, overcome obstacles, and build the resilience required for this challenging journey.
But according to a Global Entrepreneurship Monitor report 2016/2017 on female entrepreneurship, only 29% of women in the world consider themselves capable or confident enough to successfully start a business, compared to 42% of men. Based on psychological, educational, and social biases, lack of confidence is a major obstacle to entrepreneurship among women, whose entrepreneurial activity is still 5% lower than that of men.
So what happens when —even with those odds stacked against you— you muster up enough courage to get your own business off the ground only to have to shut it down and begin the process all over again? This is the story of Amina Ighoud who shares her startup experience, the challenges faced and how she overcame them.
Amina joined AWEC’s Cohort 2 in 2019 as the founder of a digital marketing agency she launched to support companies in the Tourism and Export industries in Algeria.
“2019 was a very interesting year for me. Being a part of AWEC, learning to work in peer groups with women from all over the continent, having a mentor and attending the Live Sessions meant I learnt a whole LOT! There is so much structure to the curriculum that it makes sense to learn and apply. I remember leaving assignments to the last minute which —when I look back now— I would not recommend; not even to myself [laughs]. But what a fantastic opportunity to network with so many women.”
Unfortunately towards the end of the program year, Amina made the difficult decision to shut her business down. The AWEC program is designed for Fellows to reflect on their business and ask themselves tough questions. While there are often a number of factors that can lead to the closure of a company, Amina noted three barriers that had hindered growth of her progress:
Algeria's startup ecosystem is very much in its early stages and there is still some skepticism around innovation and disruption to traditional sectors.
Digital marketing is still a fairly new sector in Algeria and the market adoption is very slow which made it difficult for her to attract enough paying clients.
Tourism and Export is traditionally a male-dominated industry in the country which carries pervasive stereotypes and societal expectations, and caused her to struggle to establish credibility.
Amina explained, saying, “It was such a tough time for me. Closing the business down was one of my biggest fears. No one wants to fail. But the saving grace for me was that I did not go through it alone. I had my AWEC sisters who supported me so much that saying goodbye to it wasn’t as painful as I thought it would be. I actually said thanks to the business because I had learnt some things I may never have learnt if I had not started.”
What felt like the end turned out to be the beginning of new opportunities. The first was that she had the ability to offer her services as an independent consultant creating digital marketing strategies for a range of different companies and the second, which she is most proud of, was being selected to serve on the AWEC Alumnae Advisory Board (AAB) for one year. This diverse committee of women representing AWEC’s 600-strong pan-African community of women entrepreneurs help to guide the strategic direction and activities of the AWEC Alumnae Network (AAN) that take place throughout the year.
“I was still in the process of rebuilding my confidence so being a part of the AAB was really a new and welcome opportunity. I had never been invited to join as a member of any board, so it was a huge honour. But more importantly I joined because I wanted to give back. The AWEC program is free and it’s given so much to me. I made it into Cohort 2 and everything I learned is priceless...I also wanted to keep working with this group of amazing women entrepreneurs who had given me so much hope.”
Having experienced some of the barriers that impact African women entrepreneurs, including gender inequality, lack of financial support, and limited access to resources and opportunities, Amina reflects on the transformative power of the program, the confidence she’s gained and the ability to see herself as an equal among other accomplished women in the cohort.
“I was coming from an environment where I was never appreciated for what I could bring to the table. No one had ever given me the chance to even prove my professional capabilities. So even as an AWEC Fellow going through the program, it surprised me when my peers gave me the floor to speak. I found it so weird when they asked me questions and actually listened to my responses. I couldn’t believe they actually looked to me for advice as if I was someone who knew what they were doing. This was completely new to me. Here I was looking up to them and they were pretty much doing the same to me.”
We often hear how women who have completed the program are not only empowered to grow their businesses but empowered to take chances and leap into new directions which would have scared them before.
Today Amina is audacious and bold. She’s discovered a love for product management and technical design that she did not hesitate to transition and collaborate in another start-up venture.
“I’m no longer afraid to say YES to other opportunities. I moved from one industry where I have years of experience to another where I am yet to fully explore and I wasn't even scared. I’m in a community of very knowledgeable and courageous women; some of whom started businesses by going against their cultures, their families or the norm of the day. They’re intelligent and fearless. If there is anything I need...even if I need to just to lift my spirit I can ask them anytime.”
This giving season, you can help empower women like Amina to gain the skills and confidence they need to succeed in business. Please consider making a gift to AWEC today.