An analysis of the key drivers of women entrepreneurship in the Zimbabwe clothing retail sector: The case of women retailors at Long Cheng Plaza Harare metropolitan.

Abstract

For the past decade globally the Small and Medium Enterprise sector has been the driving force behind economic development. Women entrepreneurship in Zimbabwe has stood the test of time growing from mostly informal trading gradually moving into formal business channels. The majority of these women entrepreneurs have however shown marginal growth signs. It is against this background of women entrepreneurs in Zimbabwe that this research aimed to consider what drives women to entrepreneurship , what challenges women face in establishing successful business ventures , why they venture into other sectors and remain dormant in others and strategies women entrepreneurs can employ to grow their businesses One major challenge women entrepreneurs face that the study identified is difficulty in managing business finances. This is mainly due to lack of financial management training, at the same time the need to cater for family needs, thus there ends up being no separation between business funds and personal funds . The research concludes that to enhance business growth, women entrepreneurs should be aware that appropriate financial management is crucial and should seek proper training and investment management to efficiently exploit financial resources available to them. The research also noted that there is need for extensive Government involvement in terms of financial stability and promoting political stability that enhances growth of female entrepreneurs offering the same benefits to women and male entrepreneurs alike.