How can female entrepreneurs looking to enter e-commerce receive government support?

With the arrival of summer, interest in e-commerce is rising, especially among women who want to earn income from home and bring their handmade products to digital markets. While many women selling via social media aim to establish their own brands, they are seeking answers to the questions, "How do I start e-commerce, and where do I find the capital?"

TOBB E-commerce Council Member Cenk Çiğdemli emphasizes that the government offers many incentives to support female entrepreneurs, but the rate of utilizing these supports remains far below potential due to a lack of information.

POSITIVE DISCRIMINATION FOR FEMALE ENTREPRENEURS FROM KOSGEB

KOSGEB is at the forefront of the most important support mechanisms for female entrepreneurs. The institution offers special additional advantages to women within the scope of the Entrepreneur Support Program:

Loan Financing Support: To facilitate access to finance for female and young entrepreneurs, working capital support of up to 1 million TL is provided.

Business Development Support: While repayable support of up to 1.5 million TL is given to entrepreneurs, positive discrimination is applied for female entrepreneurs by adding an extra 150 thousand TL to this upper limit.

Scope of Support: Basic expenses of businesses such as personnel, machinery, equipment, software, marketing, design, testing, analysis, and consultancy are covered.

MINISTRY OF TRADE SUPPORT FOR THOSE ENGAGING IN E-EXPORT

For women who want to sell their products not only domestically but also abroad, the Ministry of Trade steps in. Within the scope of the e-export supports offered by the Ministry, the following expenses are financed:

- Opening stores on digital marketplaces

- Overseas advertising and digital marketing activities

- Online store expenses and operational costs

SPECIAL LOAN PACKAGES FROM PUBLIC BANKS

The need for financing, which is one of the biggest obstacles facing new ventures, is being overcome through loan programs offered by public banks specifically for women.

Halkbank provides low-interest loan opportunities of up to 600 thousand TL for female entrepreneurs who will establish a business for the first time, and up to 1 million TL for those who have already established their business and want to grow it.

Ziraat Bank and VakıfBank also have financing packages prepared specifically for female entrepreneurs that cover working capital and digital transformation projects.

OPPORTUNITY TO TRANSFORM FROM SOCIAL MEDIA TO A GLOBAL BRAND

Although thousands of women in Turkey sell on social media, many cannot move to the stage of incorporation and branding. It is stated that the real problem is not the lack of resources, but the lack of awareness regarding existing grants and loans. It is expressed that a small-scale social media venture can turn into a global brand in a short time with the right support.

Cenk Çiğdemli offers the following advice to women planning to step into e-commerce during this process:

- Plan your company establishment before opening a social media account.

- Do not settle for just selling on Instagram; focus on building your own brand and e-commerce infrastructure.

- Regularly follow KOSGEB and e-export incentive announcements via E-Devlet.

- In addition to the main incentives, do not neglect to research other alternatives such as KGF Guarantee Support, KOOP-DES, Development Agency Supports, and Women's Cooperative financing packages.

News Source: 12punto