By Laura Quickfall
With so many superstars working with us at Pollinate Group, it’s no easy task choosing individuals for our annual employee awards.
However, there were three stars who shone particularly brightly in 2018. We’re profiling these three individuals and hope you enjoy getting to know them as much as we enjoy having them in our team.
Meet Sabitri Silwal!
In our network women entrepreneurs are known as Suryamukhis (which means sunflower in Hindi). These women become leaders of change in their local communities and are breaking down societal norms and showing women can be financially independent, confident and successful in business.
Sibitri Silwal, Suryamukhi of the Year, has always strived to bring everything she has to the role and to be a success and her attitude has not gone unnoticed. Murli Padmanabhan, Executive VP of Sales, shares:
“Sabitri has been an outstanding entrepreneur over the years in Chitwan, Nepal who has overcome difficult situations in her life and has been successful. She has contributed immensely to the organisation and has used the opportunities provided to her to excel herself and support her family in a big way. She is also ever so helpful to assist other Suryamukhis in learning from her and sharing experiences.”
Let’s get to know Sabitri…
How and when did you start working with Pollinate Group?
Sita Adhikari came to the village to give a talk and look for candidates to become entrepreneurs and my sister was put forward as a candidate. I was sick at the time, I had a number of health problems and I found it difficult to walk, but my sister convinced me I would be more suitable for the role than her and gave me confidence even though I needed a stick to walk. Now 10 years later I am healthy and out walking around communities every day.
What do you think you would be doing if you were not doing you Suryamukhi role?
I would be working as an accountant, before I began my Suryamukhi role I was offered a role as an accountant, but it was far away from my village.
What would you say that the role has given you?
The role has given me confidence, I am a completely different person than I was before I began working as a Suryamuki. I have grown as a person and in business, we receive training that helps build skills and we make connections in Nepal and internationally too.
Why do you think you were chosen as Suryamukhi of the Year?
I believe the reason I was chosen was due to the progress that I have made, my patience, hard work and dedication to the role. In my early years I really struggled trying to sell the products, but now I am a top performer, I have grown a lot since I first started.
What do you like about working for the Pollinate Group?
Whenever I feel like I can’t do something or that I am not doing a good job, the team calls me and motivates me. They help to get my confidence back, I feel like I have a good support network behind me and Pollinate Group have provided me with training and networks to build my skills.
What is your advice for other Suryamukhis and women thinking about starting their own business?
It is very important to be trustworthy in this role and to have lots of willpower. You need to keep pushing forward, when you’re doing well and not so well you have to keep going and that way you will see results. It is also important to show respect to other staff and your community.
The role is great for women, and promoting women in business. In Nepal the culture is for husbands to work and provide while the women stay at home. This role allows us to make our own decisions, have our own dependance and grow a business.
Where would you like to take your career?
I would like to have my own store someday so that I can manage my time more efficiently and the customers can come to me. I would still visit communities to tell them about my store, but I would like to spend time on the shop floor and see my customers there.
What do you like to do when you are not at work?
I like to read newspapers, books and poems, I am always thinking about business and I like to see the international news and business related talk shows, I like to see how other people have grown from nothing to owning successful businesses. Before I joined Pollinate Group I used to do my schooling and read the Bible but now I feel more responsible for my business.
What do your family and friends think of your work with Pollinate Group?
My family are very proud of my role with Pollinate Group, they are happy to see me standing on my own feet, supporting my family and being financially independent. But they do complain that I don’t make it to my meals on time!