Sitting at the pinnacle one of the most successful skincare companies in Mongolia in her late 20s, Khulan Davaadorj's professional accomplishment has brought challenges when it comes to finding a suitable partner in life in a country where many men may find her success intimidating under traditional cultural values
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 07th March, 2019) Sitting at the pinnacle one of the most successful skincare companies in Mongolia in her late 20s, Khulan Davaadorj's professional accomplishment has brought challenges when it comes to finding a suitable partner in life in a country where many men may find her success intimidating under traditional cultural values.This is why the young and aspiring entrepreneur felt lucky when she first met her husband, who has been extremely supportive of her professional ambitions.
"It's quite funny. He [my husband] always says: 'your life mission is to save the world and my life mission is to save you.' He helps me a lot and is very supportive of me. He's also quite an entrepreneur-minded person. That's why we can also 'click,'" Davaadorj, the founder and chief technologist of Lhamour - Mongolia's first organic skincare brand, told Sputnik.
According to the World Bank's latest report on changes in global gender equality in the past ten years, reforms in 187 economies have led to the average global score to improve from 70.06 to 74.71, out of a top score of 100, as nations abolished discriminatory regulations such as restrictions preventing women from registering a business or applying for a bank loan.
Despite improvements in women's rights globally, female entrepreneurs like Davaadorj continue to face an uphill battle when trying to find a balance between their professional pursuits and a happy family life.
Davaadorj and her husband are expecting their first baby in August this year. But Davaadorj does not plan to take much time off after giving birth, because of her responsibilities as the founder and the director of her company.
"I don't think I'll take that much time off, because the brand Lhamour, my company, is like my first baby. A startup is like a baby. On working leave, I have the opportunity to take time off. But I do have responsibilities toward my customers and my team. I want to show a lot of people that it's possible to do things really well at the same time, if you balance it," she said.
The young entrepreneur explained that the older generation, including her parents, could offer help with taking care of her child in the future.
"We're not sure if we're going to get external help [for childcare]. My mother works for my company. She's our general manager and my father is on pension. And my husband's mother is also on pension. In Mongolia, we have this culture of family is there for you. We have this very strong family bond. I think that's very helpful in terms of having a baby," she said.
Davaadorj added that her husband, who used to travel to different countries in Asia for work, also plans to settle in Mongolia because of their baby.
Following her graduation from the prestigious Columbia University in New York City majoring in renewable energy in 2012, Davaadorj initially started to work for the first wind farm in Mongolia upon returning from her studies. When she began to develop skin rashes and allergies because of the harsher weather conditions and industrial pollution, Davaadorj decided to start her own company and create skincare products that can take advantage of Mongolia's rich natural resources.
After establishing her business out of her own apartment in 2014, Davaadorj struggled to be taken seriously by her potential business partners and clients as a 26-year-old female entrepreneur.
"When I started, obviously I'm a woman. On top of that, I was quite young. I was only 26. There's no such kind of thing as a startup or this vibe of entrepreneurship. For example, I had a lot of people come to me and say: 'I want to talk to your boss or director.' Every time, I say: 'it's me!' They say: 'no, it cannot be you. I want to talk to the real boss.' They don't really take you seriously in terms of you're able to create something big. That's one of the main challenges," she said.
Struggling to find collaterals to apply for corporate loans for her business, Davaadorj had to take personal loans to finance her company's growth. Thanks to her determination and efforts, her company has 43 employees today with 3 flagship stores and 10 sales points in Mongolia, while exporting its products to five countries.
Building on her company's success, Davaadorj was ready to inspire other young women who share similar aspirations to become an entrepreneur.
After being named the ambassador for Mongolia of Women's Entrepreneurship Day Organization (WEDO), a US-based NGO focusing on empowering and supporting women in business, Davaadorj has shared her experiences with over 750 prospective female entrepreneurs in Mongolia.
"Just because of the whole experience I had in the last five years, I basically built my business from scratch. I know how difficult it can get. That's why I try to help as many women as possible. I always say to the girls: be the best you can be, not just to copy somebody else. You really just have to find yourself first and try to become successful in whatever you do," she said.
Wendy Diamond, who founded the WEDO in 2013 after volunteering in Houduras, shared with Sputnik the reasons behind her decision to start this organization to help women entrepreneurs worldwide.
"In 2013, I was in Houduras for vacation and I ended up volunteering for an organization called Adelante, which provides microcredits for women in that community. I met one of the women there. She was 72 years old. Her daughter died, left her with three kids and the husband ran off. The 72-year-old woman, living in one of the impoverished communities, maybe making 50 [US] cents a day, received this $100 micro loan and opened up a store in her house. She was selling cokes and toothpaste. She was able to pay for the kids to go to school. When you look at first hand and you see the impact. When those women earn that money, they pay it [the loan] back at the 98 percent rate. How can we not support these programs around the world?" Diamond told Sputnik.
WEDO has been working with business leaders, government officials and civil society to find solutions to empower women in business in 144 countries globally.
Diamond stressed that changes in the world happen from the ground up, when everybody can engage and be a part of the process. She believes by empowering women in business globally, WEDO's efforts can help alleviate poverty globally.
According to the latest World Bank report on gender equality, the economies where women's rights improved the most are those in the sub-Shaharan region in Africa. The biggest improvement came in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where the gender equality score jumped 27.5 points to 70 during the past ten years, after legal reforms allowed married women to register businesses, open bank accounts, sign contracts, get jobs and choose where to live in the same way as men. During the same period, the country's gross domestic product expanded by 122 percent.
