Financial Security
How is VISA's Saksham Program empowering women entrepreneurs in India?
VISA's Saksham Program empowers women entrepreneurs through three key pillars: social and financial inclusion, livelihood promotion through entrepreneurship training, and social empowerment via self-help groups. The program has successfully reached over 10,500 women across India, exceeding their initial goal of 8,500 women-led businesses. Starting small in 2019 with just 20 women, it now helps women overcome barriers like early marriages, lack of vocational training, and limited financial resources. These entrepreneurs gain practical skills, market access, and confidence, transforming them into leaders and role models in their communities. The program's impact earned it a Jury Choice award at the ICC Social Impact Awards 2023-24 for promoting gender equality and women's empowerment.
Watch clip answer (05:08m)What are the two key phases of personal finance according to Scott Galloway, and how should people approach them?
According to Scott Galloway, personal finance consists of two key phases: investing and harvesting. The investing phase occurs during younger years when individuals should save money to deploy capital that grows while they sleep, providing future security. During this phase, market downturns are actually beneficial as they create opportunities to purchase assets at lower prices. The harvesting phase comes later in life when one begins spending more than earning, living off accumulated investments. Galloway criticizes current economic policies that artificially support markets through government intervention, which prevents younger generations from experiencing the natural investment opportunities that market cycles would normally provide.
Watch clip answer (00:58m)What is the biggest challenge faced by small businesses seeking funding?
Access to capital remains one of the biggest pain points for small businesses. Even after establishing their business, owners struggle to secure funding for growth, inventory expansion, repairs, or investing in staff. Traditional lenders assess creditworthiness based on factors like collateral, credit scores, and credit history, which often results in loan denials or insufficient funding amounts, particularly for underserved communities. Square Capital addresses this challenge by leveraging transaction data and machine learning models to evaluate businesses based on their actual sales performance rather than traditional credit metrics. This approach enables them to serve businesses that conventional lenders overlook, providing small loans (averaging $6,000) with transparency, speed, and simplicity.
Watch clip answer (03:52m)What will George Camel's free webinar teach people about breaking the paycheck-to-paycheck cycle?
George Camel's webinar will teach participants practical strategies to break the paycheck-to-paycheck cycle in just 90 days. The session focuses on finding hidden money in your budget and creating financial margin, even for those who are already debt-free. Participants will learn unique ways to save more, spend less, and free up resources to pursue financial goals. The free, virtual webinar scheduled for September 16th at 1pm Eastern/12pm Central will use the EveryDollar platform to demonstrate these techniques. Registration is available at everydollar.com/webinar, and those who can't attend live can watch the replay later.
Watch clip answer (00:43m)How did a struggling gym owner turn around his failing business?
A gym owner was working exhausting hours - teaching at his gym from 5-9am, working a 9-5 job, then returning to teach evening sessions until 8pm. Despite this schedule, his gym was losing money, requiring his entire primary income to sustain it. With a growing family and no savings left, he reached a breaking point. Instead of pursuing an online fitness business as initially considered, he invested his last $1,000 on a business strategy that focused on making his existing gym profitable. This decision led to remarkable results, generating $38,000 in his first 30 days of implementing the new approach.
Watch clip answer (01:13m)How can we foster a culture that embraces failure in entrepreneurship?
Creating an entrepreneurial culture that embraces failure requires a shift in mindset where setbacks are viewed as learning opportunities rather than career-ending events. As Sunak notes, people need to feel comfortable giving up the security of regular paychecks to pursue startups, while being unafraid of failure as part of the process. Musk emphasizes that failure shouldn't be catastrophic but instead positioned as 'you gave it a good shot, now try again.' This supportive environment encourages risk-taking and resilience, essential traits for innovation and entrepreneurial success.
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