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Overcoming difficulties to start a business

Recently, the Department of Science and Technology has honored 22 typical women in intellectual property and innovation activities in Dong Nai province. Among them, there were many women who have overcome many difficulties and challenges to start businesses, bringing benefits not only to themselves, their families but also to the community.

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​Honoring women as owners of start-up businesses in the province

Heartbroken with lotuses

Ms. Nguyen Thi Bich Le, Director of Truong Phat Agricultural Service Cooperative (Nhon Trach District), said that around 1998 - 2000, local people planted lots of lotuses because there was a Taiwanese company with an underwriting contract. However, only the first 1 or 2 seasons, until the next harvest season, because the quality of the farmers' lotused did not meet the company's standards, many farmers could not sell lotuses. Therefore, lotuses were left in the field a lot, the lives of people in the district fallen into difficulties.

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 Provincial leader visits the stall, enjoys lotus products of Ms. Nguyen Thi Bich Le

Before this fact, Ms. Le had an idea of starting a business to take advantage of the available lotus resource in the locality, helped farmers to have more stable income and lives.

In 2000, Ms. Le established a facility to purchase all lotuses that the Taiwanese company did not purchase. After that, they were processed into products made from lotuses such as: lotus tea, lotus powder, dried lotus seeds...

Ms. Le thought that in order to develop in a long-term and bring products to market, products must have clear brand, label and packaging. Therefore, in June 2020, Ms. Le cooperated with 50 households in the district to grow lotuses and consume lotuses, established Truong Phat Agricultural Service Cooperative. In the same year, Ms. Le participated in the Women's Entrepreneurship Competition organized by the Central Committee of the Women's Union and won the second prize.

After that contest, Ms. Le carried out the procedures to create Truong Phat brand logo, certificates of OCOP, ISO 2018... for lotus products. Up to now, Truong Phat Trading and Service Cooperative has one product processing factory with an area of 200 square meters with 50 employees working seasonally and organically at the factory. The cooperative has processed 19 lotus products, of which 15 certified OCOP (13 products of 4 stars, 2 products of 3 starts).

Ms. Le confided that over the past 20 years, she had eaten with lotus, had slept with lotus, and had always struggled to find ways out for the lotus trees in her hometown. In addition to the acquired knowledge, Ms. Le had often gone online or gone to other places to practice to learn from experience and come up with optimal solutions for the development of the cooperative.

“In the beginning, because I didn't have much experience and limited capital, I faced many difficulties. Later, when I got used to the job, I received great support from departments, branches and locality in carrying out related procedures. I think that, in order to start a successful business, it is necessary to have at least 3 criteria. They are time, passion and stable finance," Ms. Le confided.

At this time, products made from lotuses of Truong Phat Service Cooperative have been sold by 68 agents across the country. Not only that, these products are being put into Dong Nai's supermarkets; connected with the supermarket system of Ho Chi Minh City for consumption.

Passion on making herbal incenses

Ms. Le Thi Cam Van, living in Trang Dai Ward, Bien Hoa City, Director of Vfarm Trading and Service Co., Ltd. has been in business for more than 1 year. Ms. Van's start-up did not receive much support from her family. Because Ms. Van's family believes that she is well educated and has a degree, so she should find a stable job. And starting a business with herbal incenses - an item with low consumption will make her job difficult.

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Ms. Cam Van's herbal incenses introduced at many conferences and events

Sharing about this issue, Ms. Cam Van confided that although there were many difficulties in the consumption market, she determined to follow. Because of her last goal was health of consumers.

Cam Van said, Vietnam was a country with diverse religions, including ancestor worship believes. Every month, on the first day, full moon day or other holidays and New Year, people often had the habit of lighting incenses on the altars of grandparents and ancestors with fruits, candies and food to commemorate. At the same time, hoping their ancestors would bless and sustain their children and grandchildren to have good health for business and prosperity.

However, most people often have the habit of buying and using incenses in the market of unknown origin, made from chemicals that are not good for health. Therefore, Ms. Van wants to produce a kind of herbal incense so that every time families light incense sticks, they will help to reduce mental fatigue and protect the environment.

Incenses made from types of herb such as wok tubers, lemongrass, cardamom, grapefruit skin, cinnamon skin, using dried grapefruit skin to grind into powder, stirred to make incenses with completely natural smell, without any chemicals.

Due to being made from herbs, with good quality and image, the price of a bunch of herbal incense sticks is 3 times higher than that of incenses sold in the market without brands or labels. This is one of the reasons many people have not yet chosen herbal incenses. However, according to Ms. Van, when people are more aware of the importance of health of themselves and their family members, they will not hesitate to choose herbal incenses.

In addition to incense products, Ms. Van's facility is preparing to launch a product line of bud incenses for home steam, home steaming powder, etc., towards products from herbs, spirituality, feng shui, and worship in families, worship places.

Ms. Van said that she had also received great supports from departments and branches in the province. Every time there were fairs and events related to startup and innovation, Ms. Van was favored to introduce products and promoted brands to customers.​

Author: Bao Ngoc

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