Step out into the world with small capital

Microfinance refers to small loans that do not require collateral and are repaid in installments, including principal and interest. Thanks to access to appropriate financial services, nearly 100% of women repay their loans and have a sustainable livelihood, generating income to take care of their family life and saving for the future.

The startup story of Ms. Nguyen Thi Van (residing in Soc Son district, Hanoi) is a clear example. Thanks to a loan from TYM and her passion for painting, she has brought her unique rice paintings from the domestic market to the world.

"The rice used to make the paintings is completely naturally colored by roasting the rice and without using any dyes," Ms. Van shared.

Because of that uniqueness, Ms. Van's rice paintings are always chosen as gifts by many people. Ms. Van is lucky to have had good opportunities to introduce her products from the beginning through the support of the Women's Union and TYM.

Fairs, product introductions, and visits from domestic and international departments and organizations have helped her rice paintings become known to many people.

In particular, Ms. Van has repeatedly represented local women's association members and micro-entrepreneurs to participate in important events such as the trade promotion delegation of the Ministry of Industry and Trade in Thailand and is one of the typical models chosen to welcome embassy delegations... Now, many of her rice paintings are also sold to foreign tourists.

The Secrets of Micro-Entrepreneurs' Success

In addition to Ms. Van, the story of starting a business with a loan from TYM and then "growing up" and stepping out into the world of Ms. Duong Thi Tuyet (residing in district Y Yen, Nam Dinh) also makes many people admire.

Ms. Tuyet was referred to by the media as "the scrap dealer who received an international award" when she was honored to receive the Award for Successful Artisan through Microcredit Loans from Planet Finance (an organization that bridges small business financing for disadvantaged people in more than 80 countries around the world).

With a capital of 500,000 VND borrowed from TYM, over many years Ms. Tuyet has built a spacious business. According to Ms. Tuyet, the secret to her family's success in bronze casting comes from their efforts, constant creativity, and learning to be able to produce bronze products with a variety of designs and styles.

"In the era of information technology explosion, besides loyal customers, we also apply technology to introduce and promote products through livestream sessions, running ads on social networking platforms so that products can reach domestic and international customers," Ms. Tuyet shared.

More specifically, the knowledge of family economic management and entrepreneurship acquired from TYM staff's knowledge training courses is also thoroughly applied by Ms. Tuyet's family to their family business.

Ms. Tuyet applied that knowledge in the process of managing product output and input; calculating and using loan capital effectively and searching for potential customers and partners.

Researching and creating ways to make products that are both unique and highly applicable and environmentally friendly is also the secret to success of Ms. Pham Thi Ngan (residing in Hoang Hoa district, Thanh Hoa province).

In 2008, Ms. Ngan and her husband established Trung Kien Handicraft and Fine Arts Export Cooperative, producing environmentally friendly rattan and bamboo products, reducing plastic bag waste, contributing to a green, clean and beautiful environment.

From a small-scale cooperative, her family has now built a factory with an area of ​​up to thousands of square meters. Up to now, this cooperative has found more orders for sewing supermarket bags for export, bringing more jobs and income to the people.

Since the idea of ​​establishing the cooperative was formed and until now, the couple has always oriented the development of the cooperative towards the goal of supporting jobs and increasing income for poor, disadvantaged women and people with disabilities in the locality.

It is from these very humane goals and orientations that a large number of customers have come to the cooperative's products.

"Not only do we get loans, we also get to participate in TYM's free training, exchange, and learning classes, which helps us grasp the market and orient our economic development appropriately. The knowledge from these classes is also thoroughly applied by my husband and I to manage capital resources and find customers for the cooperative," Ms. Ngan shared.

From small capital, Ms. Van, Ms. Tuyet and Ms. Ngan have gradually built their careers, brought their products far and wide, conquered the international market. Each person has a different journey, but what they have in common is perseverance, creativity and the spirit of continuous learning.

Accompanying them on that journey, TYM not only provides capital but also gives them opportunities to develop, connect and confidently assert themselves.