Shania Shayal Prasad 
Tasty Kitchen Collective founder and entrepreneur Nakita Irvin
Access to finance, family commitments, and domestic violence were some of the concerns voiced by local women entrepreneurs regarding the challenges of doing business during a panel discussion in Suva this week.
Tasty Kitchen Collective founder and entrepreneur Nakita Irvin says women continue to face enormous challenges when it comes to starting a business.
She adds that this also leads to some compromising their talents due to social or family pressures.
Irvin claims that domestic violence is also a concern that is affecting the growth of women.
“I had a staff member that was a victim of domestic violence. Basically, what happened was that she had started working for me and was becoming financially independent. She was expecting a baby, and her partner at home was unemployed because of the frustrations of being stuck in that sort of social situation.”
Irvin is calling for supportive efforts towards encouraging more women to do business.
“And women that often are held back by their partners or their family because there’s the expectation of those to stay home and be domestic and raise children, and that’s basically their role. I think once women start challenging that, you see all of these sort of ugly things that come out.”
A two-day Pacific Entrepreneurship Expo was organized in Suva, where entrepreneurs shared their journeys, experiences, and challenges in doing business.
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