Institutional Activities

Goa Institute of Management Wraps Up DAKSH Pilot Project for Women Entrepreneurs

The Goa Institute of Management (GIM) has successfully wrapped up the pilot phase of project DAKSH, driving digital transformation for local women-led micro-enterprises. Spearheaded by second-year PGDM students under the 'Give Goa' initiative, the project targeted non-tech-savvy women running food, tailoring, and retail businesses in Sanquelim, Margao, and Panaji. By introducing friction-free tools like Google Business profiles, WhatsApp Business, and Instagram catalogs, the low-cost model delivered immediate results—helping every participant gain new clients and earn up to ₹3,000 in incremental income.

By : Kashish 2026-07-24 12:30:12

Goa : The Goa Institute of Management have successfully finished the pilot phase of their special initiative called DAKSH. Short for Digital Ability and Knowledge for Sustainable Her-Income, this project was created to give practical business training to local women running small businesses. Working under the institute's Give Goa program, the main idea was to teach basic digital skills to female micro-entrepreneurs who usually operate without any web presence. Management feels that local women entrepreneurs should not miss out on modern sales channels just because they lack tech knowledge.

Real Field Results Achieved by Women Micro-Enterprises : 

During this initial pilot, participating businesses saw clear growth in their simple daily sales. Most of the women managed to get between 1 to 5 new paying customers and earned extra profit around ₹1,000 to ₹3,000. On top of that, each small business digitised around 5 to 15 of their items into digital product lists. The program also got 100% of these women to shift toward using proper business messaging tools instead of making casual phone calls or waiting for walk-in customers.

Simple Tech Solutions Taught to Local Entrepreneurs : 

The student teams focus on teaching very basic, low-cost digital tools that does not confuse the local business owners. They helped the women make Google Business profiles and build simple digital catalogues to show their products online. Training was also given on using WhatsApp Business for daily customer service and setting up social media pages on platforms like Instagram and Facebook. The whole point was to make sure these tech additions fits easily into their regular routine without adding extra work stress.

Students Gain Social Values Through Field Experience : 

This pilot was managed by second-year students from GIM's Banking, Insurance and Financial Services (BIFS) branch as part of their compulsory learning module. Before starting the field work, student surveys found out that many women entrepreneurs was avoiding digital apps due to fear of making online mistakes. Working directly with 10 women-led businesses helped students gain valuable real-world problem-solving skills. It also helped these future corporate managers build real empathy and leadership qualities by solving ground-level problems.

Low Cost Model Shows Big Hope for Future Policy : 

The success of DAKSH project proves that bringing small business changes doesn't always need huge money investment. Higher faculty members points out that the real barrier for small owners was non-technical and more about mindset. By building trust and offering simple guidance, small local businesses can grow their customer reach easily. Government officials and policymakers can now use this low-cost model to create better digital literacy schemes for small local vendors across the state.

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