Together Women Build: Digital-First Entrepreneurship and the Power of Starting with What You Have

The GEW Uganda session "Together Women Build" focused on empowering women entrepreneurs by emphasizing a digital-first, "start with what you have" mindset. Moderated by Rosemary Mutyabule (Enterprise Uganda), the panel stressed that a smartphone can be the initial capital for testing concepts and building an online presence.

Yvonne Ahimbisibwe of Shwanda Kollection demonstrated this, detailing how she built her jewelry business entirely online, proving that creativity and consistency matter more than large initial investment. The panel also highlighted essential partnerships (with banks like DFCU and support services like Mama Children’s Village) and acknowledged persistent challenges, including childcare burdens and limited collateral. The core takeaway is that women are central to Uganda's growth, driven by digital tools and peer solidarity.
Mary K
Odongo

Introduction

As part of the GEW Uganda 2025 Conference at the Enterprise Uganda Centre of Excellence in Butabika, a flagship session titled “Together Women Build: Opportunity, Partnerships and Challenges” brought together women entrepreneurs and ecosystem actors to explore how women are driving enterprise growth in Uganda.

Moderated by Rosemary Mutyabule, Director, Business Advisory Services & Partnerships at Enterprise Uganda, the panel featured women-led enterprises and institutions including DFCU, Sleek & Slender, Shwanda Kollection, and Mama Children’s Village Ltd. The conversation placed particular emphasis on digital-first entrepreneurship and the mindset shift from “waiting for capital” to “starting with what you have.”

A Mindset Shift: “Don’t Wait for Capital”

In a quote that resonated across the room and later across social media, Rosemary Mutyabule reminded participants:

“Don’t wait for capital, you can actually start with your phone.”

This message captured a key lesson for aspiring women entrepreneurs: while access to finance remains a real challenge, entry barriers have lowered significantly for digital-first businesses. With a smartphone and internet connection, it is now possible to:

  • Test a product concept through social media
  • Reach early customers without a physical shop
  • Build a brand presence before investing in inventory and premises

The panel agreed that while capital is important for scaling, mindset, creativity and consistency are often the decisive factors at the beginning.

 

Shwanda Kollection: Building a Business Fully Online

One of the most illustrative examples came from Yvonne Ahimbisibwe, Founder of Shwanda Kollection. She shared how she has run a fully online jewellery business for five years, using digital platforms to:

  • Showcase products
  • Receive orders
  • Interact with customers
  • Manage deliveries and referrals

Her journey highlighted key elements of digital-first entrepreneurship:

  • Starting lean: keeping overheads low while testing designs and pricing
  • Building trust online: consistent communication, clear product photography, and reliable delivery
  • Leveraging networks: turning satisfied customers into brand ambassadors

For many women in the audience juggling family responsibilities and limited mobility, Yvonne’s story demonstrated that e-commerce and social selling can open paths to income generation that fit their realities.

 

Partnerships that Enable Women-Led Growth

Panelists from DFCU, Sleek & Slender, Shwanda Kollection, and Mama Children’s Village Ltd discussed how partnerships unlock growth, whether through:

  • Financial services tailored to women-led businesses
  • Collaborations that combine different strengths (e.g., fashion plus events, childcare plus business training)
  • Support from BDS providers such as Enterprise Uganda

Mama Children’s Village, for example, represented the critical but often overlooked role of childcare solutions in enabling women to attend trainings, conferences and networking events. By offering support services, enterprises like Mama Children’s Village help remove practical barriers that keep women from fully participating in the ecosystem.

 

Challenges that Persist

While the session was solution-oriented, the panel did not shy away from naming persistent challenges that women entrepreneurs face, including:

  • Balancing business growth with unpaid care responsibilities
  • Limited collateral and documentation when approaching financial institutions
  • Cultural expectations that discourage risk-taking or public visibility

The conversation emphasised that addressing these challenges requires both institutional support and peer solidarity—women mentoring women, sharing tools and opening doors.

 

Key Takeaways

From the “Together Women Build” session, several clear messages emerged:

  1. Start with what you have – especially your phone and your networks.
  2. Digital-first is a real pathway – many viable businesses are now launched entirely online.
  3. Partnerships matter – with banks, BDS providers, childcare services, and fellow entrepreneurs.
  4. Structural barriers need collective solutions – from childcare to tailored financing products.

By centring women’s voices and stories, the panel reinforced that women are not on the margins of Uganda’s growth story; they are central to it. As GEW Uganda moves forward, the insights from this session will continue to inform how partners design programmes and spaces that truly enable women-led enterprises to thrive.