A year ago, Devishti Sukhan turned away wedding cake orders. Not because she couldn’t bake them, but because she didn’t yet believe she could.
Today, the owner of Sugar Plum is turning down almost nothing.
“Last year, I was not doing wedding cakes because I wasn’t confident. But after we left this year, I was booming with wedding cakes. Since wedding season start. Wedding cake, wedding cake. I’m so grateful for that,” Sukhan told Ignite News.
That shift, she said, traces directly back to her involvement in the Women’s Innovation and Investment Network (WIIN), a programme that has become a springboard for women entrepreneurs across the country, helping them sharpen business skills, build confidence and open doors to new customers and markets.
WIIN supports women-owned businesses through training in financial management, business promotion and product development, while connecting entrepreneurs with stakeholders, exporters and other support systems needed to help their ventures grow and compete in wider markets.
Sukhan is not alone in her transformation. Nevita Parboo, owner of JD’s Food, Spices and Chips, has been part of WIIN since 2024, and credits the programme with reshaping how she runs her business.
“I have been on a lot of the programmes they have when it comes to my financial record, how to balance my business and how to promote my business. And I was also introduced to a stakeholder, which helped me with exporting,” Parboo said.
For Debbie Argyle, owner of Magnificent Enterprise, WIIN opened an entirely new skill set.
“Through this programme, I can do sewing. I’m not that perfect because I did two courses. Still have to do the third one to be perfect, but I can sew,” Argyle said.
The results of that growth now sit on shelves and in gift boxes across the three women’s businesses.
Beyond the products themselves, the three entrepreneurs say the real value of WIIN lies in what it has taught them about running a business, and the confidence it has given them to grow. All three are now encouraging other women with business ideas to join the programme, take advantage of the training and support on offer, and take the leap into pursuing their ventures.
