Leveraging Social Media and Digital Platform for Women-Led Micro and Small Enterprises

Women-led micro and small enterprises (MSEs) in Bangladesh have structural impediments, including mobility restrictions, financial exclusion, and sociocultural limitations. Social media and digital platforms offer new opportunities to become entrepreneurs, but the literature and empirical evidence are still inadequate. This study fills such gaps by examining the influence of individual, sociocultural, economic, and internal factors on the agility of women-led digital MSEs. A thematic approach was used to analyse the qualitative data based on ten in-depth interviews with female entrepreneurs who use Facebook and Instagram. The findings indicate that women use digital literacy, self-drive, and family support to start their businesses and face challenges in credit access, cultural scepticism, and digital burnout. The chapter is relevant to the empowerment and resilience theory by showing that online platforms offer opportunities and vulnerabilities. Practical implications include policy recommendations to enhance digital literacy, financing, and support services for sustainable women-led businesses in resource-constrained settings.