LocationsGrowing with Confidence: Kaliyani’s Journey as a Woman Entrepreneur
September 24, 2026
Every day at Lautoka Municipal Market, Kaliyani Swamy opens her stall with a clear purpose: to earn a living, support her family and build a better future for her children.
For more than 13 years, Kaliyani has been a market vendor, selling vegetables and dry goods. But her journey has become about more than selling products. It has been a journey of learning, confidence and opportunity helping her move from managing day-to-day sales to thinking more strategically about her business and its future.
“I became more confident not just as a market vendor, but as a businesswoman.”
Lautoka Municipal Market vendor, Kaliyani Swamy.
Kaliyani’s experience reflects the broader objective of the Markets for Change (M4C) Project, jointly implemented by UN Women and UNDP, which seeks to strengthen the social and economic security of women market vendors and promote women’s economic empowerment. The project’s economic advancement work has focused on building women vendors’ capacity in areas such as financial literacy, basic business skills, savings, improved business practices and access to financial services.
From Selling to Managing a Business
Before becoming involved in the M4C Project, Kaliyani says she did not keep proper business records and found it difficult to understand whether her business was making a profit.
“I was just selling without writing proper records. Sales were inconsistent, and I didn’t know how to grow my business.”
Through her involvement with M4C and the Lautoka Market Vendors Association (MVA), Kaliyani participated in training and support programmes. As a member of the MVA, she also accessed UNDP-supported Outcome 2 training in financial literacy, business planning, customer service and marketing.
The training gave her practical tools that she could apply directly to her business.
“I learned how to separate business and household money, how to keep simple sales records and how to talk to customers.”
These skills have helped Kaliyani strengthen the financial management of her business an important part of improving women’s control over income and economic opportunities, a key focus of M4C’s economic advancement work.
Turning Knowledge into Action
Kaliyani began putting her new knowledge into practice.
She started recording her daily sales, setting prices with profit in mind and keeping her stall clean and attractive. She also learned that small changes in presentation and customer service could make a difference.
“I learned that small changes, like displaying products better, can increase sales a lot.”
She began using Viber and Messenger to take customer orders, allowing her to connect with customers beyond those who visit her stall directly.
She also changed how she manages stock. Previously, buying too much stock without proper planning sometimes resulted in products going to waste. Today, she plans her purchases according to demand, buys enough for the week and keeps track of what she sells.
“I have learned to save for rainy days, so when sales are low, I can use the money saved to cover my expenses.”
For Kaliyani, financial literacy has become more than a training topic. It has become part of how she runs her business and plans for the future.
Building Confidence and Agency
The impact of the training has extended beyond Kaliyani’s business practices.
It has strengthened her confidence to participate, speak up and make decisions.
“I feel more confident, especially speaking up in meetings and making business decisions.”
As Treasurer of the Lautoka Market Vendors Association, Kaliyani is also contributing to the collective voice of market vendors.
This connection between economic empowerment and women’s participation is central to the M4C approach. The project seeks not only to improve women’s livelihoods, but also to strengthen women’s agency, leadership and influence within market governance.
Kaliyani works with fellow vendors, shares ideas and continues learning from others. Her experience demonstrates how individual capacity-building can also contribute to stronger networks among women vendors.
Stronger Business Relationships
Kaliyani has also developed stronger relationships with her suppliers.
Rather than simply selling whatever stock was provided, she now plans her purchases and communicates more effectively with suppliers. She says some suppliers now provide stock twice a week, helping her manage her business more consistently.
She has also become more consistent in paying suppliers on time and maintaining business records.
These changes have given Kaliyani greater confidence in making business decisions and managing the relationships that are essential to sustaining her livelihood.
Knowledge that reaches beyond the market
Kaliyani has not kept what she learned to herself.
She has shared her knowledge with her family, including her children, who sometimes help operate her stall.
Three lessons, in particular, have stayed with her:
Keep records. Without recording sales and expenses, it is difficult to know whether a business is making a profit or a loss.
Value customer service. Good service encourages customers to return.
Separate business and household money. Keeping finances separate makes it easier to understand whether a business is growing.
She has also learned the importance of pricing products with profit in mind and presenting both her stall and herself in a way that attracts customers.
The knowledge is now being passed from one generation to another, extending the value of the training beyond Kaliyani’s own business.
Lautoka Municipal Market vendor, Kaliyani Swamy (standing from right) with Minister for Women, Children and Social Protection, Hon. Sashi Kiran.
From Surviving to Planning for Growth
Perhaps the biggest change has been Kaliyani’s mindset.
“I am no longer just trying to survive. I now set achievable targets.”
Her ambitions have grown alongside her confidence.
She hopes to expand her business, employ a worker who can manage her stall when she is away and explore opportunities to supply dry goods to exporters.
Her ambitions are closely connected to her family. She wants to increase her income so she can continue supporting her children and contribute to their education.
“I see myself with a bigger business and mentoring younger women into starting small businesses and becoming self-reliant.”
This aspiration speaks directly to the wider development objective of creating greater economic opportunities for women and strengthening their ability to make choices about their livelihoods and futures. Women’s economic empowerment is a core element of UNDP’s gender equality work, including through support for inclusive economies, entrepreneurship, access to finance and women’s leadership.
Building Resilience for the Future
For Kaliyani, business growth is also about being prepared for difficult times.
Saving regularly has given her a buffer when sales are low, while better stock planning has reduced waste.
She is also conscious of the challenges facing women vendors, including climate-related impacts on produce and market livelihoods.
“I have learned to save for rainy days.”
Her experience illustrates the importance of building resilience alongside economic opportunity another direction of change identified in UNDP’s Strategic Plan, which highlights strengthening people and communities to withstand social, economic and climate-related shocks.
Kaliyani would like to see further opportunities for vendors to learn about digital wallets, social media marketing and access to small, affordable loans.
Creating Safer and Stronger Markets for Women
Kaliyani understands that women vendors need more than business skills to succeed.
She would like to see improved market facilities, particularly as hot weather and climate-related impacts can affect the quality and value of vegetables and other goods.
She also wants to see stronger measures to improve the safety of women and vulnerable people in the market, including more visible security and CCTV.
For Kaliyani, continued investment in women vendors remains important.
“I want to see M4C continue to develop vendors through more capacity-building training and connecting vendors to bigger markets to sell their products.”
M4C’s broader approach recognises that women’s economic empowerment is closely linked to the environments in which they work—including inclusive governance, market infrastructure, safety and access to opportunities.
A Message to Women Entrepreneurs
Kaliyani’s advice to other women who want to grow their businesses is simple: start where you are, be willing to learn and do not be afraid to ask questions.
“Start small. Join training opportunities, always ask questions and learn from other vendors. Don’t be afraid.”
For her, growth has come from learning new skills, meeting new people and changing the way she thinks about her business.
“The M4C journey is all about growth, confidence and opportunity. It has helped me grow and believe in myself.”
Today, Kaliyani is not only a market vendor. She is a woman entrepreneur who keeps records, plans her finances, builds relationships with customers and suppliers, shares knowledge with her family and fellow vendors, and sets goals for the future.
Her journey shows how practical skills and opportunities can strengthen women’s economic agency enabling them to make informed business decisions, manage resources, build resilience and envision new possibilities for themselves and their families.
Her story also reflects the wider ambition of UNDP’s work on gender equality: supporting women’s economic empowerment while strengthening their voice, participation and leadership.
“I am proud that I can support my family by operating my business in the market. Vendors have also reached out to me for advice.”
And her vision extends beyond her own business.
“I see myself with a bigger business and mentoring younger women into starting small businesses to be self-reliant.”
For Kaliyani, the journey continues with growth, confidence and opportunity.
About M4C Project
Markets for Change (M4C) is a regional initiative aimed at improving the economic security and working conditions of women market vendors in Fiji, Vanuatu, and the Solomon Islands and Samoa. M4C focuses on strengthening market infrastructure, vendor capacity, and gender equality to create more sustainable and inclusive marketplaces.
The M4C project is implemented by UN Women in partnership with UNDP and with support from the Government of Australia.
For more information, please contact:
Vilisi Veibataki, Markets for Change Project Manager | UNDP Pacific Office in Fiji | (E) vilisi.veibataki@undp.org