Sihem El Mandoudi of Studio El Mando has been named Mechelen's «Best Female Entrepreneur». / Ph. Dirk Vertommen ‹ › Sihem El Mandoudi, a 35-year-old Moroccan-Belgian entrepreneur and founder of the women-only fitness studio «Studio El Mando» has been voted «Best Female Entrepreneur» in her city of Mechelen, in northern Belgium. «I didn't expect it at all. I owe a lot to my community», she said after receiving more than 1,500 votes, noting that clients actively encouraged others to vote for her.
After just one year in business, El Mandoudi has turned her studio into a thriving and supportive community. «The ladies-only studio has only been open a year, but it has already become a huge community», she said, adding that gatherings such as a recent Ramadan iftar with around 30 women helped create «a little family». El Mandoudi, who grew up in a Moroccan family and credits her mother for encouraging independence, says her Moroccan roots helped ease her transition into entrepreneurship thanks to strong community support. While many of her first clients were Moroccan women, the studio now attracts women from diverse backgrounds, and she hopes her journey will inspire more female entrepreneurs in the fitness industry.
