36 Chicago Resources for Women Entrepreneurs

As a sweet home Chicago kind of gal (born and raised in Chicago), I found the list below of Chicago resources for female entrepreneurs pretty darn good, with the exception of Women Entrepreneurs Grow Global, a nonprofit I founded and manage, being left out.

The population of women-owned startups in Chicago is growing.

Women business owners have opportunities to thrive in Chicago, especially if they happen to be in tech.

Check out the list here.

Women Entrepreneurs Can Thrive

Dr. Nashawna Joseph (pictured), for the Shreveport Times, says, "It’s no secret that women have been making power moves and shaking things up in the business world for years." She calls these women 'boss women.'  She's all in for taking control of your mind and positioning yourself for success.

Below she offers up five surefire ways that you can thrive in any area of your life by committing to having a Plan Be.

1. Be intentional
2. Be uncomfortable
3. Be committed
4. Be proactive
5. Be victorious

Learn more about each way you can thrive here.

Starting a Business As a Route Into a Career in Music

Taking place at Nottingham’s brand new venue Metronome on Wednesday, October 10, leading female entrepreneurs will share valuable insights into starting a business as a route into a career in music.

There will be an impressive all-female line up of speakers running successful businesses across the music industry who will be looking to inspire the next generation at Women In Music’s next event.

“Music is about creating something new and celebrating that creation. Having more women in music would breathe new life into the industry, so encouraging females to choose our path is something I personally get passionate about and that is why I am part of setting up our Women In Music activities such as this," [says Katie Muckle, DHP Family’s Head of HR].

Read more here.

Being Wrong in Business Is Not Only Inevitable, It's Vital

To illustrate his point during a lecture he was giving that failure breeds success, Henry Petroski, Aleksandar S. Vesic Professor at Duke University and the author of dozens of books, including, To Forgive Design: Understanding Failure, pointed to a classic century-old engineering disaster: the sinking of the Titanic on April 15, 1912.

“Imagine that the Titanic had not struck that iceberg,” Petroski said to a standing-room-only crowd in McCormick’s Ford Motor Company Engineering Design Center. “That would have just reinforced the misconception that it was unsinkable. And every time it went across the Atlantic, it would further confirm that hypothesis.”

Well I won't leave you just with that.  Read more here and meanwhile:  "It’s the failure that leads to success,” Petroski said, “while prolonged success leads to failure.”

Network with Everyone

Nicole Wipp, guest writer for Entrepreneur magazine (online) says, "Women are escaping from their corporate jobs to go out on their own, stay-at-home moms are looking for ways to make money and in general, women seem to be very attracted to the entrepreneur path. Indeed, there are 114 percent more women-owned businesses in the U.S. than there were 20 years ago."

We know a thing or two about escaping from corporate America because due to the massive female entrepreneurial movement we launched this blog in 2004.

When it comes to the topic at hand, networking, I've always worked a room no matter who it is filled with -- men or women.

The question asked in the article below is:

But should we, as women, solely focus on these [women] gender-specific groups to take our career and entrepreneurial journey to the next level?

Find out here.

Julie Smolyansky: Empowering Women Entrepreneurs Worldwide on 9/12 in Chicago

Listen and learn from Julie Smolyansky, President and CEO, Lifeway Foods, as she talks about why it is important to empower women entrepreneurs worldwide.  She will be speaking at Bank of America's facility in Chicago, 135 S. LaSalle Street at 9:00 a.m. Central time on Wednesday, September 12.

Tickets available here ($40; students $20) and include a goodie-bag and continental breakfast.  The value price is due to the wonderful sponsors of nonprofit wegg®:  UPS, Bank of America, IBM and GlobalCare Clinical Trials.

See you there!  Full disclosure:  I serve as the President of Women Entrepreneurs Grow Global (wegg).

Women Entrepreneurs Tend to Earn Less Than Male Entrepreneurs in the Same Field

The result of new research by the online accounting company FreshBooks, which surveyed more than 2,700 working people in the United States, both those who worked for employers and those who were self-employed, found that female business owners or solopreneurs are earning less than male entrepreneurs in your same field.

Why is that?

In large part because the same gender discrimination that leads employers to pay women less and give them fewer promotions also affects women entrepreneurs' dealings with customers. 

Read more about why women entrepreneurs pay themselves less than men.

Meanwhile, go give yourself a raise.  You're worth it.