For Women Entrepreneurs, Setbacks Can Be Turning Points That Fuel Growth

Geri Stengel for Forbes writes about how women entrepreneurs turn setbacks into opportunities.

For many women entrepreneurs, the old saying rings true: When one door closes, another opens. Tariffs, changing corporate priorities, and economic uncertainty may shut down opportunities, but resilience and adaptability often lead to new paths forward.

Geri spoke with two CEOs—Karla Trotman of Electro Soft and Dee C. Marshall of Diverse & Engaged—who shared how their companies evolved in response to challenges. She also spoke with Carolyn Rodz, CEO and cofounder of Hello Alice, whose platform serves thousands of small businesses nationwide. Her observations, based on working directly with women entrepreneurs, add another layer to understanding how business owners can turn challenges into opportunities for growth.

As Geri concludes, "For women entrepreneurs, setbacks are not just obstacles. They are the turning points that fuel reinvention and drive future growth."

Read the entire article here.

US Investment Trends For Women Startup Founders

In recent years, US companies founded or co-founded by women have received a smaller share of total deals compared to previous years. However, those companies continue to grow their share of capital raised.

This dashboard dives into US investment trends for women startup founders over the last 16 years with data on deal counts and capital raised by state, industry and stage, and featuring select female-founded startups and firms. The data is sourced from the PitchBook Platform and will be updated monthly. 

Everything For a Small Business Is Urgent: Where's the Funding For Women Business Owners?

Women's business centers are essential to ensuring women entrepreneurs can start, grow and sustain businesses that strengthen local economies. There are about 150 such centers nationwide.  Without women’s business centers, countless women entrepreneurs would lack a clear path to success. Federal investment is making a difference — and sustained support remains essential.

A preliminary proposal from the Trump administration called for a halt to federal funding for women's business centers nationwide.

The budget uncertainty in Washington, the federal funding situation for both Women Business Centers and SCORE, is concerning.

We salute the Association of Women's Business Centers for their five-city Media Spotlight Tour to showcase the impact of women-owned businesses and the Women's Business Centers (WBCs) that support them.

There's a reason women are defined as resilient and courageous.  If you strip them of funding, there are no alternatives but to become fearless, resilient and courageous to grow a business. We exist.  Show us support will you? 

Women Entrepreneurs Grow Global® Celebrates 10 Years of Success in Chicago 11/6/25

Join Women Entrepreneurs Grow Global® in Chicago on November 6, 2025, as we celebrate 10 years of success! 

Enjoy exceptional food, signature cocktails, lively conversation, and a soundtrack curated entirely by women artists—plus gift bags filled with products made by women. And to top it all off, the evening will be emceed by the sensational Whitney Reynolds!

To learn more and to attend, visit: https://womenentrepreneursgrowglobal.org/about/10yr-anniversary/

Women in Business 2025 Report

The Women in Business 2025 research highlights the broad array of external pressures prompting firms to improve the gender balance of their teams, and the important role it could play in improving firms’ capacity for growth. Consequently, or otherwise, businesses are also putting pressure on themselves to improve. Globally, just 0.2% of firms say they don’t have a gender equality strategy in place for at least one fundamental business process.

The findings in this Women in Business 2025 report are drawn from interviews conducted between July and September 2024. It should be noted that this year, the data was collected nine months after the previous data set, as opposed to the previous year, where data was collected on an annual basis.

Read the full report (well worth it) by Grant Thornton and discover drivers of diversity, even in 2025, the year of massive change for all organizations.

Meet Trailblazing Impact Investor and Serial Entrepreneur Kim Folsom

Kim Folsom, who I've known for several years, is the Founder, Chairperson and CEO of Founders First Capital Partners which provides access to the critical capital businesses need to unlock their economic potential.

Kim's firm has built a comprehensive ecosystem through its proprietary platform to empower underrepresented founders to become leading premium wage job creators within their communities.  She supports inclusive businesses including those led by women, people of color, Hispanic, LGBTQ+, military veterans, diverse teams and businesses located in low to moderate-income areas.

Founders First provides revenue-based funding, term loans and advisory services to service-based small businesses located outside of major capital markets.

To learn more, visit:  Founders First Capital Partners.

Side note:  Really like this article Kim wrote.

The Next Level For Women Entrepreneurs Is Always Within Our Grasp

To accelerate growth, surround yourself with confident, successful women who recognize the leader in you.

Marsha Ralls says, "remember that the next level is always within our grasp. Together, the trailblazers and upcoming women leaders will rise beyond us, knowing that new heights are indeed possible. They need only to reach for them, together."

After a decade building a community of empowered women entrepreneurs and business leaders, Marsha realized that life’s most profound lessons come masked as confirmations of what you already know inside but have not yet been able to put into words. Below, she finds those words.

Lessons learned.