Reshaping Early-Stage Venture Capital (VC) to Better Serve Women Entrepreneurs

Melinda Gates is trying to change the face of power in venture capital (VC) to better serve women entrepreneurs.

Given that VCs cater to a select few, fail on about 80%, and need home runs to pay for the failures, the question looms: can Gates make a dent and leave a legacy?

Discover the five challenges and potential solutions.

Make Time For Yourself This Holiday Season

Take (or make) time for yourself.  Planning or relaxing must be part of your daily list of to-dos, and what better time to start than the holidays?

Here are five things every entrepreneur should do this holiday season. Practice these habits, and you'll notice a change in 2024.

5 Secrets to Building a Billion Dollar Brand

Remember Kathy Ireland?  She skyrocketed to fame as a model at the age of 16, is now the CEO of Kathy Ireland Worldwide — a global empire worth over $2 billion.  She is now one of the biggest names in business. 

Here are her top 5 tips for building a billion dollar brand.

AI Is Not a Replacement for Human Labor

After the release of ChatGPT 3.5 last November, we’re still very much in the early stages of people working out what’s possible with the technology. Everyone wants to know how far it can be taken.

Could AI become a new form of entrepreneurship?

Historically, business leaders would leverage a combination of people and capital to push their enterprises forward. In the last twenty years, that’s expanded to “networks” but in the future, it could involve AI, too.

While some engineers believe AI might be conscious, most agree that it can’t and doesn’t view morality through the same lens as people. As such, it is up to humans to make the best choice for the direction in which to send a business.

AI is not a replacement for human labor.  It's an enhancement.

Women's Representation in the Workforce Is Not Keeping Pace

Here's a look at the common myths about women’s workplace experiences and career advancement, the specific biases and barriers faced by Asian, Black, Latina, and LGBTQ+ women and women with disabilities, and clear solutions that organizations can implement to make meaningful progress toward gender equality.  That’s according to the latest Women in the Workplace report from McKinsey, in partnership with LeanIn.Org, it's ninth year.

Upshot:  Women are more ambitious than ever, and workplace flexibility is fueling them. Yet despite some hard-fought gains, women’s representation is not keeping pace.

Hence, why more and more women are starting their own businesses. Controlling your destiny is a good thing.

Education Around Intellectual Property

The USPTO supports women entrepreneurs and promotes education around intellectual property. 

Please visit the Empowering Women's Entrepreneurship webpage for upcoming events, mentorship opportunities, resources, and tools available through the USPTO.  

The last program they offered, "Women Entrepreneurs: Protect and promote your brand," was in collaboration with the Farley Center in Evanston, Illinois.

Be sure to sign up to receive emails about startup resources and FREE events.

Make Some Extra Cash With a Side Gig

Some people have side gigs – ways to make extra cash – that are even more lucrative than their main jobs.  Take Pinky Chong, for example. 

She’s a physical therapist by trade, but she makes $8,000 a month on the side by selling luxury items from brands like Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Christian Louboutin, Gucci and Hermes.  She has made her extra cash by selling these items on sites like eBay, Poshmark, Mercari and Facebook Groups. 

Find out how Chong got started and how you can, too.