Thursday, November 30, 2006

Highlighting Female Entrepreneurs!

This is the first special report from SmartMoney.com on eleven successful women business owners who offer advice to women looking to start a business. They've singled out female entrepreneurs (from Bobbi Brown to Muriel Siebert) to highlight their accomplishments, while underscoring some of the obstacles they've faced. Their compelling stories offer all entrepreneurs a road map to success.

Inspiring stuff. Be sure to read it.

Ladies First

Separately and from the book "Women Who Changed The World:"

Chapter 10
Catherine the Great

"I leave it to posterity to judge impartially what I have done." ~ Catherine the Great

Monday, November 27, 2006

Welcome to the New American Revolution

Brace yourself. We're in for an exciting ride. This is a very long commentary but worth the read. I'll give you the ending first:

"History will be made when Nancy Pelosi is sworn in as the first female President in American history."

Get ready for ... and the first female president of the USA. And to think this piece is written by a man.

Separately and from the book "Women Who Changed The World:"

Chapter 9
Elizabeth I

"I have already joined myself in marriage to a husband, namely the Kingdom of England." ~ Queen Elizabeth I of England

Tuesday, November 21, 2006

Making The Leap From Big to Small

Babson's Women Business Blog post.

Separately and from the book "Women Who Changed The World:"

Chapter 8
Catherine de Medici

"In France, and at the most important period of our history, Catherine de Medici has suffered more from popular error than any other woman." ~ Honore de Balzac

Monday, November 20, 2006

No Glass Ceiling? Look Again.

Love the quotes:

They tire of hitting the glass ceiling and leave for smaller, private firms, said Judy Rosener, a business professor at University of California-Irvine, who has published books and articles on women at work.

Rosener said it could take years or decades for women to reach the top of traditional large, publicly held companies, which she recommends female college graduates avoid.

"A lot of really sharp women are saying their opportunities are better with fast-growing (private) companies," she said.

Erin Fuller, executive director of the 8,000-member National Association of Women Business Owners, said women run nearly half of all privately held businesses.

In the 1970s, it was less than 10 percent, she said.

She said women are becoming more entrepreneurial because they can exercise control of a business, and it has become easier to get capital.

Fuller said it wasn't until the mid-1970s that federal legislation guaranteed that a woman could have a credit card in her own name, and it wasn't until 1988 that Congress passed legislation that made it illegal for banks to withhold loans from a woman unless she had a man co-sign.

Women Still Struggling To Break Glass Ceiling.

Separately and from the book "Women Who Changed The World:"

Chapter 7
Isabella I of Spain

"Tanto monta, monta tanto -- Isabel como Fernando." ~ Official motto: 'Isabella and Ferdinand are one and the same.'

Wednesday, November 15, 2006

12 Secrets of Success From Women For Women

What would accomplished women say if asked for one piece of advice about creating satisfying work that allows them to express who they are and allows for a life outside the office?

This question was asked of accomplished, university-educated women in their late 30s to mid-50s. Some held senior positions in business, government and the not-for-profit and cultural sectors. Some had left marquee jobs to pursue a passion -- start a business, write or follow other personal interests.

The women queried included 30 who completed a 75-question survey about life and work and 1,000 respondents to related online polls. Click here for a distillation of what they said.

No. 12 is Be (EXPRESS) yourself. Click here for Google Video break.

Separately and from the book "Women Who Changed The World:"

Chapter 6
Joan of Arc

"I am not afraid. I was born to do this." ~ Joan of Arc

Monday, November 13, 2006

A New Push for Minority Entrepreneurs

Civil rights activist and Baptist minister Rev. Jesse Jackson (pictured) has long played a vocal role in American politics and social advocacy. In 1971, he founded the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition to fight for social change, and he was a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1984 and 1988. Now he has announced another initiative, the Small Business Institute. Expected to launch in January in New York with satellites across the country to follow, Jackson's newest initiative will focus on giving entrepreneurial training to youth, immigrants, and minorities and help them access capital for their businesses.

Here's an excerpt from the interview:

Q: What about the recent approaches that have taken advantage of the growth and potential of minority-owned small businesses? For instance, 10 years ago Wells Fargo (WFC) recognized the growing financial needs of women entrepreneurs and set up its Women's Service Division, and has since given out $19 billion in loans. Last year, a group of Latino investors with $20 million capitalization announced a new California bank focusing on Latino family businesses that generate $1 million to $10 million in revenue.

A: Affirmative action has opened up the women's market. Women and people of color are a majority, not a minority. There are more skilled women [and] higher volumes [of them are] consumers. [But] many women were not on track for community loans -- now Wells Fargo sensed that and invested in them and the Hispanic and African American market. We want the Small Business Institute to combine this research and together search for the best practices. We need not be original with the idea.

Read more here.

Separately and from the book "Women Who Changed The World:"

Chapter 5
Eleanor of Aquitaine

"I thought that I had married a king, but I find that I have married a monk." ~ Eleanor of Aquitaine and of her husband, Louis VII

Monday, November 06, 2006

Women Thrive in Importing

Here's what's relevant:

• Its owners say they have been able to thrive in what was once a male-dominated business by offering personalized service and competitive pricing.

• But the women noted that the challenges of owning a small business have changed significantly in 30 years. In the beginning, the sales industry was largely dominated by men, they said. "It was difficult to get loans from the bank," recalls Roz who still dresses as elegantly as her daughter.

• "Thirty years ago, the Fair Credit Reporting Act was enacted," says Cook. "Before that ... you needed a man to co-sign for a credit card, a loan or even a mortgage."

• "I deal with a lot of women even on the wholesale side of the industry," Jackie says echoing Kuc's claim. "There are a lot more women around than there used to be."

• ... and the top two concerns for women business owners now are business expansion and cash flow," says Cook. "They are not as concerned with how do I survive or how do I get a credit card. They are concerned with growth."

Read the article here: Irish Importers Thrive on Personal Touch

Separately and from the book "Women Who Changed The World:"

Chapter 4
Hildegard of Bingen

With nature's help, humankind can set into creation all that is necessary and life sustaining. ~ Hildegard of Bingen

Wednesday, November 01, 2006

Women Make Their Mark Through Entrepreneurship ...


... but what about the women who don't start businesses or become entrepreneurs? Could a tattoo, symbolic of one's defiance, be a stepping stone to eventually starting a business? Who knows but here's what the article says:

"She (a woman who is an executive headhunter and obviously has not escaped from corporate America) chose to get her tattoo in the small of her back for its sexiness and the feeling she was getting herself back. Meister says she and some colleagues recently compared notes and exchanged tattoo stories in the company lunchroom – revealing that even in her corporate setting, she is not the only mom at work with a tattoo."

Read more: here.

Separately and from the book "Women Who Changed The World:"

Chapter 3
Boudicca

If you weigh well the strength of the armies, and the causes of the war, you will see that in this battle you must conquer or die. This is a woman's resolve; as for men, they may live and be slaves. ~ Boudicca