Create Your Own Success in 2016

You don't have to be an introvert to appreciate these tips because even entrepreneurs need a little solitude and a chance to be themselves:  Introvert holiday party survival guide.  And when you take time out to re-energize, you might read five new year's resolutions for entrepreneurs.

Meanwhile, I wish you a new year filled with success, happiness, and high impact initiatives.  Can't wait to reconnect with you in 2016!

Prosperity and Success To You in 2016!

Helping Women Break Barriers

To increase the amount of funding for women entrepreneurs we need to get more money targeted toward women entrepreneurs and increase the number women VC's in charge of that money.  But there's more and Anne Ravanona, Founder & CEO of Global Invest Her, reveals what else is needed to boost business for women entrepreneurs and mentions a competition for women entrepreneurs -- The Babson Breakaway Challenge -- that offers a $250,000 grand prize to one winner business as well as the creation of a customized brand identity platform..

Read more:  Breaking Barriers for Women Entrepreneurs and Women VC's: Babson Breakaway Challenge With $250K prize

Note:  You must apply by January 5, 2016 for a chance at $250,000 in funding.  Good luck!

Buying Versus Starting Your Own Business: Pros and Cons

As you contemplate running your own business, should you start it from scratch or buy one?  Here are some pros and cons to both.

Read more:  Buy a business or start your own?

How to Put Yourself in a Good Mood Every Day

So I'm reading the article 20 Career Tips From Entrepreneurs and what stands out?

I don’t mean real stress like bad health or how you are going to pay the predicted 300K tuition for your kid’s future college, I mean that nagging stuff that makes you in a slightly less good mood every single day.

Beyond putting yourself in a good mood everyday -- who wouldn't want to accomplish that? -- what else matters on the career front for women entrepreneurs?

Have a look, it's worth it:  20 Career Tips From Entrepreneurs

Build a Better Business

How do women entrepreneurs build better businesses? Governments must ease up regulations and help create stronger work-family policies. Are there certain policies that can promote women’s engagement in high-growth forms of entrepreneurship, not just business creation in general?

In the article below, that's the question posed by author Sarah Thebaud, Assistant Professor, Sociology, University of California, Santa Barbara. She says:

In a recent analysis, I show some surprising new evidence that work-family policies may be of critical importance. I found that when women have access to policies like paid leave or subsidized childcare, their odds of starting a venture oriented toward economic growth and job creation are higher. When they don’t, their odds are lower.

Read more:  Stronger work-family policies help women entrepreneurs build better businesses

Women Entrepreneurs Are Making Progress

According to Margot Dorfman (pictured), CEO of the U.S. Women’s Chamber of Commerce, women entrepreneurs face daunting challenges but they are making progress.

About 10 million women-led businesses in the United States generate $1.6 trillion in annual revenue. Almost every major industry sector — including technology, services and construction — has seen increases in women-led companies, Dorfman said.

Dorfman also says that if you look at the number of women running businesses, it's good but if you look strictly at the numbers in terms of revenues, it becomes problematic.

Read more:  State of Women Entrepreneurship

Don't Take a Back Seat to Anyone

Representatives from Microsoft, PayPal, Google and the SBDC Pennsylvania recently hosted a seminar "Tips from the Pros: Using Technology and Online Tools to Boost Your Small Business."  They talked about the latest products and services offered by those companies and gave tips for businesses to effectively use various forms of technology.

Marino [U.S. Rep. Tom Marino] said because his wife owns a small business, he sees and understands the challenges small business owners, especially women, face on a regular basis, and he respects them for the hurdles they have to overcome.
“The women I’ve dealt with in small business, they don’t take a back seat to anybody,” he said.

Read more:  Representatives from Microsoft, PayPal, Google and local organizations offer tips for small business owners 

Is Now the Best Time to Have a Baby in Corporate America or When You Work at a Small Business?

Whether you work in Corporate America or a small business, is now the best time to have a baby?

“Employees want work to be more flexible, and companies are realizing we have to be better. It’s not just an economic issue; it is a moral imperative. As I’ve [Stewart Friedman, Wharton practice professor of management and founding director of the Wharton Work/Life Integration Project] been saying for decades, we need a new national policy.”

Read more:  Is Now the Best Time to Have a Baby in Corporate America?

Note:  According to the article, when it comes to parental leave, sadly, the U.S. is at the bottom of the list of developed countries.

Accelerate Your Business With Social Media

Women in the United States make 78 cents for every man's dollar made according to the Institute for Women's Policy Research. What's the solution to overcoming gender inequality in the workplace?  Start a business and get a grip on your social media skills.

A new program Power, Prestige & Profits (PP&P), offers a step-by-step how-to online course to help women take control of their lives and build their social media empire.

PP&P focuses on delivering high value online courses to serve the growing small business, entrepreneur and solopreneur communities in need of social media help at a price point they could afford.

Learn more:  Kyra Reed and Gretchen Fox Help Female Business Owners Overcome Gender Pay Gap and Accelerate Their Business With Social Media

Photo courtesy:  Kyra Reed and Gretchen Fox, PP&P

Gender Equality is a Long Way Off at Most U.S. Companies

If, according to a recent WSJ article, gender equality is a long way off at most U.S. companies, what is a woman to do?  That's the purpose of this blog is to escape from corporate America and start your own business.  That way, you are in control of your own destiny.

Read:  What's Holding Women Back in the Workplace?

What the World Needs Now is ... More Entrepreneurs

According to Dell, the world needs 600 million new jobs by 2025 to handle the growing working-age population. Those jobs, Michael Dell points out, aren't likely to come from big corporations like Dell, but instead from entrepreneurs and small businesses.

Rhonda Abrams says, "if you think that small companies and start-ups can change the world, you're not alone."

"Nothing will build a country out of poverty more quickly than jobs," said [Elizabeth] Gore [former Entrepreneur-in-Residence (EIR) for the United Nations Foundation and now EIR for Dell]. "And entrepreneurs create 70 to 90 percent of jobs worldwide. In turn, that supports building a health infrastructure, leads to better governance, and focuses on what people need to succeed."

Read more:  Why the world needs entrepreneurs

Screenshot:  Elizabeth Gore

Female Funders

Katherine Hague, founder of Toronto-based ShopLocket, an online sales platform for hardware startups, says a $10,000 commitment from angel investor Heather Payne, founder of HackerYou, helped launch her company in 2011.  Now, Hague is bringing that experience to her latest project, Female Funders, a site dedicated to providing women with “approachable” resources to help them jump into angel investing.

Read more:  How female entrepreneurs hope to spark a new wave of women-led ventures

Screenshot courtesy:  Female Funders

Let's Applaud Women Business Owners

Veteran politician State Rep. Betty Boukus (pictured) is a woman on a mission -- to applaud women business owners who have made a name for themselves in Plainville, Connecticut.

“It’s important the people of Plainville know that every day in these difficult times women are doing what they have to do to make their businesses a success,” Boukus said. “These women and their employees are supporters of the town of Plainville.”

Read more:  Women-run businesses flourishing

Screenshot courtesy:  State Representative Betty Boukus

Women Entrepreneurs 40 Percent More Likely To Donate Than Men

Are women more generous than men?  According to CCTV America they are.

CCTV America's Shraysi Tandon filed a report that indicates when it comes to raising money for charities or looking for a big donor, women are more generous than men.

No surprises here.  Women like to not only run a business but make the human connection too.

Read more:  Female entrepreneurs leading in charitable giving

New Rule Levels Playing Field for Woman-Owned Small Businesses

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) issued on 9/11/15 a final rule authorizing federal agencies to award sole-source contracts to women-owned small businesses eligible for the Woman-Owned Small Business (WOSB) Federal Contract Program. Effective October 14, 2015, the rule levels the playing field for women-owned small businesses across the federal contracting marketplace.

SBA will use this new tool to continue to open doors for women entrepreneurs in the federal and commercial contract space. SBA's efforts include actively promoting women-owned businesses through programs such as ChallengeHER, the Women's Business Centers and InnovateHER, as well as implementing recent changes to its lending program that have made smaller dollar loans more accessible to women, and creating the online portal, LINC, to ease the process of finding capital to grow or start small businesses.

Read more: SBA:  New Authority Will Bolster Women-Owned Small Businesses

Creating Magic For Children

Delhi, India-based entrepreneur Romilla Tewari's children became her first customers.  After their birth, Romilla (pictured) started looking for options to do up their rooms in a way they would love and ended up starting her own business six years ago.

Romilla wrote an e-mail to a foreign company which specializes in doing up kids’ rooms, expressing her interest in bringing their products to India. They obliged with a positive response the very same day. 

Her company has grown to two brands:  ThinkCutieful and Mycutestickons.com (e-commerce) under parent company Eunoia Designs Pvt. Limited.

Read more:  Romilla Tewari creates magic for children, gives them space to dream

Showing Courage to Start a Business

What do a lot of small business owners want to do when they first launch a business?  Delegate.  Be a better boss.  Learn how to lead effectively.  These are just a few of the ways in which small business owners plan to grow their businesses.  And they have plenty of help.  10,000 Small Businesses, a program that Goldman Sachs has brought across the country, assists small businesses with all the functional aspects to growing a business.

One thing we already know:  These business owners show a lot of courage by starting a business.  It takes guts and initiative.

Learn more:  10,000 Small Businesses program thriving in Chicago

Screenshot courtesy:  Chicago Sun-Times

From Velvet Ropes to Vintage Chairs, Entrepreneur Realizes Her Dream of Owning a Business

Lisa Escobar (pictured) had a Vegas dream job managing high-end nightclubs Tryst and XS inside the Wynn Las Vegas and Encore. But as much as Escobar loved it, that job wasn't her calling.

So in 2012 — in the middle of Southern Nevada's recession — Escobar quit and launched a business as an interior decorator and stylist, using her Rolodex of VIPs as a starting point for a client list.

What was the transition like?

Learn more:  Entrepreneur realizes dream of launching her own business

Visit:  Lisa Escobar Design

Screenshot courtesy:  Lisa Escobar Design

Women Are Best As Entrepreneurs

Why are women best at being entrepreneurs?  Easy.  Female entrepreneurs are more likely to be risk averse and so avoid the pitfalls that can kill a young business, says Paul Bentley, Kleinwort Benson’s head of entrepreneurs.  He goes on to specifically say:

"Female entrepreneurs tend to be more risk averse and position themselves better to create long-term value. They often avoid the pitfalls that befall early stage firms, meaning their businesses will show a more consistent track record."

Read:  'Women are best entrepreneurs' as they are more likely to avoid pitfalls that can kill a young business 

Screenshot courtesy:  This is Money (photo of Julia Elliott Brown, Upper Street London co-founder)