Be Daring and Disruptive

Small Business Trends talks about a new book to help you push through that barrier between prospective to actual entrepreneur. It's titled, "Daring & Disruptive: Unleashing the Entrepreneur," and according to SBT, it is probably your best bet. The book helps you understand how you can leverage your non-traditional path as an asset instead of an obstacle to entrepreneurship.

Go girl.

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The Great Outdoor Entrepreneur

Becoming a member of Amazon Exclusives program was a game-changer for founder Kelly Fedio's business One Savvy Life, a lifestyle accessory company.  She was able to generate annual sales for her products in the seven figures within two years.

“We seek to fulfill women’s ambition of living a fun and active lifestyle, and bring women distinctive products and experiences and a means of self-expression through our products.”

Visit her company here.  Read more ...

Women Entrepreneurs Are Taking the World by Storm

Several local, national, and international enterprises are owned and headed by strong businesswomen. Gone are the days when women hesitated to start their own company for fear of not being able to dedicate enough time to their families or due to lack of resources.

From contributing to global wealth to supporting their own communities, female entrepreneurs are destroying all physical and mental barriers that are holding them back from ruling the world.

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How to Pedal Through Every Stage of Entrepreneurial Growth

Founder and owner of South Carolina-based Pedal Chic (photo credit:  Pedal Chic), Robin Bylenga, opened her women’s cycling and athletic boutique in 2010.  She worked for a bike shop to get experience first and understand customers. She invested $500 for a small amount of inventory of women’s biking apparel and generated $1,500 in sales at an area bike race.

“I’ve had to push [pedal] through at every stage, and there have been setbacks, but the demand is there and growing,” says Bylenga, whose shop is profitable today.

But there is more to starting a business and becoming successful. Oftentimes it takes finding mentors and advisers who can share their experiences with you to grow a business more efficiently and faster.

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Is There a Secret to Becoming an Entrepreneur?

Two women entrepreneurs share their stories and secrets to becoming successful business owners. One believes customer service is the key and the other recommends that they have good advisers, a good attorney, good insurance, and  a “trusted network.”

One also highlighted this (and I so agree):

Being an entrepreneur, you have a spirit of you’re never really quite settled,” she said. “When everything is too easy, you’re not quite happy. You’re always kind of looking around like something is missing what should I be doing, is this really what I should be doing, at least that’s how I felt.”

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Bias Impacts Whether Women Entrepreneurs Get Funding

Swedish researchers observing government venture capitalists over a year found that they described female and male investors quite differently, and not in a good way.

They suggested that bias, and the way those biases were phrased, may have impacted whether women got funding.

According to the Harvard Business Review article, "We Recorded VCs' Conversations and Analyzed How Differently They Talk About Female Entrepreneurs," male entrepreneurs received positive language (.e.g, bold!) about their "potential."  The women, on the other hand, tended to get a different set of comments (e.g., cautious and nervous) with emphasis on their looks.

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Deals in Heels

Tennis star and entrepreneur Venus Williams is set to star in her own TV/entertainment series called Deals in Heels.  She will sit alongside a panel of other female magnates, as a mentor to five talented, up-and-coming female entrepreneurs who will pitch their business/investment ideas.

At a time where gender and pay equality are still major issues in both developing and developed countries, with the gender gap even larger for women of colour and black women, we are really looking forward to a TV show produced by women, starring women and supporting women-run businesses.

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When Small Business Owners Dream, Everyone Wins

Recently, the United States Small Business Administration honored Monica Starks, president and C. Denise Griffith, CEO, of Detroit-based GS Group, LLC with the SBA Michigan Women Owned Small Business of the Year award as part of the SBA’s National Small Business Week.

Here's what the Small Business Administration said:

“When small business owners follow their dreams, everyone benefits. They create jobs and drive our economy, and as the world transforms, small business owners are our problem solvers. Faced with social, technological and economic changes, they see opportunities to build."

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How to Complete Self-Certification In Less Than an Hour

Business owner Kiki Ramsey wanted to become certified as a Woman-Owned Small Business because she felt it would help her chances of getting even more federal business. However, she thought she had to pay a third-party company to provide the certification.

She was in for a pleasant surprise when she found out otherwise.  She could go two different routes:

1. Self-Certification
2. Third-party Certification 

The self-certification process is the path Kiki took with the benefit for her and many other female business owners interested in the federal marketplace is that it is free and relatively simple.

You can start the process by viewing this webinar.

Read more here.

Extraordinary Visionaries: Young Female Entrepreneurs

The Challenges and Rewards to Being a Female Entrepreneur

At a recent panel discussion, three female entrepreneurs shared their stories of how they started their businesses, the challenges they faced and the rewards it provided them.  The article below highlights some of their advice.  For example:

“You need a good business plan,” she said. “Any of you who are looking to put a business together, I strongly suggest to you to put that business plan together and research it.”

The entrepreneurs featured are:

1. Robin Phipps of Kearney, Green Thumb Design and Scholarship Coaching for Youth
2. Lisa Johnson of McCool Junction, Kerry’s Restaurant and Catering
3. Ashlee Schneider of Grand Island, Snap Fitness

Read more.

Sharing Best Lessons Learned in Entrepreneurship

Women entrepreneurs share their best lessons learned from their experiences being entrepreneurs.  Here's one tip.

She [Bernadette Reid, from Halifax who runs Sankofa Marketing and Sales] says her best advice for women starting out is to ask for help. Why reinvent the wheel when you can learn from other’s mistakes? She also says women in business shouldn’t be afraid to make mistakes: if something isn’t working, try something else.

Read more here.

Natalie Kaddas Shows Us How to Take a Business Global

Photo courtesy: Kaddas Enterprises; Natalie Kaddas, CEO, Kaddas Enterprises with President Obama

For those of you who run businesses where you aspire to take it global, you might want to look at an upcoming WEGGinar™ that takes place tomorrow, 4/5.  The presenter, business owner Natalie Kaddas (pictured), talks about what she has done to bring global success to her company.

The webinar is no charge thanks to Women Entrepreneurs GROW Global (WEGG) sponsors (UPS, BAL and IBM) and if you don't have the time to listen to the recording tomorrow, you can always listen to it later.  I'll be on the call handling the Q&A.  Hope you can join us and feel free to ask questions!  We'll deliver answers.

Register here: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/5344517495639686658

On a different yet inspiring note, check out 10 Pioneering Women Artists History Forgot

Meet the Tea Lady

Jennifer Gerdes began selling tea and handcrafted candles and other artisan goods when she started her own business, J. Cottage Industries, four years ago.  Now she has a knack for it and has become known as 'the tea lady'.  She recently opened a formal tea party at the State Farmers Market in The Market Tea Room and Country Store which opened there March 25.

"It's a space that is really all about honoring what's made right here in South Carolina," [Dupre] Percival [owner and operator of Dupre Catering and Events] said. "It's really about hospitality and Jennifer's tea room is the icing on the cake. It's a place for people to sit, talk and just enjoy being together."

Read more here.

You are Never Too Young to Start a Business

Eight-year old Oklahoma entrepreneur Londyn Bond took a trip to a jewelry store, which sparked an idea, and spurred her to start her own business making bracelets.

Londyn's Moments, as it is called, are a range of bracelets that sell from 10 to 15 dollars a piece. Half of the profits goes toward supplies for new products and the other half goes into savings

She makes each bracelet within a few minutes and then sells them to people all over and at different trade shows.

It goes to show you that you are never too young to start a business.  Read more here.

The Good Girl Business Owner

The title of this post is a joke and it goes like this.  From a woman business owner:

“When I had the fan motor in my walk-in freezer [at her business] replaced, I bought an extra one since the guy had trouble figuring out the underlying problem. When I told him there was another fan motor he said, ‘Good girl,’” Ross says.

That's a man acting condescending toward a woman business owner.  So my advice to you today?  When a repairman treats you that way, tell him to take a hike.  Then call the company, report the encountering and say, "Your good little repair person is never coming back here and I will never use your service again."

Read some other far more charming and enlightening small business stories here.

Quit the Rat Race and Start a Business

If Claire and Ian Harrison (shown below) can start a food firm that provides hot food and drinks, you can too, that is, start a business.

Here's the catch.  The Harrison's business was inspired by a hand made camper van, referred to as the Kitchen Kart, which had been touring Mexico.  Ian had created the trailer out of warehouse pallets.

Next up for them?  Handling a wedding with 100 guests next year.

Read more here.

The Future of Business is Female

Love, love, love this:

If you ask some of the most powerful female executives today what the future looks like for women, most of them agree on one thing: It will be better than today. The reason for their optimism? "The business world is not static," says Ellevest co-founder Sallie Krawcheck. "Whereas before, if there were issues in the workplace, a woman had a choice: Stay gutted out, go without information to another company, or go home. Today, there's a fourth really important choice, which is start your own thing.

Read more and watch the great video with insights from top women leaders here.

How to Get a Product Out of a Lab and Into the Real World

Amy Sheng, co-founder of CellScope created a smart-phone attachment for diagnosing kids' ear infections and brought it into the real world.  She and fellow co-founder Erik Douglas, now help the modern family access healthcare more conveniently.

Move Beyond Discussing Barriers to Achieving Success

Female entrepreneurs are showing they are a force to be reckoned with despite barriers and challenges that could get in their way but don't.

“What they see is what they’ll be,” said Iyadunni [founding partner of V-Rock Productions] “Everything I do, they [her daughters] want to do it. We’ve had lots of conversations, and I’ve encouraged them to create their own life using the gifts and talents that have been given to them. They haven’t encountered the same obstacles that I did 12 years ago.”

Many women entrepreneurs encourage other women to get out there early and learn the ropes because starting a business.

Learn a few other tips here.