Since 1959, Barbie has held more than 108 jobs over the course of her 50 year career -- from Olympian to astronaut -- but has Barbie ever been an entrepreneur? Don't you think it's time?
For Alison Greenberg who was 12 years into a successful career with a leading New Jersey law firm when starting out on her own, it was a small price to pay.“I walked away from a lot,” she says. “I was a partner. I had a good salary and opportunities for bonuses, but I wanted to be more of a community-based lawyer and to reinvent the practice of law for myself. I also lived in Manhattan so I wanted to work where I live and get more involved with community issues and politics.”She started her own business litigation and employment law practice in New York six months ago and hasn’t looked back since.
“I had two clients when I left and there was a lot of initial uncertainty of where the business was going to come from,” she says. “But I was always weighing the pros and cons of being part of a large firm and felt that to be true to myself and be able to represent more individuals and small business owners it would be better to go out on my own. It’s different now, and I’m living on a different budget but it’s very rewarding.”Read more about Alison's soul-searching journey and others like her -- here.
We just love this new, powerful site for women called WOMEN-omics -- the first website focused on the theme of promoting women as an economic opportunity. The site is the brainchild of Avivah Wittenberg-Cox, a consultant, executive coach, author, entrepreneur and publisher of WOMEN-omics.Men like to believe they run the world. They are not ... read the balance of it here.Take a moment to explore, learn, grow and engage at WOMEN-omics where they claim women worldwide hold the purse strings.
Oppenheimer & Co. banking analyst Meredith Whitney (pictured above) -- known as the woman who moves markets -- is leaving to start her own business.The firm that bears her name will be grounded in her research (her "true passion"). But it won't be just about issuing notes to clients. She eventually intends to advise companies as well. And in March, she will be on a steering committee to advise the G20 on how to respond to the credit crisis.Based on her good looks and obvious talent, I vote she takes her business immediately to television. Check out her new firm: Meredith Whitney Advisory Group LLC.
As head of her new firm, Whitney, who currently hosts gatherings in her home where professional women can swap ideas and hear thought leaders, plans to host a "salon series" in her offices with writers, government officials, regulators, and business luminaries. It could be a big value-add for clients who want access to bold-face names and original ideas.
If you can't beat'em, break'em, that's what I recommend. Let's give a big welcome to Nicki Gilmour, founder, The Glass Hammer, who is helping women break through glass ceilings.
Whether you run a business or head up a multi-million dollar division of a Fortune 500 company, lifelong learning is vital to ensure personal and professional growth. And business schools are here to help by offering programs specifically tailored to women.
Captains of the universe, I mean, chief executives at eight banks and securities firms that have received U.S. $165 billion in federal aid have been barraged by U.S. lawmakers. Who's missing in the photo?
You can analyze things to death but really, the best time to start a business is when you are good and ready. 
This is such an inspiring story of how a woman, Cheryl Womack (pictured), goes from being a mom to running a business (at the same time of course), to making the business a huge success, to selling it, and eventually ... starting a nonprofit called The Leading Women Entrepreneurs of the World. She's an amazing woman and a role model for us all.One of 11 children born to Panamanian immigrants, Womack first made her mark with VCW, which sells insurance to independent truckers. That company, which she started with just $17,000 in 1983, was worth more than $100 million when she sold it in 2002. Currently, she manages a nonprofit called the Leading Women Entrepreneurs of the World, helping others on their way up. Married and the mother of two, Womack recently pledged $2 million to build a women's softball field at her alma mater, the University of Kansas.Read the full spread (including viewing the slideshow) over at Oprah.
We are honored to be selected for the "100 Must-Read Blogs by Women" according to Adam at Blogtrepreneur.
Is there a good, better or best time to start a business? Probably not. When you are ready, you're ready and nothing is going to get in your way -- even if times are tough.
Mass High Tech honors women who excel in technological innovation, entrepreneurship and community involvement for their work as leaders in their field through the 6th Annual “Women to Watch” Awards, announced recently by Mass High Tech: The Journal of New England Technology.
Intuit has announced a small business “stimulus package” that will provide the 27 million small businesses around the country with a monetary boost totaling $1,000 per small business and more than $350,000 in grants and donations.
We are the originator of the name Escape From Corporate America going back to as early as March, 2003 with our Conference Board article of the same title. We went on to secure a domain name of the same title -- Escape From Corporate America in July, 2004 and started this blog exactly the same time. 
We are excited to announce our new social enterprise called Women Entrepreneurs GROW Global (WEGG). It's about bringing global opportunity to women worldwide.
Scared about holding on to your corporate job? Hire yourself! Start a business! Become an entrepreneur! That way, you can't be fired and you have complete control over your destiny.Being an entrepreneur means no one can fire you. For a woman who wants to have children it means not totally sacrificing your career. The 65-plus executive who is told he must retire but isn't ready doesn't have to. What prevents a disabled person from starting and running their own business? It's really mind over matter.The quote above is from Marc Kramer's latest column over at TheStreet.com. Definitely worth a read.
Fellow Chicagoan and superb businesswoman Mellody Hobson (President of Ariel Investments), offers up some tips for starting a business. Although this piece via ABC was published September 2005, the tips are still relevant.
It's a wonderfully cold snowy day in Chicago. I decided to capture the last little bit of holiday cheer in the neighborhood. Pretty soon, the sun will be shining and flowers will be blooming. Can't wait.
According to The Frisky, where they start with The Best Guy Bloggers in 2008, they move on to The Best Gal Bloggers in 2008.
Have any doubts about what women entrepreneurs will accomplish in 2009? Then read this. Inspiration has never come so easy.
Interesting little piece in the The Christian Science Monitor about a mom traveling with her infant. My favorite part:It's no wonder that so many women eventually become successful business entrepreneurs. Motherhood requires skills that far exceed the requirements of managing the home. Once you have traveled with a baby, running a multimillion dollar business is a piece of cake. Why shouldn't Bill Gates's office be the next project? The job would be the same although the furniture and trimmings might cost a tad more. And if a mom found Bill sitting in his briefcase playing with his laptop, no one would be concerned.Read the entire essay here.
Whoever would have guessed that a simple, reflective walk by the lake -- one year ago today and reported here -- capturing an experience would bring such fun, joy and fame to my life.
In the midst of a snowstorm (Chicago), I just had to go out and have some fun. I made this snow(wo)man all on my own -- cucumber eyes, tootsie pop mouth and all!
Men are losing jobs at far greater rates than women as the industries they dominate, such as manufacturing, construction, and investment services, are hardest hit by the downturn.
Power girls, better known as women who have escaped corporate America to become entrepreneurs (like Oprah), have incredible instincts and go with their gut when making big decisions for their company. It goes like this: Find it. Trust it. Use it.Like many of the great moguls of our time, today's new modern women entrepreneurs follow their gut when it comes to their companies. I've heard stories of instincts driving everything from major business decisions to where or when to travel, hunches that turned out to be great ideas, and examples where "just having a feeling" turned out to be a key factor in shaping someone's work or life. It's something I can definitely attest to. Many of my biggest achievements started from a feeling that if I took a leap, I'd be right.Got a hunch or a great feeling? Then go for it. Don't let anything get in your way to make EXTRAORDINARY things happen in your life.
Considering the tumultuous times were in, we need this new initiative from Babson College more than ever right now. Social entrepreneurship will be all the rage in 2009, if it isn't already, because people are on a mission to change our world (yes we can!) and solve global problems.
Erica Douglass quit her job and started a business with $20,000 ($5,000 of her own money and $15,000 from her parents). Read about her tips for success and find out how you can start a business too without a lot of money here.
Rarely do I weigh in with my own two cents on what's happening in our global economy let alone provide ways in which to deal with it as a woman business owner. But there's always an exception to the rule and I thought you might like the article, 16 Ways To Dodge An Economic Crisis, I wrote for OPEN Forum by American Express.
We are honored to be featured on All Diva Media's 20 Women Bloggers to Watch in 2009. Our thanks to DJ Nelson who's the force behind All Diva Media.
Judith Dobrzynski, who I am a big fan of, writes a clever piece, "Maybe the Meltdown's a Guy Thing," for The New York Times which was published November 15th. Catch it here. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
According to a survey by Catalyst, a New York research group, women hold 15.4% of Fortune 500 corporate-officer jobs -- positions of vice president or higher that require board approval. That number has inched down from 16.4% in 2005. Women running Fortune 500 companies amount to just 2.4%, the survey showed, and 74 of those companies have no female corporate officers at all.Pictured: Sheryl Sandberg of Facebook is among the 50.
Young Women Social Entrepreneurs (YWSE) is a national organization with chapters in San Francisco, Portland, Los Angeles, and New York City. I hope to help them start a Chicago chapter.
Women business owners have more support from networking groups and organizations devoted to peer mentoring (e.g., Women Presidents' Organization), and there is improved access to capital for female business owners than in the past. At least we like to think so. More women are increasingly leading companies in a wide range of sectors traditionally dominated by men, such as construction, manufacturing and information technology.
American Express OPEN announced the launch of OPEN Forum’s Economy section, a new platform for small business owners to connect virtually to discuss the current state of the economy and how it affects their businesses. The Economy section is a component of the newly refreshed OPENForum.com, an education and networking resource designed to provide small business owners with practical, actionable information from business experts, celebrity business owners and best-in-class bloggers and news outlets.
The number of minority women-owned businesses grew twice as fast as the number of businesses created by male minority entrepreneurs and non-minority men and women, according to a new study released by the Minority Business Development Agency.
What do -- the former Colombian presidential candidate and hostage, Ingrid Betancourt; designer Diane von Furstenberg; the sailor Ellen MacArthur; the exiled Bangladeshi author Taslima Nasreen; the venture capitalist Molly Ashby, the founder of Solera Capital; and the French ministers Fadela Amara, who is in charge of coordinating plans for the racially mixed and poor suburbs, and the foreign trade minister, Anne-Marie Idrac -- all have in common?
I want to make sure you are all familiar with this fantastic resource. It's called News On Women and published by Alice Krause. She reports on women moving up in the world and is looking for news! Check it out here.
At Chicago-based MAB Advertising, there are some great tips you can apply to running your business during turbulent times. See for yourself here.If I wasn't already running my own business, today is the day I'd start one. ~ Seth Godin (9/26/08)
In every difficult situation is potential value. Believe this, then begin looking for it. ~ Norman Vincent PealeCaveat: I know Mary Bahr, President and Creative Director of MAB Advertising through my work with the Women Presidents' Organization.
Did you know Americans aged 55-64 start small businesses at a higher rate than any other age group? 
The social revolution that liberated women has also presented us with even more demands. Most are still trying to map the line between freedom (escapism) and responsibility. 
Meet Ellen J. Kullman, the new chief executive and President of Dupont, making her one of the few women to rise to the top of the chemical industry and putting her among the handful of women running the nation's largest companies.
Even though this is happening in India, it's pretty similar to the United States. Women at the top are still rare. India should focus more on grooming women to own a business and less on helping them become managers within companies.Women leaders in India's corporate world, though still small in numbers, see the situation changing for the better as the gender divide narrows and the glass ceiling disintegrates.Read the article here.
"If women want they can reach the top in the corporate ladder. There is nothing like glass ceiling for women in corporate sector. Moreover, with the diminishing of gender divide, women with their ability are best suitable to head corporate businesses," asserts Kalpana Morparia, CEO of JP Morgan India.
"As a woman from the corporate world, I say all the aspiring women leaders and entrepreneurs have the ability to take a risk in their careers and come out of their comfort zones," says Shanti Ekambaram, group head, Wholesale Banking, Kotak Mahindra Bank Limited.
Women senators are watching out for us but good along with WIPP President Barbara Kasoff so let's put our hands together and applaud them for their efforts, on behalf of all women entrepreneurs, to get the money we so richly deserve under the SBA's women's procurement program rule.The letter also says that, despite comprising a third of the nation's small businesses, women entrepreneurs only received 3.4 percent of federal contracting dollars in 2006. It continues by stating Congress established the women's procurement program in 2000 to help address the underrepresentation of women entrepreneurs in the government marketplace. "Now, over seven years later, the SBA produced a fundamentally flawed proposed rule in its insufficient attempt to implement the women's program," says Barbara Kasoff, President, WIPP.They keep working it and we should too. Don't settle for less -- ever.
http://landrieu.senate.gov/news/08.09.22_Women_Senators_SBA_Letter.pdfLike the shirt? Buy it here (we have no affiliation).
Women entrepreneurs can be overwhelmed with all the social networking sites -- as well as the concept itself. Time and resources are tight but everyone's talking about "Web 2.0." The question you need to ask is: Who do you want to reach? If you find out it's a good fit -- go for it! 
Curious as to who are the highest paid women in Corporate America? As an entrepreneur, when it comes to pay, do you think you hold a candle to any of them? There's only one way to find out. Visit here. If you leave men out of the picture, they make fairly big bucks. We'll come back to that in a moment.If, as so many men have often said, money is just a way to keep score, the list is yet another indicator that women aren't achieving equality at work. U.S. Department of Labor statistics peg the salary gap between women and men at just over 21 cents on the dollar--but at the top, matters seem to be worse. Yes, at least 100 women pulled down $3 million last year, but the 100 best-paid men in corporate America--all chief executives--each pocketed at least $18 million. You don't need a calculator to figure out that pay divide.Read the entire piece here.
While the number of women-owned firms grows at a rate almost twice that of all businesses, women entrepreneurs lag behind in capital, contracting awards and their ability to access viable networks. Senator John Kerry, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, addressed these critical concerns at a roundtable on 9/9/08 - 20 years after the passage of the Women's Business Ownership Act.
There's a glass ceiling -- we know that for sure because that's what makes business ownership so appealing -- but did you know there is a glass door to go along with it? But it's not what you think.
Finally, a young woman is given a voice! No, not Palin but Tinker Bell who never spoke in Disney's 1953 classic "Peter Pan" yet is about to say a word or two or three. Disney hopes some pixie dust and the recasting of a classic favorite will lead to a soaring profit.
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