Close The Bedroom Door; Get To Entrepreneurship

It doesn't matter where you're based, entrepreneurship can take place anywhere at anytime.

Suzanne Kantra, who was laid off from an editing job in October, is running an online publication called Techlicious.com out of the three-bedroom apartment in Manhattan she shares with her husband and three children ages 1 to 7. When she's working in her bedroom, the door is closed. For her older children, "knowing I'm home but not available has been an adjustment for them," she said.

Sometimes the kids forget what that closed door means, and Kantra is interrupted anyway. One way Kantra tries to help them with the enforced separation is not to do any work around the time they come home from school. That way, she can give them all her attention as they tell her about their day.

Adapting to a home based business is a new way of life. Read how other women manage it and make adjustments along the way here.

Escape From Corporate America Adds New Article Resource Section

We've added a new feature to the right sidebar of our blog which highlights recently published work. Be sure to check it out from time to time for the latest information to help you grow your business. Here's a sampling of a few:

• 11 Tips to Help You Thrive After Losing Your Biggest Client
• A Business Carol
• Five People Who Live LOUD
• How To Build Trust
• How A Business Owner Can Sleep Like a Baby During Tough Times
• Turning Limes to Limeade: Entrepreneurship Can Surface in Many Ways
• Business Resilience Weathering Economic Storms

We hope you find them useful.

Women Entrepreneurs Ignore Recession

Is there an inverse relationship between the state of the economy and the number of folks looking to start their own business? Could be.

Take these Canadian women who are making the dream of owning a business a reality.

Inhee Lee, a 36-year-old recent arrival from South Korea, came looking for advice on how to take her business selling teddy bears online.

Judi Halla, a former personal trainer, decided she'd rather be outside walking other people's pets than inside getting the owners in shape; she's doing all she can to learn what resources are out there to launch her business.

And Merlinda Poon was looking for tips to take her invention to a new level. The 35-year-old computer scientist already has a business plan and a prototype for her device to assist the visually impaired scan and listen to documents. Now she needs to get patent protection, and find some funding.

Got the itch to start a business? You're not alone. Read more here.

What Talented Women Want

Journalists Claire Shipman and Katty Kay have co-authored Womenomics: Write Your Own Rules for Success. It's about what professional women want and how to chart a course to a more enriching and successful life. At the same time, it uncovers the phenomenal power that women have in today's marketplace.

If you want to take charge and change the way you live and work, read this book.

Estrogen Matters in the Real World of Work

When are folks going to stop spending money trying to prove to us that women matter in the world of work? They do. Got it?

The numbers make a compelling case. The studies Ernst & Young rounded up show that women can make the difference between economic success and failure in the developing world, between good and bad decision-making in the industrialized world, and between profit and loss in the corporate world.

Give me a break.

Their conclusion: American companies would do well with more senior women.

Does this sound a little close to home on what we have been preaching via this blog for five years? Hello Katty. Hello Claire. Hello corporate world. For goodness sakes, women, whether entrepreneurs or corporate execs = better performance all around for everyone, everywhere!

And let us not forget why women are leaving corporate America in droves:

In the interest of security, women used to be willing to channel their time, energy, and effort to the corporation's needs at the expense of fulfilling their own professional goals -- but no more. In starting their own businesses, they're seeking freedom, flexibility, recognition, more money, and opportunities to leave a legacy -- all of the things they once thought they would find within corporations. ~ Source: Escape From Corporate America (2003) by Laurel Delaney.

Read the entire article which includes reference to the Ernst & Young study: "Fixing the Economy? It's Women's Work."

Demystifying Judith Hill

Who was the mystery singer (and entrepreneur) who performed at Michael Jackson's memorial tribute? Judith Hill (pictured).

Born in Los Angeles – her mother was a Japanese immigrant and her father a member of a '70s funk band – Hill, who had planned on singing backup for Jackson's scheduled This Is It! tour at London's O2 Arena this month, was surrounded by musicians since childhood.

Another star is launched. Read more here.

Sample Judith's music here.

Be Happy. Rely On Yourself.

BusinessWeek's small business team keeps cranking out great articles, contests, resources and tips for small businesses. Here's an excerpt from a recent guest blog post, "Anatomy of An Entrepreneur," authored by the newest edition to the BW team, Emily Schmitt:

Carol Clark, who has founded four companies in her 62 years, also fits the profile of the typical entrepreneur in this study. She says she thrives on the risk involved in running her own company, which gives her the chance to earn more than a standard wage. Clark, who lives in Hattiesburg, Miss., co-founded a hang gliding school in Salt Lake City when she was 32 years old. Today she owns DigiDentist, a dental patient enducation software company that she founded when she was 55 years old. Clark is well educated. She holds a bachelor's degree in psychology from San Fransisco State University and started (but did not finish) master's work in speech communication at Oregon State. She says the thought of waking up at six in the morning to pull on pantyhose and sit at a desk appalled her. "I’ve had a lot of office jobs, too, and I don’t have a problem with authority per se, but I’m too smart to really work in a situation where it doesn’t demand the most of me," said Clark. Why does she love being an entrepreneur? "I think it’s the appeal of having to rely on myself." she says.

Read the entire post here.

Meet Michael Jackson's Female Lead Guitarist

Orianthi: "Michael Jackson was amazing. He had an aura about him."

VIDEO: Watch Michael Jackson's final rehearsal here.

Orianthi entrepreneurial? You bet. As unfortunate the circumstances, a star is born.

Pictured: Orianthi and Michael Jackson (may he RIP).

Correction 11/4/09: It's Jennifer Batten in the photo -- not Orianthi (please refer to the Comments). We changed the link above too! Thanks readers.

The Official Escape From Corporate America Blog Turns 5

Celebrating birthday No. 5 for the official Escape From Corporate America Blog and No. 233 birthday for America.

Here's a reminder of where it all started. In 2003, I wrote a wildly popular article, "Escape From Corporate America," that was published by The Conference Board. It caused such a stir that the following year I decided to start a blog about it. Here's the lead paragraph to the article:

Divorce, dumping, or abandonment: Call it what you like, but many women are trading in Corporate America for entrepreneurship. According to Cheskin Research, they are starting businesses at twice the rate of men and have become a major force in both the traditional and the e-business marketplace. The Center for Women's Business Research estimates that, as of 2002, there are 6.2 million women-owned businesses, employing 9.2 million workers and generating $1.15 trillion in annual revenue.

In the interest of security, women used to be willing to channel their time, energy, and effort to the corporation's needs at the expense of fulfilling their own professional goals -- but no more. In starting their own businesses, they're seeking freedom, flexibility, recognition, more money, and opportunities to leave a legacy -- all of the things they once thought they would find within corporations.

Still sounds all too familiar, doesn't it? Since then, even more women are breaking away from what is considered "corporate prison" to start their own businesses.

So today is your day. Enjoy. Have fun. And thank you ever so much for your readership.

Go out -- escape -- to celebrate your freedom and independence!

P.S. Here are the first three posts to the official Escape From Corporate America Blog in 2004:

Post 1
Post 2
Post 3

Turn Unemployment Into a Lifelong Dream

If you can dream it, you can do it. Kim Leslie is living proof.

Today, Leslie, 38, is the owner of Kokopelli Cafe, a business she opened in May on Woodland Square Loop that is surrounded by state office buildings and looks across Huntamer Park. Her fledgling cafe has two employees and business is off to a good start, she said.

Among her customers are at least 250 who return on a regular basis to use their punch cards for future discounts, Leslie said.

“I couldn’t be happier,” she said Tuesday. “I enjoy getting up at 4:30 a.m., but I never used to.”

Read her story: No job? Create your own work.

It's Not Just About The Money

“Being wealthy isn’t just about money,” says Elizabeth Potts Weinstein (pictured), founder of The Wealth Spa (holistic wealth for women entrepreneurs). She adds, “We hear many stories about wealthy people who are miserable.

What I like to teach people is to learn how to make money in such a way that they maintain balance in their lives. It’s about health; it’s about mindset; it’s about spirituality and fulfillment.”

An attorney and licensed financial planner, Weinstein left a “Big Law” law firm to start her own business in 2003. She began her home-based venture as a personal financial and estate planner but found clients were asking her questions pertaining to their small businesses. “At first I would help them out pro bono but then I realized that this kind of advising and coaching could turn into a business,” she says. Soon she began focusing her work on the micro small business owners (defined as businesses with 1 to 9 employees) and mompreneurs. “I teach people how to turn their fun hobby into a real business that makes money,” she states.

Read more about Weinstein and her company here.

May I give you a HINT?

Good pitch by a PR representative:

In a time when it seems like all we hear about are small businesses failing, there are a few out there that seem to find the right combination of business smarts and determination to create a successful business.

I would like to offer you founder of HINT Essence Water (www.drinkhint.com), Kara Goldin, a mompreneur (of four!) who found success in an industry she did not have experience in.

As a former AOL exec, Kara has an extraordinary track record of business success, transforming concepts into reality. As VP of Shopping and E-commerce, Kara grew AOL’s shopping business from startup to more than $1 billion in revenue in less than seven years.

While drinking a glass of water with a slice of lime, Kara was surprised to see that instead of a bottle of juice, her daughter wanted to drink what Kara had in her hand -- simple, no calories and no junk -- just ice cold refreshing water with a HINT of lime flavor. Thus, the concept for HINT was born.

Now HINT, which started as a small start up is a multi-million dollar international success with distribution in Whole Foods, Stop & Shop and www.drinkhint.com.

What a story and right in line with this blog about how women escape successfully from Corporate America into entrepreneurship. Kara made the leap just fine. Congratulations!

The Do-It-All-Yourself Trap

"Yes, I can do that. Tomorrow you say? No problem. I just have to drop my son off at daycare, take my mom to her doctor appointment, pickup a couple of groceries on the way home and finish the client project I've been working on for two weeks by the close of business today."

Sound familiar? Despite we do it all by juggling a million things at once, there's still a dream we are living when we take on running our own business.

Here's a great little article that reminds us why we do what we do and how we might do it even better by following the advice of these women entrepreneurs. For example, find out how to get out of the do-it-all-yourself trap and make sleep a priority.

Read the entire article here: "In Quest For Family Time, Women Start Businesses."

I Enjoy Working For Me!

You may enjoy being a girl but running your own show is probably even more fun! Take Ms. Gill's story, for example:

Her own franchise Maxine Gill, 46, of Laurel, Md., took her career in a new direction after she was laid off last year from her job as sales and marketing director for Comcast.

“I enjoyed what I did, but I knew I was not going to retire from that job,” she said. It was the second time she had been laid off.

“Marketing always seems to be first to go,” she said.

Earlier this year, she struck out on her own, investing $50,000 to $60,000 in a franchise, College Nannies & Tutors. Her company hires people (taking care of the tax and paperwork headaches) and places them with families for temporary or long-term duty.

“Everything is on my shoulders, but I enjoy working for me,” Gill said.

Read more here.

Pictured: Nancy Kwan, star in Flower Drum Song

Are You Thinking Big Enough?

During these tough economic times, are you thinking BIG enough to keep your your business thriving?

Running out of ideas? Well pay a visit here to get your BIG thought juices flowing!

Note: Above poster can be found here.

Get Off Your Butt and Start a Business

It's a beautiful day in Chicago. Perfect for soccer, biking (which I did), running (which I did) and hanging out along the lakefront (which I did). But the one thing I am wondering right now is, how many of you got off your butt today and instead of playing, started a business?

Did you? If so, let us know. We'll celebrate. Tell us how you came up with the idea, what you did to make it easy to get started and where we should go to find you.

Toot your accomplishment horn loud and clear. We're all ears.

Peace of Mind: Business Ownership

Five (5) reasons to start a business in a recession. Ooops, make that six (6) because peace of mind (good night's rest) is one!

5 Reasons to Start a Business in a Recession

Women Entrepreneurs Already Take Calculated Business Risks

The best of all worlds is a combination of men and women in business who understand the importance of compromise and push on to innovate better!

But let's set the record straight first before you jump to the article. Women entrepreneurs already do this:

The authors actively advise women to try and take proper credit for their actions, for example by properly communicating what they have achieved and even allying themselves with known risk-takers within an organization.

Read article here.

I had no idea that the London School of Business has a Center for Women in Business! Did you?

Pictured: Amelia Earhart, aviation pioneer and author.

Truths for Winning at Business

If there is one business book you must read before you die, make it this one: "Rules of Thumb: 52 Truths for Winning at Business Without Losing Your Self" by Alan M. Webber.

Watch for our interview with Alan (one of the sharpest minds on our planet) coming soon at OPEN Forum by American Express OPEN.

In the interim, learn more about "Rules of Thumb" here.

We Can Get By With a Little Help From Our Friends

Greg Holden (a fellow Chicagoan I might add) reports:

A bill that just passed the U.S. House of Representatives and is being introduced in the Senate is intended to help entrepreneurs who are most in need. Women, veterans, and Native Americans would get education, training and financial support to help them start their own businesses.

See, we can get by with a little help from our friends (take a break; Beatles clip here).

More information on how this new legislation will benefit women entrepreneurs can be found here.

Women Move Women

Nearly 100 women spanning across the United States have given at least $1 million to raise a total of $174 million.

But why?

Part of this movement is caused by Women Moving Millions.

Discover more here.

Hat tip to The Black Gospel Blog (www.theblackgospelblog.com/) for the link.

Trust Me

I am sure you have heard those two powerful words before. But in this case, I authored, "How to Build Trust" for the OPEN Forum by American Express OPEN. It offers lots of good advice (trust me!) from my trusted colleagues. One of my favorite quotes:

Trust is not a one night stand. ~ Paul Dillon

See what you think and weigh in with your own comments on how to build trust.

Shut Out of Corporate America? Entrepreneurship Is the Answer

If you are struggling to land a job in Corporate America, starting your own business might be less risky than you think.

Read what others are doing to shake things up and make things happen, here.

Despite Tough Economy, Women Business Enterprises Continue To Reinvent

"Women's business enterprises continue to reinvent themselves and weather economic storms," says Sonya Dukes, SVP and director of corporate supplier diversity at Wells Fargo who will offer specific tips for success at the Women's Business Enterprise National Council's Women in Business 2009: The Bridge to Quality Conference and Business Fair, in San Francisco, June 9-11.

Wells Fargo's commitment to creating sustainability and development in diverse businesses includes providing capacity building and entrepreneurial training for Women and Minority Business Enterprises. The program provides key resources, tools and techniques to develop operational excellence and stage suppliers for growth.

"We saw a lot of potential suppliers – successful companies – were struggling to adjust to our culture. We started this mentoring program to support them through the on-boarding process of understanding how we do business," Dukes says.

Frankly My Dear ...

See you if you give a darn at "Female Villains Go Corporate."

Pictured: Soap star Susan Lucci

Girl Power: Rachel Alexandra Wins the Preakness

Go baby, go and she did! Rachel Alexandra wins the Preakness 2009! It is the first time a female horse has become champion in 85 years!

Read about the picks here but you'll have to wait for more news! Congratulations to all who put their trust, support and love behind her!

Just added: 5/17/09 ... Filly Rachel Alexandra Wins Preakness, First Female Champion in 85 Years.

Photo top -- Jockey Calvin Borel, right, gestures after riding Rachel Alexandra to victory in the 134th running of the Preakness Stakes (credit AP).

Photo bottom -- Rachel doing what she likes to do best, run.

Read the article I wrote six years ago entitled, "8 Lessons for Businesswomen Racing to Build a New World," which covers how real business learning can come from horses.

Designing Young Women Are Big Shots These Days

Find out how animal spirits (instincts) can turn into a viable business by capturing Kay S. Hymowitz's elaborately written article, "Portrait of the Artist as a Young Businesswoman," for the City Journal, April 2009.

Here's an excerpt:

It’s no coincidence that these designers are all female. The design economy has been a boon for women. In the 1960s, says Eric Baker, graphic design was a closed fraternity; there were few women in art departments or design studios, just as there were few in law offices or on factory floors. Today, by contrast, women constitute 60 percent of design-school students, and design studios are full of them. (The technology-based areas of Big Design are still largely male, however.) It may be that the design sector suits women particularly well. As the management maven Tom Peters notes, “Women buy most stuff, hence women should design most stuff.” Plus, as Daniel Pink points out in A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the World, some recent neuroscience suggests that women may be stronger on a range of right-brain talents—empathy, emotion, and sensitivity to beauty—that serve them well in the design economy.

Because designers tend to be independent-minded, they gravitate toward entrepreneurship, as do women these days. According to the Labor Department Occupational Outlook Handbook for this year, 25 percent of graphic designers are self-employed, as are 30 percent of industrial or commercial designers. There’s no way to know what proportion are women, but it’s a good guess that it’s high. The Center for Women’s Business Research finds that nearly half of all U.S. businesses are female-owned; women start ventures at twice the rate of men. On the website Etsy, a kind of eBay for indie craftspeople to hawk their wares, 95 percent of the 185,000 artists are women, with an average age of 33. True, they’re primarily stay-at-home moms and college students looking to supplement their income rather than make a full-time living, but some of those 185,000 will become the next Sarah Cihats and Jill Maleks.

What are Big Design’s future prospects? ...

Note: Design pictured above is that of Sarah Cihat.

Give Her Reins To Portfolio and You Both End Up Wealthier; We Suspect Suze Orman Would Agree

I applaud Jason Zweig on writing "For Mother's Day, Give Her Reins to the Portfolio" for The Wall Street Journal. Here's his strong lead and he doesn't let up throughout the commentary:

Fess up, fellows: The masters of the universe have turned out to be masters of disaster. No matter which aspect of the financial crisis you consider, there is a man behind it.

So, it is worth pointing out, this Mother's Day weekend, how different things might be if the financial world were female.

Read the entire spread here. And many thanks to Jason for having the courage to tell it like it is!

Pictured: Suze Orman who always encourages women to take control of their finances :-)!

Accidental Feminist

Megan Basham, author of both "Beside Every Successful Man: Getting the Life You Want by Helping Your Husband Get Ahead," and "Beside Every Successful Man: A Woman's Guide to Having It All," writes a very intriguing opinion piece for The Wall Street Journal (5/8/09) entitled, "What a Mom Wants."

When I caught this part ...

Ms. Hemmert admits that she sees her own parental job as something separate and different from her husband's, and she not only resents him for usurping her role but has lost some respect for him. "I'm a woman, and I want to be a mother first," she states simply.

... I could not help but think to myself, "I'm a woman, and I want to be my own person first."

Let us know what you think of the commentary. Here is a listing of some of the resources mentioned in the article but not specifically identified that supports Ms. Basham's thinking:

• New York Times contributor Lisa Belkin, "Obama's Council on Women and Girls."
• Elisabeth Eaves, Forbes, "Life With Father."
• Center for American Progress, A Woman's Nation
• Study referenced in commentary is, "What's Love Got To Do With It?" (download the 26-page PDF file here immediately: "What's Love Got To Do With It? ... ") by W. Bradford Wilcox (more here on Wilcox -- and a must-read here) and Steven L. Nock (found out he passed away on January 20, 2008). I believe Ms. Basham quoted her original information from this though, "The Happiest Wives."
  

Happy Mother's Day to Moms worldwide!

U.S. $8 Billion and Growing: Wal-Mart's Spend Push For Women-Owned Businesses

Listen up all you women entrepreneurs and business owners! Did you know that Wal-Mart has increased its focus on making sure the company is working with diverse suppliers -- like you?

Through their work over the last year, they’ve seen a 25 percent increase in spending totals with minority and women-owned businesses!

See for yourself:

2008 Totals

• 2008 Direct Spend: more than $6 billion
• 2008 2nd Tier Spend: more than $2.1 billion
• 2008 Total: more than $8.1 billion

2007 Totals

• 2007 Direct Spend: $4.8 billion
• 2007 2nd Tier Spend: more than $1.4 billion
• 2007 Total: more than $6.2 billion

Impressed? You should be. Find out how you can be a part of this BIG spend, here.

What Matters In Raising Capital?

Venture catalyst Springboard Enterprises (dedicated to accelerating women's access to equity markets) joins forces with NASDAQ OMX and Capital One Bank to present Equity Matters: The Route to NASDAQ seminar series that will employ the expertise of successful entrepreneurs, lenders and investors, to give attendees inside information about what is involved in raising capital to grow their business, what lenders and investors look for in a business investment, and what resources are available in the community to assist businesses in preparing for, securing and utilizing appropriate sources of financing.

To register for the upcoming Wharton San Francisco event (5/21), go here.

Official Escape From Corporate America on Twitter

When time permits, Twitter me:

http://twitter.com/EscapeCorporate

News on Women Rocks!

We've reported before about News on Women but wish to feature them again (in case you missed our first post) because founder Alice Krause just keeps on rock'n with her updates on women in business, jobs, women entrepreneurs and women in the news. Her blog is the best in its category.

Check it out here.

Thanks Alice for all you do to highlight so many up and coming women. This one's for you! Keep up the excellent work.

Women No Longer Stay Home and Bake Chocolate Chip Cookies

By 2010, women
will control 60% of wealth
in the United States.

According to Martha Keates, Senior Consultant, Marts & Lundy, by 2010, women will control 60 percent of wealth in the United States. She goes on to say:

That American women are gaining economic power is a well documented trend: in 2005, women constituted more than 46% of the nation's top wealth-holders, with their share of assets growing by 50% over the last decade to more than $6.3 trillion. By 2010, women will control 60% of wealth in the United States. Women start more than 400 new businesses each day, twice the rate as men. Add to this the tide of wealth being conferred through the intergenerational wealth transfer (and the undisputed fact that women live longer than men) and, to paraphrase Senator Dirksen, pretty soon you're talking about real money.

Read more at "It's Not Your Mother's Bake Sale."

About to Hatch a New Business?

Are you a female entrepreneur about to hatch a new business? Then you pre-qualify for membership into StartupChicks: connecting and inspiring women entrepreneurs.

Learn more here.

Women Living Well

The Partnership for Women's Mental Health presents "Women Living Well," a quarterly series dedicated to women's mental wellness.

Inaugural Session: "Financial Wellness"

Description: Handling the financial and emotional aspects of life in a down economy.

When: Saturday, April 25, 2009 from 10:30 a.m. - 12:00 noon

Where: Schaumburg Public Library
130 S. Roselle Road, Schaumburg, Illinois, 60193

Presenters: Nancy McDonald, Harper College Women's Program, Information Specialist and Lori Aitken, Therapist, Alexian Brothers Center for Mental Health

Free admission! Join the group for information, coffee and treats!

Call 847-385-7309 for more information or email marovichr(at)alexian.net

Create Your Own Job; Start a Business

Can't find a job? Do what teens are doing: Create your own job; start a business!

As published (an excerpt from the article "Cupcakes and Cattle Breeding: Teens Turn to Summer Start-Ups") in The Wall Street Journal April 15, 2009:

And Marlo Adelle Greta, 17, will be running GirlyWhirls.com, a barrette-making business, from her Austin, Texas, home. She regards starting a business as "a lot easier than having to go find a job," she says. "I make my own decisions, and the harder I work, the more money I can make. That's a cool thought -- it's all up to me."

And here's what some of the parents are saying in reaction to their kids starting businesses:

"'I'm not sure I want my child to walk that path (Laurel here .. the path of working for a big company). I want my child to be in charge of his or her own destiny.' "

Don't you just love it?

Playboy CEO Escapes Corporate America

In case you have been living in a cave, Christie Hefner (pictured) is ending her 20-year tenure as chief executive of Chicago’s (my home town) Playboy Enterprises to pursue work in public-service and non-profit ventures.

I waited this long to announce because I wanted to see if Christie will start her own business. It sure looks like she is finally pursuing her dream; I found out by email last week:

Greetings! As of today (4/8/09), my new contact information is as follows:

Christie Hefner
C.A.H., LLC (Laurel here ... no web site as yet)
628 N. State Street
2nd floor
Chicago, IL 60610
Phone: 312 624 9645
Fax: 312 624 9654
Assistant: Deb Parry
Phone: 312 624 9646

Sincerely,
Christie

Read more about her departure from Playboy at:

Christie Hefner talks to the Tribune about leaving Playboy

Christie Hefner to Depart Playboy

Edgar Online: Playboy Enterprises Inc (PLA) - 10-K - 3/13/2009

I checked Network Solutions and noticed that she has not reserved the domain names CAH.com or CAHllc.com.

Could You Be The Next Chic Entrepreneur?

Chic of the Week is founded by Elizabeth Gordon author of, "The Chic Entrepreneur: Put Your Business in Higher Heels" as a way to get more women in business to highlight and share their success. Winners are selected on the basis of strategy, savvy, style and success.

Gordon says the current business landscape is ripe for female entrepreneurs. Historically women have been underrepresented in the ranks of entrepreneurs - but that is rapidly changing as recent years have seen women starting new businesses at twice the rate of men. Even the most male dominated industries are slowly wising up to the fact that they need women in business for that all important female perspective.

"Women make great business owners- they are highly creative, terrific problem solvers and amazing at juggling multiple priorities, making them ideal in a startup situation. The skills required to run a household are remarkably transferable to the role of small business owner," Gordon says. She adds that female intuition, women's relationship building skills and their creativity and nurturing nature give them a distinct style and an added advantage in many business arenas.

Could the next Chic Entrepreneur be you?

Find out more here.

Not a Feminist But Most Certainly An Entrepreneur

She doesn't call herself a feminist but the former Supreme Court justice Sandra Day O'Connor (pictured above) is now, at the young age of 78, most certainly an entrepreneur (see new Web site Ourcourts.org).

Read Questions for Sandra Day O'Connor Case Closed -- Interview NYTimes.com where she talks about the need for an independent judiciary, why she doesn't call herself a feminist and why she wanted a woman to replace her on the bench.

Good stuff. Exceptionally smart woman.

Glass Ceiling Sends More Women Into Business Ownership

Small business is in for a big change and it involves women who are saying "yes" to entrepreneurship. As a group, the people who go into entrepreneurship are different from those who did so a generation ago.

A new breed of entrepreneurs will emerge. Entrepreneurs will no longer come predominantly from the middle of the age spectrum, but instead from the edges. People nearing retirement and their children just entering the job market will become the most entrepreneurial generation ever.

Entrepreneurship will reflect an upswing in the number of women. The glass ceiling that still limits the career paths of women in larger companies will send more women to the small business sector. Locally, some of our most dynamic and noteworthy businesses are run by women, founded by women, owned or co-owned by women, or some mix of the above.

The Intuit Corporation and the Institute for the Future recently released a very interesting study (which includes above findings) on small business designed to identify, analyze, and forecast the significant trends and forces impacting small business over the next decade. Read more about it here.

And if you are a female entrepreneur, check out the Women's Entrepreneurship Institute conference at the Wharfinger on April 24.

How To Start a Business in the Year of the Ox

Just like there is never the perfect time to have a child, there's never an ideal moment to start a business either. You can spend your whole life thinking about it or you can try and see what happens. Sound familiar?

Starting a business during a tough economic environment as we have right now in the Chinese year of the Ox (2009) is no walk in the zoo -- that's for sure -- but it can be done provided you prepare accordingly.

Read more here.

Women Entrepreneurs Never Become Sadder and Sicker At Midlife

Do women entrepreneurs ever become sadder and sicker at midlife? Let me speak from experience: No. Because our choice is to create our own destiny. Why would we choose to do something that makes us sad and sick?

According to Michelle Conlin at BusinessWeek, for career women who work in corporate America, it's another story. Read what she has to say on the subject here:

Career Women at Midlife: Sadder and Sicker

"Over the last 50 years, women have secured greater opportunity, greater achievement, greater influence, and more money. But over the same time period, they have become less happy, more anxious, more stressed, and, in ever-increasing numbers, they are medicating themselves for it," says management thinker and author Marcus Buckingham, who tackles the subject in his upcoming book, due out in September (Laurel here ... this is quoted directly from source but the title of book is actually different; refer below): Find Your Strongest Life: What the Most Successful and Resilient Women Do Differently. "Better education and job opportunities and freedoms have decreased life happiness for women."

Okay, tell me how male author Buckingham is going to do a good job on a book about what the happiest and most successful women do differently (to not make themselves sad or sick)? Don't get me wrong, up until now, I've always liked Buckingham's work but why do we need a man to shed light on why career women are becoming sadder and sicker?

What struck me in the article is the part about Kathy Caprino. It wasn't until she was canned when she got her life together:

Needing a Road Map

For Caprino, the answer was in a fearless and searching reevaluation of her life. She watched. She listened. She slowed down. Eventually, she went back to school to score a therapist's degree while her musician husband expanded his job portfolio. Today, Caprino runs an executive coaching consultancy. Her recent book, Breakdown, Breakthrough, is a road map for women who crash into middle-age, dizzy with confusion.

What are your thoughts on this? I'd love to hear from you!

Entrepreneurship Across the Generations

Make Mine a Million $ Business (M3) conducted a survey to examine what makes women tick and to explore attitudes on business and personal issues by examining stress factors and motivations, providing breakouts across generations, ethnicity, and revealing data on the changing dynamic of running a successful business during the various stages of motherhood.

The M3 Program is a community of more than 55,000 women entrepreneurs spread across the nation. The program was created by Count Me In for Women’s Economic Independence and American Express OPEN® in response to the fact that less than 3% of the 10.4 million women-owned businesses in the U.S. generate $1 million or more in revenues annually.

All entrepreneurs need to juggle both business and family responsibilities. But even with conflicting work and family demands, most M3 members feel they have achieved balance in their lives. One-third says they have a high degree of balance. Most importantly, achieving balance has NOT had a negative impact on level of business accomplishment. Attaining balance and business growth can thus go hand in hand.

What gives women business owner’s balance?

It’s not who she is but what she does that’s the difference. M3 women who have achieved a higher level of work-life balance are more likely to outsource household tasks, proactively book personal and family time into their schedules, and look out for themselves.

A Little Puddle On the Floor

Don't you adore stories like this? It makes you want to go out and start a business, no matter how risky or scary it feels.

"There were a whole bunch of good old boys sitting around the table," she recalled. "And they looked at me and said, 'Honey ...' That was their first mistake. They said 'Honey, this exercise thing for women. We just don't know if that's gonna work.

"I was the little exercise girl," she said. "It wasn't that I was smart or that I had built a business. It was just, 'You're someone who can get up there and dance, and hoop and holler, and you look so cute in your outfit.

"Well, today they are out of business and I did $93 million (in sales) last year."

Read the entire article here.

And her final comment:

So amid a global economic collapse, the little exercise girl dances on: "I'm going to keep doing this until I'm a little puddle on the floor."

Note: Judi Sheppard, pictured in the center, is founder of Jazzercise.

Recession-busting Women Entrepreneurs

Research carried out by Continental on behalf of independent invoice financier Bibby Financial Services, showed that 79% of small business owners are taking positive, practical steps to get through the recession.

And in the process, it's a new breed of entrepreneur who is rising to the top: women aged 45-64 and living in the S.E. (not sure if this is in the U.K. or applies worldwide).

Read more here.

Resources:

Bibby Financial Services
Continental Research

Hat tip to: Twitter.com/TUPPIES. And, by the way, Twitter me at twitter.com/Laurel Delaney.

The Imagination of Entrepreneurs

Obama is right when he says that what our nation needs is the "imagination of our entrepreneurs." He understands that linking bold ideas with timely action is the way to take the country forward.

Read more of "Obama as Entrepreneur-in-chief" by Messrs. Craig Benson and Leonard Schlesinger here.

Note: Pictured above is Marie Curie who discovered the mysterious element radium. It opened the door to deep changes in the way scientists think about matter and energy. She also led the way to a brave new era for medicine and the treatment of diseases.

Opt-in To Entrepreneurship

If you’re thinking about starting a business, don’t give up just because the economy looks bleak. That's what Jacalyn Barnes says over at the Women Entrepreneur | SCORE blog.

She offers six tips on what you should be doing now to ensure your business launch is a success. Plus, she shares a link to famous people who started a business during an economic slump.

More here.

And separately but related, have you seen this? Deadline to apply is approaching.

Manage Your Time and Get Paid For Your Work

One of the first lessons you learn when you become an entrepreneur is that you need customers to get started.

Here are some useful tips and resources to help you better manage your time and ensure -- lesson #2 -- you get paid for your work!