Women Step It Up in Hi-Tech Entrepreneurship

Are things getting better for women versus a decade ago, especially in the tech industry? Some think so.

A new whitepaper published by Illuminate Ventures and entitled, "High Performance Entrepreneurs: Women in High Tech - Summary," states:

... that many more women are starting companies, taking them public and providing investors with bigger returns on smaller investments.

... Growing Influence in Tech: Women-owned or led firms are the fastest growing sector of new venture creation in the U.S., growing at five times the rate of all new firms between 1997 and 2006 – now representing nearly 50% of all privately held businesses.

... Fewer Failures: Despite often being capital-constrained, women-owned businesses are more likely to survive the transition from raw start-up to established company than the average.

To receive the complete whitepaper (you must register first), go here.

Related resource: An interview with Cindy Padnos, founding Managing Director of Illuminate Ventures.

Unstoppable Women Entrepreneurs

Check out these gutsy women entrepreneur innovators on what it took to put them in the driver's seat to success.

Tips From Unstoppable Women Entrepreneurs

Some great pearls of wisdom:

“You don’t stop moving because things are slow, and if they’re not slow, you create some down time to prepare your playing field.”

“Key in going out on my own was doing it for the right reasons. Being angry or disgusted at something is not reason to make a change,” she said. Being an entrepreneur “is about the love of something, not hate.”

“Take a risk early on because there are a lot of opportunities to learn—even if you fail initially,” Peitler said. “Failure isn’t the end game, but another learning opportunity."

“Failing actually goes with entrepreneurship; most, if not all entrepreneurs, have gone out of business and retooled and reinvested. Failing is only failure if you stop trying.”

“Share what you’ve learned with the people around you,” she said. Some Krupp wisdom: “Follow your instincts and your gut.

“Parlay. Parlay. Parlay. Never miss an opportunity; ‘no’ is not an answer.”

The F Word: Failure

One of the single biggest stumbling blocks to business owners is the 'F' word: Failure.

It's not so much what it is but rather what to do about it should it occur. Some call it resiliency, others refer to it as bounce or lessons learned. However you define it, failure is a necessary ingredient to running a healthy business.

Find out why here:

American Express OPEN Forum
Making the Most of Failure by Laurel Delaney

I Vote for Ginny Rometty to Run IBM

Sometimes you just have to put yourself out there and support a woman to advance in corporate America!

Read more here.

Pictured: Ginny Rometty, IBM

Posted by: Official Escape From Corporate America blog

Think BIG

Theresa Daytner (pictured) is running her third business, Daytner Construction Group, a Mt. Airy, Md. construction management firm that had 2009 revenue of $3.5 million. She credits much of her success to her willingness to seek out business relationships with entrepreneurs who think big.

Read the entire article here.

She is missing out on one important peer-to-peer learning organization: Women Presidents' Organization.

Full disclosure: I serve as the Chicago Chapter Chair for WPO.

Work: An Extension of Who You Are

To all working women, this one's for you.

Immediate download of PDF file: The Reality of the Working Woman

• With research partner JWT and Ad Age Insights survey on attitudes of today's working women.

Publish date: June 6th, 2010
By: Mya Frazier
Word Count: 12,000

Posted by: the official Escape From Corporate America blog

Women Rebels With a Cause = Entrepreneurship

Frances Osborne provides her suggestions on books about female adventurers (much like women entrepreneurs) that offer a thrilling ride. These are each worth a look.

1. Rebel Heart
By Mary S. Lovell
Norton, 1995

2. Mistress of Modernism
By Mary V. Dearborn
Houghton Mifflin, 2004

3. A Voyage in the Sunbeam
By Annie Allnutt Brassey
1878

4. To War With Whitaker
By Hermione Ranfurly
Heinemann, 1994

5. Gertrude Bell
By Georgina Howell
Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 2007

Go here for the entire writeup.

Great Business Websites for Entrepreneurial Women

Here's a list of personal favorites from our respected colleague and friend, Rieva Lesonsky who runs GrowBiz Media.

Go here to access.

We Interrupt This Blog to Bring You a Male CEO: Mark Palmer

Here's one male CEO's takeaway on a session he attended, "The Power of the Purse" about women leaders in our world, at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

The two-hour session was like an intellectual popcorn popper; one profound observation shot up after another, and I frantically took notes. The conversation ricocheted between social, sexual, business, and emotional topics. So rather than present them as one thought, I thought I’d list the tastiest kernels.

Read the entire commentary here.

Agree or disagree with his insights and observations? As always, we welcome your comments.

Illustration credit here.

Related resource(s) here.

Beat the Odds to Win

Women Push Forward

I refuse to focus on "what's holding women back" because I think there's absolutely nothing getting in our way.

Sadly enough though, some women still consider it risky to pursue power in the Corporate world and that's the emphasis of this contribution by The New York Times blogger Adriana Gardella.

All the more reason to start a business and become an entrepreneur.

The comments are worth a look.

Photo credit here.

Woman's Entrepreneurial Sweet Spot?

According to this roundup of the latest venture capital news and analysis across the Web, a woman's entrepreneurial sweet spot age is 40. Anyone wish to challenge that?

Does the world need a Y Combinator for women? New York-based entrepreneur Tereza Nemessanyi proposes the XX Combinator, a start-up accelerator focused on women in their 40s. The problem with Y Combinator, Nemessayni says, is that only seven of the 250 founders participating in the program have been female. She argues that Y Combinator participants are mostly in there early 20s but that a woman’s “entrepreneurial sweet spot” is around age 40. Venture capitalists Fred Wilson weighs in, saying that while there certainly is a shortage of women entrepreneurs, “a different model is required if this were to work” (though he’s not sure what that is.).

Original source on passage above can be found here.

Drink Up Ladies to a Powerful New Feeling of Well-Being

Julie Smolyansky is the chief executive officer, president and director of Lifeway Foods Inc. Its main business activity is the manufacturing of probiotic, cultured, functional dairy and non-dairy health food products (pictured above).

Smolyansky inherited (instant entrepreneur) the top spot at Lifeway Foods when she was 27 (2002) and not in a way in which she has fond memories.

Read her back story on how she has built the food company into a powerful force here.

Wave of the Future: More Women at the Business Table as Both Equal and Different Partners with Men

Learn what motivates women in the workplace (discover where companies go wrong and why many women leave Corporate America for entrepreneurship) and find out how companies that learn to adapt to women will be better able to respond to the challenge of an aging workforce and the demands of the next generation of knowledge workers.

"Why Women Mean Businesss" by Avivah Wittenberg-Cox (related post involving Avivah here) and Alison Maitland

11 Wild and Crazy Tips for Disruptive Thinking

What a practical article and we are so pleased to be mentioned in it. Read it and do something disruptive today as it relates to your business!

Here's the lead:

Stepping sideways to see things from another angle often leads to breakthrough thinking, which in turn creates new markets and topples traditional ones. Innovation is a top strategic priority for a large majority of companies today. As such, creativity — arguably the driving force behind successful innovation — is increasingly gaining recognition as the new capital in uncertain and challenging economic times. For people trying to innovate and work within a creative, adaptive culture, we offer 11 ideas for extreme outside-the-box thinking.

Read the entire article:
An Idea So Crazy it Might Work: Tips for Disruptive Thinking
IMT Industry Market Trends

Posted by: the official Escape From Corporate America blog

Happy Birthday No. 234 to America and No. 6 to the official Escape From Corporate America blog!

Freedom comes in many forms -- the best is when you choose it for yourself. We wish you a Happy Independence Day United States and a Happy Birthday No. 6 for the official Escape From Corporate America blog! Refresh your memory in terms of how it all began for us here.

In celebration of both birthdays, our gift to you is twofold:

1. A hearty thanks for your continued support and loyal readership. Without you, this blog would not be nearly as much fun to produce. We love what we do here (can't you tell?!), so we just keep doing it. Yet we never lose sight of the fact, we do it for you! Thanks for listening, for commenting from time to time and for reading our blog.

2. We just compiled a new (FREE!) e-book, "Entrepreneurial Obsession: 13 ways to a brighter future for your business." It's yours to do what you wish with. We hope it inspires you to escape from corporate America to start your own business.

Best wishes,
Laurel
July 4, 2010

Posted by: The Escape From Corporate America blog

Women Can Grow a Million Dollar Baby

According to Michelle Stockman who works with Little Rock-based Arkansas Capital Corp. to promote entrepreneurship development around the state, women may not be as active in entrepreneurship as men but they sure know how to grow a business to a million dollar+ baby.

Read more here.

You might also appreciate this related piece.

Posted by: Escape From Corporate America blog

Pulling Men Into a Woman's Entrepreneurial Universe

The old days used to be about women trying to get ahead in the working world of primarily men. Then entrepreneurship took hold, leveling the playing field and allowing women to jump out of corporate America to create their own world of work.

Now, there's a new twist on feminism (or what I call a woman's ambition):

Katrin Bennhold, New York Times: Historically, feminism has been "about women pushing into the world of men," but the future of feminism "is shaping up to be about pulling men into women's universe -- ...

Read more here and here.

There's the Official Escape From Corporate America Blog. Now, There's Corporate Mom Dropouts

We've seen and heard it all ... first by getting wind that there was a book out by the same name as our blog, "Escape From Corporate America" (hey -- we warned them well in advance that there might be confusion or a potential conflict but there's no stopping people who think they have a good idea at the time). Anyway, we started our escape blog way back on July 2, 2004 -- nobody can claim that idea! It was tied to an article I wrote for The Conference Board (2003).

Now there's a new blog, "Corporate Mom Dropouts" launched earlier this year (2010). Check it out here.

Best wishes and congratulations to all who support women interested in creating their own destinies! There can never be enough of us around helping other women achieve their dreams.

Posted by: The official Escape From Corporate America blog

Women Are the Solution

Find out why at Half The Sky.

Half the Sky lays out an agenda for the world's women and three major abuses: sex trafficking and forced prostitution; gender-based violence including honor killings and mass rape; maternal mortality, which needlessly claims one woman a minute. We know there are many worthy causes competing for attention in the world. We focus on this one because this kind of oppression feels transcendent – and so does the opportunity. Outsiders can truly make a difference.

Photo credit: Half The Sky homepage. Edna Adan's story here.

Setup a Save Yourself Plan

According to Suze Orman (pictured), women need to setup a "save yourself plan" that includes knowing everything there is to know about your finances, having credit cards in your own name and making sure that your financial foundations don’t have any cracks in them whatsoever.

This applies to all women, not just women entrepreneurs.

Read more here.

Side note: Interesting little article which mentions Orman but focuses on "10 membership worth the money."

Advice For Young Women Entrepreneurs

A Q&A with Maria Fiorini Ramirez (pictured), founder of the global economic consulting firm Maria Fiorini Ramirez, Inc — conducted by Reuters.

One key question:

Would you like to see more women starting businesses?

I think women are starting more businesses than men. In part, because they have to. It’s necessary to have a two income couple these days. The internet has unleashed infinite possibilities. But it is an individual choice. Not everybody can do it. Although countries like Japan are realizing that they have to make it attractive to keep women in the workforce.

Visit her company:
Maria Fiorini Ramirez, Inc.

Agree? Disagree? We welcome your thoughts!

Impulsive Entrepreneurship

It looks as though Ellen DeGeneres (pictured) is starting her own record label called eleveneleven. What triggered this impulsive entrepreneurial endeavor? Two things:

1. A season of judging on "American Idol."
2. A first act of 12-year-old Greyson Chance (pictured), who recently became a sensation on YouTube (25,000,000+ views!) with his piano version of Lady Gaga's "Paparazzi."

Read more here and here.

Photo credit: Michael Rozman/Warner Bros/Associated Press)

As An Entrepreneur, Do You Consider Yourself a Feminist?

It's about life choices. Read this article and let me know what you think.

First, though, author's comment:

After all, it isn’t exactly cool to be a capital-F Feminist in 2010, when many people find the term antiquated and the battle for equality over.

Young Feminists, Where Art Thou?

For the Love of Baking, Please Turn It Into a Business

Owners Annette Pratt (pictured) and Linda Spyke of The Flour Uprising, turned their love of baking into a business that specializes in healthy baked goods.

Learn more about it here.

The Flour Uprising | Facebook

Photo: Annette Pratt, co-founder of The Flour Uprising (credit here)

Lifting Struggling Entrepreneurs Out of the Ashes

Maria Shriver (pictured) talks about a lending partnership that is intended to pool money and resources to help women across the nation who need financial backing for their businesses.

A key quote from her that totally relates to this blog:

“We live in a different world today than we did 20 years ago,” she said. “More and more people are leaving corporate America to start their own business that will allow for them to raise a child or care for an elderly parent.”

Read the entire article here.

Check out WE Invest.

What Business Books Inspire Women Entrepreneurs?

Kelly Watson for Forbes writes a wonderful article:

Twenty-One Women Entrepreneurs Reveal Their Favorite Business Books
Even the savviest businesswomen get their inspiration from somewhere. Find out what's on their nightstands.

We like the fact that Kelly went to such great lengths to feature so many fabulous entrepreneurs -- many that we know -- and it's interesting to discover that several of them enjoy the works of Malcolm Gladwell and Dan Pink (me too!).

Check it out here.

What business books keep you inspired and propelled to achieve greatness in your life?

Opening Doors to Rural Women Entrepreneurs

Interesting concept taking place in the UK for women who operate businesses in rural parts of the country.

WOMEN in Rural Enterprise (WiRE) are delivering a free award winning Opening Doors courses (funded by Business Link West Midlands) to women keen to start their own enterprise in Worcestershire. The Opening Doors course aims to give women the skills and confidence to put the foundations in place to start a new business.

Learn more here.

Do we offer rural women entrepreneurs in the U.S.A. an online platform to access everything they need to run their business efficiently?

Women Entrepreneurs: Don't Hold Back

Women-owned businesses are still small compared with businesses owned by men. Why and what needs to be done?

Dr. Sharon Hadary (who I know and respect tremendously for her research work on women business owners), provides wonderful insights in this contribution for the WSJ on what you should be doing today to jump-start your business onto a fast-growth trajectory. Be sure to also take a good long look at the numerous comments -- very striking -- especially from men. Sharon does an excellent job responding to each and every one of them.

Read the entire commentary published in The Wall Street Journal here. And I vote that Dr. Sharon Hadary runs a new blog just for women business owners for The Wall Street Journal!

Pictured: Dr. Sharon Hadary

For Women Entrepreneurs Who Just Stepped Out of a Cave and Established An Internet Connection

Hello world. Well my goodness me-oh-my, look at this fantastic new idea. It's a blog for and about women who own businesses (gee, think there's more than one out there already on the Internet?). And this brilliant idea is the brainchild of ... drum roll please ... The New York Times.

They finally get it. Let's bring our hands together and applaud them for their incredible foresight :-) that women want to read about and learn from fellow women business owners.

Pay a visit:

She Owns It

And while you are at it, you might also enjoy learning about the Women Presidents' Organization -- they've been supporting women business owners for more than a decade. WPO blog established 2004 is here.

Posted by: The Official Escape From Corporate America blog

Dress For Success: Be An Entrepreneur

First impression: "She's an entrepreneur."

That can only be a good thing.

See what others put up with when they choose not to become an entrepreneur and go job hunting.

"Punching the Clock: Dress for Success Part I"

Photo credit: Theo (pictured in red) and the Skyscrapers (being an entrepreneur entertainer).

Something You Already Know: In Corporate America, Women Have a Tough Path to the Top

I can't believe I've been sitting on this since January -- goes to show you how buried I am in work (productive work)!

A study shows a large gap in perceptions among the sexes in who has more opportunities for advancement -- men or women?

Do we care?

I mean ... isn't that part of why we started a business in the first place -- to escape from these ridiculous perceptions (realities!) in the workplace?

Gosh ... I bet this is something that bores you to tears (or -- if you are living and breathing it in Corporate America -- frustrates the daylights out of you):

In reality, women represent a much smaller portion of leadership roles in business.

When you run your own show, you are the leader in business. Am I missing something?

Read the entire article: "Study Asks: Who Has an Easier Way to the Top?"

Posted by: The official Escape From Corporate America blog

Diaper Maker Provides Grant Money to Social Media-Savvy Entrepreneurial Moms

In a new twist, diaper giant Kimberly-Clark is set to launch a program that provides grant funding to Mom entrepreneurs. The goal is to tap both moms for new ideas and ensure goodwill among them all.

The site, HuggiesMomInspired.com, is open for business.

Under the program, K-C is awarding grants, up to $15,000 for a total first-year total contribution of $250,000. The former amount is an average sum compiled from talking to different women and learning their startup monetary needs, said Stephen Paljieg, senior director of growth and innovation.

Learn more here and submit your brilliant idea here.

Photo: Looks like this mompreneur needs to develop a good sleepy-time toy for her daughter and submit it to K-C!

We Interrupt This Blog To Bring You a Male Entrepreneur: Jeff Brown

Why Jeff Brown? You probably don't know him but when you read this post you'll understand why I decided to feature his work.

He tells a great story -- nonfiction -- and one that we can all learn from. Here's a snippet:

Lots of people think about leaving the mother ship and striking out on their own. Many never do, and spend their lives wondering what might have happened if they had. Some do, and fail. Others think jumping ship was the best thing they ever did. I'm in that group.

What does it take? After three years of full-time freelancing - or, as I prefer to think of it, running my own business (with a profit margin putting all newspapers to shame) - I think there are three key issues: psychological, financial and professional.

Resonate with you? Then read on here. This is thoughtful piece. When it comes to jumping ship or escaping from corporate America, you can tell he's lived it, breathed it, survived it and is now on to the thriving part of his life.

Best wishes to Jeff for continued success!

Relax, Serve Yourself a Yogurt Martini

Considered the best little self-serve frozen yogurt ever, Tempe-Arizona based Yogurtini offers up to 16 rotating healthy and fat-free frozen yogurt flavors and over 65 toppings.

"I am ecstatic to announce our frozen yogurt franchise offering," said Natasha Nelson, co-founder and President of Yogurtini(TM). "Along with amazing frozen yogurt, I believe we have created a fun and exciting experience, and that is why our customers come back day after day. ~ Press release here

Backstory here:

In 2007, Natasha and Chelsey Nelson were living in California and in the early stages of planning a self-serve frozen yogurt shop. But, then the phone rang and they learned their 56-year-old mother had just been diagnosed with a rare form of Parkinson's disease, a degenerative and terminal illness.

"When it hit us, it hit hard, but we already had one foot in the business," said Natasha Nelson. "We knew we had a great idea and our mom was our biggest supporter, but could we all emotionally handle it?" The sisters moved back to Tempe, Ariz., to join their dad in taking care of their mother, and that's when they decided the answer was: "Yes."

"But there were a lot of times we wanted to back out. We were even tossing a coin, at one point," Nelson said.

Be inspired. Read more about their success here.

Photo credit: FoxSmallBusinessCenter.com, (L-R) Chelsey and Natasha Nelson of Yogurtini

Different Spokes for Different Folks: Women

A very special ladies bike shop opens in New York. Graphic designer Julie Hirschfeld had a simple idea for Adeline Adeline: "No spandex!" In other words, no Lycra bike shorts just because you are on two wheels!

A little about Julie:

Adeline Adeline founder, Julie Hirschfeld started her career far away from bikes, first as a graphic designer for the television channel, VH1, and then as partner in the New York design firm, Stiletto NYC, where she worked on fashion branding and motion graphics projects with such diverse clients as New York Magazine, Conde Nast, MTV and Nike.

The store sells bikes (e.g., the Poppy shown above can be found in their Tribeca store) and other beautiful things such as polka-dot helmets and an oversize organic linen bag from Japan that crosses over the chest for easy riding.

Where did the name come from? Why Ms. Hirschfeld's grandmothers, of course, who had the same name.

Mosey on over at AdelineAdeline.com, 147 Reade Street (between Greenwich & Hudson Street), New York, NY, 10001, 212-227-1150.

From O.Y.O.B. to M.B.A.

I opened my business in 1985 and then realized early on that to do a really good job running it, I needed a higher level of education (process is everything). So into about year two, I began an M.B.A. program at Lake Forest Graduate School of Management.

What I remember most back then is not so much the course content or professors but the confidence and discipline I gained from the experience. After all, I was one of three women in a program of 30 students. What a ride it was but a good one indeed. If I had it to do all over again, I'd do it exactly the same.

Fast forward to here and now. Forbes claims that an increasing number of women are heading to business school due to a weakened economy.

According to the U.S. Department of Education, women received 44% of M.B.A.s in 2007, up from 39% a decade earlier, which translates to a 75% increase in the last 10 years.

Why?

It's the flexibility of the degree that's appealing, says Deirdre Leopold, managing director of Harvard M.B.A. Admissions. "Women are using it not only for finance but also to work in nonprofits or open their own businesses."

You can O.Y.O.B. (open your own business) and then get an M.B.A. I'm living proof!

Read more here:

Why More Women Are Heading to Business School

Photo credit: Cafe Press

How to Bring a Lot of Attention to Yourself and Your Business

Apparently, and according to a good number of people, give bad advice.

You have to read this to experience a healthy eye-roll ... many readers were pretty perturbed:

The Terrible Career Advice Women Give Each Other
by Penelope Trunk (pictured).

All the more reason to create your own destiny. Follow your path. Go do it.

[Added 4/14/10 at 2:52 p.m. CDT: "The Great Career Advice I've Gotten From Women" by one of our favorite female entrepreneurs: Margaret Heffernan]

10 Ways to Transform Your Website

Through your website, are you serving your own interests or your customer's?

I've put together 10 ways to transform your web site into a dynamic two-way communication tool. Here's a snippet of the points:

1. Keep content current, accurate and relevant.

2. Express yourself but don’t give your life story on your Web site.

3. Spruce up your Web site so it looks beautiful and works beautifully, too.

4. See that every Web site page has a unique keyword message.

5. Focus on the needs of your visitors first, even if it’s before meeting the needs of your own organization.

6. Care about your customer in a way that is evident on your site!

7. Start a blog to share knowledge and reflect your personality.

8. Cater to a global audience.

9. Make your “contact” area so BIG that it hits visitors on the head like a hammer on a nail.

10. Breed visitor participation.

Read the entire article here.

One Woman's Career Revival After Two Decades Out of Pocket

Here's one of the world's longest running pieces about stay-at-home moms returning to work but there is one remark (you have to look carefully) touching on what this blog covers ... starting your own business:

If you do look at the costs against your project income alone, you may have a couple of break even years at the beginning, but those are an investment for the profitable years to come. Over time, your income will grow, either through raises and promotions, you do consulting work and then take a conventional full time job with one of your clients, or make money through an entrepreneurial venture.

Nice to see that someone thought of this idea in the course of a rigorous discussion about one woman's career revival and that it is a serious option for talented women who don't think it's worth returning to work as it was but rather as they want it to be for their new lifestyle.

Why just look at the face of this woman, Amy Beckett, riding the elevator (pictured above) to a job interview. Does she look happy? I should say not. But it appears she ended up taking a job at Passman & Kaplan.

Read the entire discussion related to the article here. Oooops, read the original article here.

Women Presidents' Organization

During these tough economic times, there are no better mentors than your peers. And one of my favorite global peer-to-peer advisory groups is the Women Presidents' Organization (full disclosure: I serve as the Chapter Chair for the WPO Chicago market).

The WPO is the elite global peer advisory organization connecting top women entrepreneurs who own multi-million dollar companies.

In monthly meetings across North America, Peru, the UK and South Africa, chapters composed of 20 accomplished women presidents, from diverse industries and backgrounds, invest their time and energy in themselves and their businesses to drive them to the next level.

Local WPO chapters are coordinated by a professional facilitator and meet monthly to share business expertise and experience in a confidential and collaborative setting. It's an ideal way to grow your operation and develop solutions to your most fundamental business challenges.

To inquire about membership and to find out if there is a chapter in your neighborhood, give WPO a ring at 212-688-4114 or visit their site at: www.womenpresidentsorg.com.

Task for the day? Drive a business breakthrough.

A Boatload of Resources for Women Entrepreneurs

Ever hear of the expression, "no excuses, just results?" Let's put it into play. SCORE has assembled a comprehensive list of useful websites to help women entrepreneurs succeed.

A snapshot of a few:

Alliance of Business Women International
ABWI is a nonprofit organization founded in 1995 to encourage and support businesswomen involved or interested in international trade opportunities.

American Business Women’s Association
ABWA’s mission is to bring together businesswomen of diverse occupations and to provide opportunities for personal and professional growth through leadership, education, networking support and national recognition.

Association for Enterprise Opportunity (AEO)
AEO provide entrepreneurs with training and technical assistance, micro-loans, access to market services and training, and/or economic literacy and asset development services.

Association of Women's Business Centers (AWBC)
The AWBC supports entrepreneurship among women as a way to achieve economic self-sufficiency, create wealth and participate in economic development through education, training, mentoring, business development and financing opportunities.

Athena Foundation
The Athena Foundation pairs woman-owned businesses with a group of local mentors who serve as a panel of advisors. Advisors work with business owners for one year, free of charge.

Discover the other 37 here.

Photo credit

Do Women Start Businesses to Compliment a Lifestyle?

Although the following reference is posted at the Swazi Observer, there may be some truth to it as it relates to women business owners in America.

A study on what holds back women revealed that there is a false perception that banks have closed financing taps for small firms. In contrast, banks have come out to state that they see women as a really good credit risk, because very often they are starting businesses for survival and are careful about how they manage their finances.

A comment that was made anonymously to Mthunzi Maziya, the author of the post, said this:

“I think some women are simply not ambitious enough and don’t want to sacrifice family and children for financial independence. No wonder we are financially worse off than men.”

Read it and see if you agree or disagree. And if you feel strongly about it one way or the other, let us know! Find the entire post here.

Learn more about the Kingdom of Swaziland (women pictured are from Swaziland) here.

How to Make a Date to Innovate

As busy as we are running our companies, we still have to set aside time for our personal lives to ensure we nurture and cultivate the relationships that matter. But let me ask you this: Do you set aside time from your business to innovate?

Well this article I authored for the American Express OPEN Forum may help you with that. It begins with ...

Turn off your smart phone. Shut down your e-mail (or at least turn off the ping noise that sounds when you get a message). Put on something comfy. Squirrel yourself away with your laptop in tow where nobody, I mean nobody, can disturb you, because this is your time to make a date to innovate. This is my fourth installment on innovation.

Read the entire article: Make a Date to Innovate

What do you do to inspire innovation at your firm?

Flower Power Collage by Preschoolers for Auction

It's never too early to show your creativity and these young people from Mrs. Nicholson's TBPK Class, Room 006, "Flower Power," are doing an amazing job with just that.

"Flower Power" Description

Materials/ Description of Process: tempera paints and craypas. Ms. Nicholson's preschoolers at Audubon Elementary school created a stunning 20" x 20" flower collage (shown above).

Each preschooler (shown above) first painted a flower petal. After the petal dried, the children colored on top with the craypas. Beautiful and vibrant flower petals resulted. The flower's seeded center is filled with small photos of each child's smiling face!

Parent Volunteers: Laura and Jonathan Fairman

So, my fellow creative artists, aspiring women entrepreneurs and business owners, take a pause, check it out and make a bid. You'll do your good deed for the day.

Ms. Nicholson's TBPK Class, Room 006 FLOWER POWER

Note: Flower Power is available for viewing in person at Starbucks on Roscoe (and Seeley) Chicago, Illinois until March 31. Bid binders are located on the fireplace. The show is also a fundraiser for Audubon Elementary School.

Photo credit: here.

Is the Economy Improving?

According to a whole lot of women business owners, the slumping economy will begin to turn around soon.

One report, released late last month by the National Association of Women Business Owners, said 61 percent of the women business owners surveyed said the economy is improving, and will be better at the end of 2010 than at the year’s start. That is up from 54 percent in 2009 and 26 percent in 2008.

Another poll, late last year by the Center for Women’s Business Research, said 54 percent of women business owners surveyed think the economy is improving.

In Aurora — where the percentage of women-owned businesses outpaces the national average — women business owners say they, too, think the economy will improve steadily in 2010.

What's your gut feeling? What are you experiencing? Is the economy prohibiting you from starting a business? Read more here.

We're Not Looking for a Handout; We're Looking for a Helping Hand

What's the difference between looking for charity (handout) and a business loan (legitimate helping hand)?

Veronica James (pictured) stood on a cold street in downtown Nashville, begging for money. But it’s not quite what you might think.

With a sign hanging from her neck that reads "Will Work for Business Loan," and flurries of snow blowing through the air, the 40-year-old Nashville designer hoped this morning to secure a business loan, or at least raise awareness about the difficulties of getting money in the poor economy.

“I figure I can get my story told out here,” she said, standing at the corner of Fifth Avenue North and Church Street.

Find out where this goes here.

Photo credit: Brian Reisinger, Nashville Business Journal

Significant Workplace Inequality Still Exists

And guess what that means? More women will be starting businesses than ever before, especially when encouraged to become an entrepreneur at an earlier age.

According to breaking news over at New Brunswick, Canada:

From the public school system to municipal, provincial and federal politics, steps must be taken to create the equality of access to which women are entitled. It may be "a free country," as far as the law is concerned, but people tend not to choose professions in which they see few role models, or where the prevailing culture feels unwelcome. This is where intervention can make a big difference.

The drive to encourage women to become business owners and corporate managers should be part of a general move to teach children entrepreneurial skills (as pictured) and financial literacy. By high school ...

Read more here.

What Do The Snooty Fox and Conductive Learning Center Have In Common?

They are both run by Donna Speigel (pictured), a talented and compassionate entrepreneur. Background coverage here.

The Snooty Fox, a chain of upscale consignment shops in the greater Cincinnati area.

The Conductive Learning Center, benefits children with Cerebral Palsy, Spina Bifida and other motor challenges. Donna is founder and Executive Director of the center which opened three years ago.

Catch her interview March 1, 2010 on the World News with Diane Sawyer here and learn how her love, entrepreneurial drive and dedication has led to all this amazing work.

Congratulations Donna. We are very proud of you and your accomplishments!

Motivation for Starting a Business? No Job Search Callbacks

Inspiration is overflowing in this article. Cinde Dolphin (pictured) was a marketing manager for Coors for 24 years and took a buyout. She relaxed on the beaches of New Zealand, went whitewater rafting on the Yampa River in Colorado and saw friends and Broadway shows in New York.

But ... after a few months ... guess what? Cinde got a little bored.

So at age 55, she began applying for marketing jobs, confident she would be quickly hired because of her Coors pedigree. “About four months into my job search, I realized I wasn’t getting many callbacks,” she said.

So she started a public relations firm that helps winemakers like Story Winery in California.

You must read the full story here.

Photo credit: Jim Wilson, The New York Times