Older Women Becoming Entrepreneurs

If you are thinking about starting a business, is your age a consideration?  I hope not.  For more women -- young and old(er) -- are starting businesses at record rates.  According to Barclays (UK), older entrepreneurs are responsible for 50 percent more start-ups than they were ten years ago and account for 15 percent of all new businesses (in England and Wales).  I am sure the United States has an even higher rate of women starting businesses at a later age.

The article below highlights Professor Diana Anderson (pictured) who set up her first business, OncaScan, with the notion of marketing her new invention, a blood test that predicts an individual's genetic predisposition to cancer.  No small time goal.  She says:

"I'm not proud to have started my first business so late in life for the simple reason that my age never occurs to me," she says. "Until I am no longer able to contribute, I only think of staying at the coalface of my profession. My future plans are to make my business a success, win more grants for my university and guide more of my students towards their PhDs."

Learn more:  Not the retiring kind

Does this article speak to you?

Establish and Sustain Your Startup

Wisconsin Women Entrepreneurs (WWE), a nonprofit business association, helps improve and enhance the economic climate for female entrepreneurs who are looking to grow their business and foster new relationships.

Learn more about how they might assist you as you establish and sustain your startup.

Photo credit:  WWE.

Best News I've Heard This Month: CNN Dumps Spitzer

I just want everyone inside and outside of Corporate America to know how happy I am about this.  CNN dumps Eliot Spitzer from its lineup.  Ever since Spitzer's involvement as a client in a high-priced prostitution ring (2008) and CNN's subsequent hiring of him, I stopped watching CNN.  What were they thinking?

Applause to the folks at CNN for finally getting their act together.  Now I can continue to watch one of my favorites -- Anderson Cooper -- without guilt.

There's my two cents for the week!  What's yours?

Photo credit:  New York Times, "Spitzer Is Linked to Prostitution Ring."

Posted by:  The official Escape From Corporate America blog

Women Entrepreneurs Drive U.S. Economy

Hush, hush ... new news is that women entrepreneurs are a significant force in driving the U.S. economy.  Did you know?  Of course you did!

Read all about it here.  You may have missed the roundtables they speak of but you can still learn about the five mistakes female business owners tend to make so that you don't make them yourself!

Happy Birthday No. 235 to the United States and No. 7 to the Official Escape From Corporate America Blog!

Happy Independence Day United States.  Whatever you are doing at this moment, stop and count your blessings for the privilege to live in a country where opportunity abounds.  Freedom is something one should never take for granted - only used to do what you wish.

And while you are celebrating, raise a glass in our honor to toast Birthday No. 7 for Escape For Corporate America!  Yes, it's been that long since we started this blog (click here to see how an article I authored planted the seed for this blog) and since then, you have been following us religiously.  So thanks for that  -- we appreciate your readership very much -- and we hope you continue to stay with us year after year as we feature stories relating to women who embark on the challenging journey of breaking away from Corporate America to start a business.

The picture (shown above)?  I took it over the weekend while running along the Chicago lakefront.  It symbolizes much of what I think this blog is about:  power, equality and starting a business!

Note:  Last year we gave you a free gift in honor of our double celebration.  If you haven't already opened it, do so now to get the inspiration you need to start a business:  Entrepreneurial Obsession:  13 Ways to Create a Brighter Future For Your Business.

Best wishes for continued success!  Back with you soon.

Net-A-This, Net-A-That

First there was Net-A-Porter.com, now there's the sister site:  The Outnet.com.

And there's the female Director behind The Outnet.com:  Stephanie Phair (pictured).

Each month, The Outnet receives over one million unique visitors, less than ten percent of which overlap with the existing Net-a-Porter customer base. The United States, where The Outnet has experienced year on year growth of over 90 percent, now constitutes its biggest market. And, 70 percent of the product on The Outnet does not come from Net-a-Porter, so The Outnet has its own buying teams and relationships with brand partners. All of this seems to be working wonders, leading to an estimated annual turnover of more than $50 million, something that took more than 5 years for Net-a-Porter to achieve.

Visit The Outnet.com

This Is Why You Should Start a Business

Love To Sell, Or Else

If you are contemplating starting a business, you better love to sell, or else.  Or else ... for those who hate to sell, you will have a much more challenging path ahead to achieve business success.

Over at the Entrepreneur blog, creative writer Carol Tice offers eight tips (five from author Julie Steelman and three of her own) on how to overcome a reluctance to sell.

How Entrepreneurs Can Conquer Fear of Selling

Illustration credit here.

Does Your New Business Idea Have Momentum?

Whether you are launching a new career, product or business, one has to look at whether the idea is sustainable, or has momentum.

Jeff DeGraff (pictured), clinical professor of management and organizations at the Stephen M. Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan, has created a series for PBS that launches at 8 p.m. Thursday on WTVS-TV (Channel 56). In case you've never heard of DeGraff, he is known as an innovation guru.

Individuals who want to re-create their lives or careers, DeGraff said, need to realize that you sometimes need to think of several ways to innovate.

Once you test something out, he said, you are better able to figure out what has more momentum.

Learn more about DeGraff and his new program here.  It might be just the jolt you need to get your business off the ground.

Before Starting a Business, Discover Your Strengths

What can a single mother of five do to provide a stable future for her kids?  You guessed it.  Start a business.

An expert provides three steps to move forward.  Go here to find out what they are.

Illustration credit:  Ms. CEO

Work For Yourself

Be your own boss.  Why not?

Adults do it. Kids can do it, too. What they ‘do’ is run their own business. If you are interested in becoming a ‘Chief Executive Officer,’ get started with a business plan. There are many excellent resources to get you on your way to your dream.

 Learn more here.

Overcoming Challenges to Launch and Grow a Business

GE Capital (as illustrated above) helps women to jump-start their own businesses by providing specialized training, business mentorship and access to micro-financing loans. In addition to 15 weeks of intensive course work and training, the program, Banking on Women, offers ongoing assistance for all participants.

This particular program takes place in Salt Lake City, Utah.  GE Capital is working with Utah Microenterprise Loan Fund and The Institute for New Enterprise at Westminster College.

Learn more here.  Direct link:  Banking on Women

Extreme Sport: Entrepreneurship

MTV applauds women entrepreneurs in technology and media.  And one in particular is Alexandra Wilkis Wilson of Gilt Groupe Inc.

Gilt Groupe started out in 2007 as an online sample sale destination for the fashion savvy shopper. The website’s original three founders Kevin Ryan, Alexis Maybank and Alexandra Wilkis Wilson (at left) have recently realized huge success after the valuation of Gilt Groupe doubled from one year ago to $1 Billion. Not so bad after just four years as an e-commerce merchant!

Read the entire article here.

Related: NCWIT Entrepreneurial Heroes is a series of magazine-style audio interviews highlighting fabulous women entrepreneurs in information technology (IT) careers.  Listen in here.

Top photo credit here.

Don't Reinvent the Wheel

Starting a business is easier than you think and thanks to the Internet, more doable than ever these days.

Here are seven steps to get you moving!

First one:

Ordinary is just fine, so don't reinvent the wheel. The best ideas are often the tried and true ones that are already successful now.

Let's hope Maria follows this same advice.

Quench Your Thirst: Waialua Soda Works

Karen Campbell and her husband Jason know how to fizz things up a bit.  They run Hawaii-based Waialua Soda Works, Inc., an old-fashioned soda company founded in 2003, inspired by the elements familiar to the Hawaiian Islands.

The company uses only clear glass bottles (as shown), pure cane sugar, and natural flavors to make its mango, root beer, pineapple and vanilla cream sodas.

Learn more about Waialua Soda Works.  Cost Plus World Market and Whole Foods carry it.   Also visit their Facebook page.

How to Start a Business in Your PJs

The Scent For a Strange Woman

Are you seeking a one of a kind experience when it comes to perfume?  Then you're at the right place, at the right time!

Strange Women is a collection of 100% natural artisan perfume, bath salts, lip balm, candles and other eccentricities fragranced with essential oils and plant absolutes.  The net result is a much safer and more satisfying to the senses fragrance.

These wonderful concoctions are produced by Jill McKeever (pictured).  Go shopping here.

To Succeed in Business, Change Must Be Constant

If Kim Garrity hadn’t made more changes than a young woman trying on shoes with her business -- Sole Sisters -- then it wouldn’t exist today.

Learn what she means here.

Posted by: The original Escape From Corporate America blog

Mandatory Reading for Anyone Considering Starting a Business

That's according to 800 CEO Read and based on Carol Roth's new book, The Entrepreneur Equation:  Evaluating the Realities, Risks, and Rewards of Having Your Own Business.

Find out if entrepreneurship is right for you!

She Wants Freedom; She Got it Through Business Ownership

For those who don't already know this:  The number of women-owned businesses is on the rise!  Learn more about this trend and about women business owners who have found success (including Tina Fey, pictured, who seems to do her own thing and do it exceptionally well).

First though:

The latest U.S. Census data shows that women start businesses at one-and-a-half times the national rate and are estimated to own just over 8.1 million enterprises. Those businesses generate nearly $1.3 trillion in revenue and employ 7.7 million Americans, according to the recently released American Express OPEN State of Women-Owned Business Report.

"She's the boss:  More women are starting their own businesses"

Snowboarder to Entrepreneur

Take a Deep Breath and Follow Your Dreams

Three women follow their dreams ...  are you?

1.  Nora Jewett
From lawyer to fashion designer

2.  Becky Bartsch
From Radio City Rockette to fourth-grade teacher (yes, you read that right!)

3.  Dr. Laura Michaelis
From reporter for Congressional Weekly and City News Bureau to hermatologist/oncologist

Find out how they mustered up the courage to follow their dreams -- here.

Photography shots for article by Saverio Truglia.

Creating New Opportunities Means Taking the Route of Entrepreneurship

Today (4/11/11), The Wall Street Journal has a special feature:  Women in the Economy

Here are the links to some of the articles which focus on what's holding women back in the workplace:

Where Are All the Senior Level Women?

Tales From the Frontline

The Global View

It's Partly Your Head

You can talk until you drop about women in the workplace -- what's holding them back or how to create an action plan to support new opportunities -- but the real route to freedom, flexibility and being who you are is through entrepreneurship.

Photo credit here (L-R:  Robert Zoellick, Sandra Day O'Connor and Wei Sun Christianson)

Posted by:  The Official Escape From Corporate America Blog, chronicling why more and more women are abandoning big companies to strike out on their own.

Flexibility Matters to Women in the Workforce

And that includes women entrepreneurs.  In fact, when companies do not offer flexible work hours to women who need it for family reasons, the women leave and oftentimes start their own businesses.

Read: 'Mommy Track' Without Shame by Virginia Postrel for The Wall Street Journal

Snippet:

Many strike out on their own, establishing consulting practices that permit flexible, project-based work. "MBA mothers," the economists write, "seem to actively choose jobs that are family-friendly, and avoid jobs with long hours and greater career-advancement possibilities."

Brings back a lot of very old and dated memories. Thank goodness women have wised up and have taken control of their professional destinies!

Posted by: The Official Escape From Corporate America Blog

For the Love of Making Things, Meet Alicia Paulson

I've been following Alicia Paulson's blog, "Posie Gets Cozy," for years.  It's one of my best kept secrets.  She (visit her site here) loves to make things, shows you how to do it with great passion and takes fabulous pictures in the process.  Her readers comment like crazy which is wonderful.

Pour yourself a cup of tea and explore her site. You have to wonder how she does it.  Check out her books too.

Photo credit:  Posie Gets Cozy

Are You Jam'n With Blue Chair Fruit?

Oakland, California-based Blue Chair Fruit Company is an artisanal jam and marmalade company which has redefined preserving through its distinctive brand of modern nostalgia and their exacting approach to fruit and flavors.

Founded by Rachel Saunders (pictured) in February 2008, Blue Chair Fruit is the product of nearly ten years of intensive research on fruit and fruit preserving techniques.

Her company claims:

In all aspects of our company, from the contents of each jar to packaging to our online presence to the definitive Blue Chair Jam Cookbook, Blue Chair Fruit emphasizes a modern spin on this traditional art.

If you're not jam'n with and buying products from Blue Chair Fruit, you ought to be.  All products are made by hand.

Give them a look and a try:  Blue Chair Fruit.  And our kudos to Rachel for finally striking out on her own!

Photo credit here (Kat Brett)

Love At First Business

A powerful New York executive, Tasia Malakasis (pictured) moves back home to Alabama (11 years ago) to start her dream business:  Fromagerie Belle Chevre where she now crafts award-winning goat cheeses.

Her key advice:

"Entrepreneurship takes a certain personality. Don't tackle something unless it makes you feel alive every day." ~ Tasia Malakasis

Learn more about her escape from Corporate America to following her passion here.

Photo credit here.

Life's Short: Start a Business

The Pied Piper of the Blogging World

That's what I have been called by my savvy sister Te-Erika over at My Savvy Sisters -- an online magazine dedicated to providing resources, inspiration and guidance to women that will empower them to survive and thrive in life.

Te-Erika asks me:

"What are the top 3 reasons women won’t plan their Escape From Corporate America?"

Read the interview here to find out why many women don't leave Corporate America:

Savvy Blogger We Love - Laurel Delaney (Escape From Corporate America)

What a thrill to be featured. A big thank you to Te-Erika Patterson, inspirational journalist and author, for making this interview happen.

Finding Strength to Persevere

Securing Financing Is Critical To Any Business

There is a big gap when it comes to finding financing between female and male entrepreneurs.  Female entrepreneurs usually have to provide lenders with more documentation – such as personal financial statements, appraisals of assets and cash flow projections – than male entrepreneurs.

Do you think it is primarily a "female" issue?  Weigh in if you have the time.

In the meantime, read a good article about it here.

How Not to Be Afraid of Failure

Bluster or Blowhard?

Another thought-provoking piece by Karen E. Klein and published by Bloomberg Businessweek:

Must Women Entrepreneurs Learn to Bluster?

Truth be it, I had to look up the word to figure out what it meant in the context in which it was being used because I only thought of bluster as "a fierce wind blowing!"  But take a look at the definition above, especially how the two examples referenced are from "men."  And don't miss the word "blowhard" either because they might be interchangeable.

Great article by Karen -- definitely worth a read -- and how refreshing to catch Camile Alcasid's insights:

Camille Alcasid, a software engineer who runs Santa Monica, Calif., new media consultancy Westside Websites, says she routinely experiences the double standard. "Men can get away with bluster because it is more accepted or expected in society and in the workforce, while bluster is sometimes confused as noise when not properly executed or received," she says. Working in a male-dominated field, she says, "I've come to learn some of the tricks men do to cover up for what they don't know and how they expose or conceal their flaws and strengths, depending on the situation."

Ladies ... What do you think?  Can you muster up the bluster?  Or should you bother?

Illustration credit:  Merriam-Webster Dictionary

Posted by:  Laurel Delaney, Escape From Corporate America blog

Jam'n to Her Own Business

Learn how Dafna Kory (pictured) spends nine months of the year working full-time on her budding food business (INNA jam is the name of her company/blog here), and supplements her income the other three months with editing gigs.

You can get to where you need to go -- starting and running a profitable business -- with baby steps.

See how she's doing it here.

Photo credit: Dafna Kory website

Animate Out of the Gate with Your Business: Here's How

These wonderful user-friendly animation tools make it easy to set your business apart from others by expressing yourself in a distinctive, fun-loving way.  Check them out and see how you can use them to bring positive attention to your business.

1. GoAnimate
2. Animasher
3. Xtranormal

Illustration credit here.

Posted by:  The official Escape From Corporate America blog

From Superdoglover to Superentrepreneur to Supercollar®

Jane Angelich, CEO of supercollar®, has two passions:  her dogs and her business.  She invented a product, supercollar® (pictured above), that satisfies both her passions and at the same time fulfills the needs of her customers who are dog lovers too.  And to accomplish this she just happened to leave corporate America at the age of 39.

Jane got her big idea one day when noticing her fireman husband's utility belt. Firemen need to carry a lot of tools around their waist and do so by having them attach to a retractable belt —the tools can be pulled, used, let go, retracted, and returned to their spot quickly.

Learn how you too can get a new, entrepreneurial leash on life (pardon the pun) -- just like Jane did -- by reading USA Today columnist Steve Strauss's five tips on how to do it here.

Illustration credit here.

Astia Propels Women Entrepreneurs

A resource you should know about:  Astia (www.astia.com).

Sharon Vosmek (pictured-right), is CEO of Astia, a global not-for-profit organization that propels women's full participation as entrepreneurs and leaders in high-growth businesses, fueling innovation and driving economic growth.  "Women are a part of the economy that if tapped for their full potential and abilities, could provide us the economic recovery we seek," says Vosmek.

According to research conducted by Babson College, 'if women entrepreneurs in the U.S. started with the same capital as male entrepreneurs, they would add a whopping 6 million jobs to the economy within five years -- 2 million of those in the first year alone.'

Source:  No. 14

Astia blog

Photo credit Flickr.

Posted by:  the official Escape From Corporate America blog

Do It Your Way: Create Your Own Business

 _______________________________________________________

In creating a business of your own, don't look back.  Only focus on making the best of your brilliant idea.

Having said that, let's re-visit an old article that is still relevant and timely for today's business climate, especially for those who are looking at leaving corporate America to start their own business.

She Did It Her Way

Now, I ask you this:  How are you doing it your way?

I welcome hearing from you.

Graphic source here.

Posted by the official Escape From Corporate America blog

Alicia Morga, Look No Further: Women Entrepreneurs Can Be Found Right Here!

Hi, Alicia,

In response to your commentary, "Where Are the Women Entrepreneurs?," over at the Huffington Post, you can find women entrepreneurs right here and at the Women Presidents' Organization (WPO)!  You and VCs just need to look harder.

Thanks for your interest.

Best,
Laurel Delaney

Illustration credit here.
Note:  Full disclosure:  I serve as the Chicago Chapter Chair for WPO.

Women Entrepreneurs Bolster Growth For Economy

Jackie Taylor (pictured) and her colleagues at the Michigan Women’s Foundation hope to help women entrepreneurs bolster growth for the economy.

MWF recently launched the Women’s Angel Fund, a revolving loan fund that will provide early-stage support for women-owned businesses and disadvantaged women who are starting or growing businesses in urban areas.

Learn more here.

How To Go After Grants

Guts and Gumption Fuels Economy

Entrepreneurs are the force that will keep our economy moving forward and women entrepreneurs in particular will have a significant impact on our economy.

Read more:

Small Business Owners: Will 2011 Bring Our Mojo Back?

Women Business Owners Help Overall Economic Prosperity

Whether you are interested in starting a business in the United States or as in this case, Pakistan, working women face difficulties.

As a result, the Dawood Capital Management Limited (DCML) in collaboration with the British Deputy High Commission announced the launching of a special fund -- LadiesFund -- catering to the saving and investment needs of women in Pakistan.

The initiative comes as studies show that women are much better savers than men and can help in overall economic prosperity if allowed to start small businesses

Read more here

Illustration credit here.

Take a Blank Canvas Approach to Your New Business

This is a fantastic interview with Tere Blanca, commercial real estate executive and entrepreneur.  She left Cushman & Wakefield in 2009 to start her own brokerage and advisory firm Blanca Commercial Real Estate. 

Blanca shares her insights on the real estate industry and what it takes to launch a business successfully.  There are wonderful gems of advice for aspiring entrepreneurs within this interview.  You just have to look for them!

Read the entire article here.

Illustration credit here.

Happy 2011 Escape From Corporate America Fans, Colleagues and Friends!

May this be your best year ever.  Start that business.  Set realistic goals.  Attain a few.  Finish what you start.  Grow.  Be happy!

Best wishes for a successful 2011!

Posted by:  Laurel Delaney, the official Escape From Corporate America blog

Happy Holidays From Escape From Corporate America: Indulge and Enjoy

Wishing you all the happiest of holidays and joy (success) throughout the new year.

Photo credit:  Laurel Delaney, downtown Chicago, retail window dressing

Posted by:  Laurel Delaney, Escape From Corporate America

Are you a Chic CEO?

There's a new website in town:  CHIC CEO.  It is designed give female entrepreneurs the how-to information they need to get started in launching a business.

Chic CEO (http://www.chic-ceo.com) believes that women should have the business knowledge and support they need right at their polished fingertips. They need easy-to-understand, easy-to-implement instruction in its most basic form. By providing this valuable information, Chic CEO hopes to eliminate the guesswork for women trying to start businesses.

Learn more here.

Illustration credit here.

Posted by:  Escape From Corporate America blog (established 2004)

Start a Business Part-Time or Full-Time?

Starting a business can be awfully scary from the standpoint of answering these two critical questions:  How will I make money?  What happens if I don't?

Oftentimes, to minimize risks, people start a business gradually -- with one foot in the new business and the other in a full time job that offers a steady stream of income.

Yet, the part-time path also comes with its own set of challenges.  Here's a look at why.

Starting a Part-Time Vs. Full-Time Business

Where Is The Highest Percentage of Women-Owned Businesses in the Nation?

Maryland and the District of Columbia have the highest percentages of women-owned businesses in the nation.

Women in D.C. own more than 34 percent of businesses, ranking first, according to newly released 2007 Census Bureau figures. Following the District, Maryland women own more than 32 percent of businesses, placing second, according to the 2002 census. Virginia came in 10th, at 30 percent, with the entire region trumping the nation's 29 percent rate.

Read more here to learn why this is happening.

Start Small, Work Hard

Two Westport female entrepreneurs are celebrating their thirty-second anniversary at the locations where they started, Top Drawer on the Post Road and Pathfinders Travel on Riverside Avenue.

Two local women, Janet Bangser at Pathfinders and Joan Rotman at Top Drawer, find themselves in this happy position.  Conversations with both tend to indicate three fundamental ingredients to success.  There is always the so-called X factor but basically for these women it came down to a familiarity with the business going in, an affinity for detail, a pretty good idea of their customer base, and service, service, service.

Read the entire article here.

Illustration credit:  Pathfinders Travel

Next Step In Life: Launch a Business

The president of the Women’s National Basketball Association, Donna Orender (pictured), resigned to launch an independent marketing company named Orender Unlimited.

After five years ...

“It was simply time for me to take this step in my life,” Orender said in the statement. “My work on behalf of women and girls around the world will only deepen as will my ongoing engagement in sports.” 

Learn more here.

Photo credit here.

Quit Working For Someone Else and Start a Business

Two women in Sand Springs, Oklahoma, U.S.A. are sharing their experiences after starting their own small businesses.

For both Stephany Christensen (photographer) and Kelli Fry (massage therapy business), they are not only the owners and boss, they are the only employees.  The two women are just some of the millions of Americans who own their own business.

Read more about this here.

Happy Thanksgiving 2010

Enjoy the day and be grateful for the abundance in your life.  Get inspired ... check out "I'm thankful for ..." -- hat tip to Bob Marovich at The Black Gospel Blog for turning me on to the piece.

And thank you for your readership!  It means the world to me.

Charming Bellabeads 925

Dina Amico- Kriescher, is the founder and CEO of Bellabeads 925, a stylish new line of customized charm bracelets (pictured) that sells through home parties.

Bellabeads 925 now has over 2,000 consultants throughout the country and is growing rapidly. Bellabeads 925 Charm Consultants are business women who strive to be their own bosses, and many are moms realizing the dream of a happy work/life balance- thanks to the direct sales industry.

Bellabeads Charming Story

While traveling through Europe with her family, founder Dina Amico-Kriescher was looking for a way to bring a touch of the old world charm home. Inspired by the beauty of the Italian glass, and high quality jewelry she found in quaint seaside villages throughout Italy, she instantly fell in love with the custom charm jewelry and brought back a unique collection to share with family and friends. Her intrigue for the concept and natural entrepreneurial spirit soon gave birth to Bellabeads 925, making jewelry design a party!

Bellabeads 925 is part of the Noah’s Ark Animal Workshop Corporation founded by Amico-Kriescher in 2004, and is a family-owned, US-based company headquartered in the Chicago suburbs with distribution globally. Bellabeads 925 jewelry is sold through independent Charm Consultants within the direct-sales format throughout the US and Canada.

Learn more here.

How Cloud Computing Works

As you contemplate starting a business or if you currently run one, cloud computing will be a serious consideration to grow your business.

Here you can learn everything there is to know about cloud computing in one clean swoop.

Why Cloud Computing Will Change the Way We Work

Photo credit: Laurel Delaney, for the Escape From Corporate America blog