5 Ways to Handle Bias as a Female Entrepreneur

How do you blow bias right out the window?  It's easier said than done but below are some pointers.  Remember, you never know when bias is going to creep up on you so power up and use any or all of these when you need to.

1. Don’t show your anger.
2. Consider it a blessing.
3. Marshal your facts.
4. Be and act confident.
5. Get some support and training.

Read the full article on how to handle bias here.

36 Chicago Resources for Women Entrepreneurs

As a sweet home Chicago kind of gal (born and raised in Chicago), I found the list below of Chicago resources for female entrepreneurs pretty darn good, with the exception of Women Entrepreneurs Grow Global, a nonprofit I founded and manage, being left out.

The population of women-owned startups in Chicago is growing.

Women business owners have opportunities to thrive in Chicago, especially if they happen to be in tech.

Check out the list here.

Women Entrepreneurs Can Thrive

Dr. Nashawna Joseph (pictured), for the Shreveport Times, says, "It’s no secret that women have been making power moves and shaking things up in the business world for years." She calls these women 'boss women.'  She's all in for taking control of your mind and positioning yourself for success.

Below she offers up five surefire ways that you can thrive in any area of your life by committing to having a Plan Be.

1. Be intentional
2. Be uncomfortable
3. Be committed
4. Be proactive
5. Be victorious

Learn more about each way you can thrive here.

Starting a Business As a Route Into a Career in Music

Taking place at Nottingham’s brand new venue Metronome on Wednesday, October 10, leading female entrepreneurs will share valuable insights into starting a business as a route into a career in music.

There will be an impressive all-female line up of speakers running successful businesses across the music industry who will be looking to inspire the next generation at Women In Music’s next event.

“Music is about creating something new and celebrating that creation. Having more women in music would breathe new life into the industry, so encouraging females to choose our path is something I personally get passionate about and that is why I am part of setting up our Women In Music activities such as this," [says Katie Muckle, DHP Family’s Head of HR].

Read more here.

Being Wrong in Business Is Not Only Inevitable, It's Vital

To illustrate his point during a lecture he was giving that failure breeds success, Henry Petroski, Aleksandar S. Vesic Professor at Duke University and the author of dozens of books, including, To Forgive Design: Understanding Failure, pointed to a classic century-old engineering disaster: the sinking of the Titanic on April 15, 1912.

“Imagine that the Titanic had not struck that iceberg,” Petroski said to a standing-room-only crowd in McCormick’s Ford Motor Company Engineering Design Center. “That would have just reinforced the misconception that it was unsinkable. And every time it went across the Atlantic, it would further confirm that hypothesis.”

Well I won't leave you just with that.  Read more here and meanwhile:  "It’s the failure that leads to success,” Petroski said, “while prolonged success leads to failure.”

Network with Everyone

Nicole Wipp, guest writer for Entrepreneur magazine (online) says, "Women are escaping from their corporate jobs to go out on their own, stay-at-home moms are looking for ways to make money and in general, women seem to be very attracted to the entrepreneur path. Indeed, there are 114 percent more women-owned businesses in the U.S. than there were 20 years ago."

We know a thing or two about escaping from corporate America because due to the massive female entrepreneurial movement we launched this blog in 2004.

When it comes to the topic at hand, networking, I've always worked a room no matter who it is filled with -- men or women.

The question asked in the article below is:

But should we, as women, solely focus on these [women] gender-specific groups to take our career and entrepreneurial journey to the next level?

Find out here.

Julie Smolyansky: Empowering Women Entrepreneurs Worldwide on 9/12 in Chicago

Listen and learn from Julie Smolyansky, President and CEO, Lifeway Foods, as she talks about why it is important to empower women entrepreneurs worldwide.  She will be speaking at Bank of America's facility in Chicago, 135 S. LaSalle Street at 9:00 a.m. Central time on Wednesday, September 12.

Tickets available here ($40; students $20) and include a goodie-bag and continental breakfast.  The value price is due to the wonderful sponsors of nonprofit wegg®:  UPS, Bank of America, IBM and GlobalCare Clinical Trials.

See you there!  Full disclosure:  I serve as the President of Women Entrepreneurs Grow Global (wegg).

Women Entrepreneurs Tend to Earn Less Than Male Entrepreneurs in the Same Field

The result of new research by the online accounting company FreshBooks, which surveyed more than 2,700 working people in the United States, both those who worked for employers and those who were self-employed, found that female business owners or solopreneurs are earning less than male entrepreneurs in your same field.

Why is that?

In large part because the same gender discrimination that leads employers to pay women less and give them fewer promotions also affects women entrepreneurs' dealings with customers. 

Read more about why women entrepreneurs pay themselves less than men.

Meanwhile, go give yourself a raise.  You're worth it.

A Word From Wikipedia About Female Entrepreneurs

The word entrepreneur, especially female entrepreneur, has been around for a very long time.  According to Wikipedia:

Before the 20th century, females operated small businesses as a way of supplementing their income. In many cases, they were trying to avoid poverty or were replacing the income from the loss of a spouse.

They go on to say, "The term entrepreneur is used to describe individuals who have ideas for products and/or services that they turn into a working business. In earlier times, this term was reserved for men."

Well what do you know about that?

And then they talk about example from Finnish entrepreneur Armi Ratia (1912–1979), founder of the Marimekko textile and home decorating company and, of course, our very own American entrepreneur, television host and media executive Oprah Winfrey, who received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from US President Barack Obama in 2013.

We've come a long way baby!

Follow Your Gut

Whether you start a business, form a joint-venture or take a business global, there are two ways to make your decision.  You can conduct research and think a long time about something or you can simply follow your gut.  

Join us on September 12 (downtown Chicago!) to hear Julie Smolyansky, President and CEO, Lifeway Foods, when she talks about how she has learned to follow her gut for the right way to go on the following:

• How global factors influence company values and mission
• Why we should empower women entrepreneurs around the world
• How to channel inspiration from travel experiences into marketing initiatives 

I'll be there.  Hope you will too! To learn more and to register, visit:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/weggtm-workshop-follow-your-gut-presented-by-julie-smolyansky-tickets-48655708534

2018 Top Franchises for Women Report

Franchising is a great way to start a business without all the risks.  Typically a franchisee pays an initial fee and ongoing royalties to a franchisor. In return, the franchisee has use of ongoing support, a trademark, a designated geographic territory, and the right to use the franchisor's processes and systems.

The Midwest-based coffee franchise Scooter’s Coffee, for example, has experienced incredible growth this past year and was recently named a top franchise by Franchise Business Review in its 2018 Top Franchises for Women Report.

Might be worth a look.

How to Look Bigger at an Affordable Price: Virtual Office Space

A virtual office or co-working space offers small business owners an official address, communication options and flexible working space.  It can also help women have a professional edge.

Even if you run a home-based business:

... business owners can use a virtual office space for conferences, mail delivery, customer service and as part-time dedicated work space.

Read more about how virtual office spaces can be a good option for female entrepreneurs.

Black Women Vintners Are Changing the World of Winemaking

Indianapolis, Indiana-based women wine makers from Sip and Share Winery and Wine and Candles differ from other wineries.  While both women enjoy making and sharing their wines, they also love educating consumers on wine etiquette, different wine varieties and the winemaking process.  And the two owners are Black women.

In her research, Kearney [owner of Sip and Share] said she’s found about 100 Black and Latino winemakers throughout the country. The wine industry is ripe for more people of color to get into winemaking. Revenues from wine sales are $62.7 billion worldwide.

Read more about how these Black women entrepreneurs are changing the world of winemaking.

Amplifying the Voices and Work of Women

The Women’s Equality Coalition (WEC) of Linn County is getting ready to celebrate Women’s Equality Day scheduled for Aug. 26, and they are currently seeking nominations from the community for their Woman of the Year award, which is presented at the event. The last day to submit a nomination is July 25, and nomination forms are available on the WEC website, womensequalitycoalition.org.

According to WEC, role models are key to changing perceptions, and bettering lives.  But if their goal is equality, the first steps must come in their communities, by amplifying the voices and work of local women.

So, please, nominate a woman you value in Linn County -- a positive female role model so she can be honored and everyone can learn from.

Read more about looking for a few (more) good women.

Women Have a Lock-Down on Entrepreneurship

From trucking titan to the immigrant taking on Elon Musk in space, here is the annual Forbes ranking of the 60 richest self-made women.

These 60 women, who have a record combined net worth of $71 billion, up 15% from $61.5 billion in 2017, have shattered [glass] ceilings and scaled new heights, making fortunes in everything from genetic testing to slimming shapewear. The minimum net worth needed to make this year’s list is $320 million, up from $260 million last year.

Find out who made the list.  You won't be disappointed.  In fact, you even might be surprised!

Women-Owned Businesses Are Growing Five Times National Average

According to a survey by the National Association of Women Business Owners, the number of women-owned businesses is growing five times the national average, with 1 in every 11 women being an entrepreneur.

"To be able to support a woman-owned business is just the icing on the cake," said Katelyn Perry, a shopper at the Sequin Siren [on Popps Ferry Road in Mississippi].

A woman-owned business is something other women have no problem supporting.  Read more here.

Are You a Hair-Care Entrepreneur?

If you are running a hair-care business, this post is for you because beauty-supply company Sally Beauty recently launched a business-accelerator program specifically designed to help female beauty entrepreneurs grow their businesses.

Women is actively seeking out the next line of innovative hair-care products, offering one phenomenal female-owned brand entrepreneurial mentorship, $25,000 in financial support and distribution through Sally Beauty’s website.

Do you have the next best hair product?  Go get your opportunity now.

Ready to Launch? Have the Right Mindset.

Author Canyon Siang radiates a sense of possibility for women entrepreneurs.  After all, she wrote the book, The Launch Book: Motivational Stories to Launch Your Idea, Business or Next Career (as of this writing, 53 reviews on Amazon).

When launching a business, what is most often overlooked?  Having the right mindset.  Siang says:

"Whether you are a 20-year-old entrepreneur or a 70-year-old entrepreneur, what is critical is your mindset."

Read more and discover several mindset strategies that will help you with a successful launch.

Saluting the Notable and Visible Women in Business

Let's take a moment to salute and congratulate the notable and visible women in business.  As Deborah Levine (pictured), editor of the American Diversity Report, writes at the Times Free Press:

The national number of women-owned businesses grew 45 percent between 2007 and 2016, five times faster than the national average. Their flight to entrepreneurship may be a rejection of corporate dead ends and closed doors to the executive suite. But their entrepreneurship is driving our economy to the tune of 3 trillion dollars.

Read more to learn what this growth means for women and how venture capital is still, sadly, hard to come by for women business owners.

Likable Female Power Entrepreneurs

Here are three business lessons entrepreneurs can learn from women with ambition who are challenging what it means to be likable -- and succeeding.  Meanwhile ...

Flaunt your success.  Trust your instincts.  Don't ask for permission.