Female Entrepreneurs Work Every Bit As Hard as Male Entrepreneurs (Maybe Harder)

The story goes like this from 2019.  

Alyson Saxe ran into an old friend at Costco, who – upon learning Saxe had children – inquired whether she worked outside the home.  Saxe explained that she'd founded a PR agency. "My friend said, 'How great! You're a mompreneur!'" recalls Saxe. "'You get to work and have time for your kids and family!'"

Saxe, later, went on to raise north of $2 million for her second company, the brand-management platform IrisPR, based in Phoenix. "I work every bit as hard as male entrepreneurs.  "I am not a mompreneur," says Saxe. "I am a mother. And I am an entrepreneur."

Read on to appreciate how business language – like much other language – is de-gendering.

May Your Blessings Outnumber the Shamrocks That Grow

©2021 Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.

"May your blessings outnumber the shamrocks that grow.  And may trouble avoid you wherever you go." – Irish blessing

Women Entrepreneurs Drive America's Recovery

Women entrepreneurs continue to play a greater role in creating new jobs and economic activity across the country.  Since 1987, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) has celebrated Women’s History Month by acknowledging how women entrepreneurs have transformed the face of entrepreneurship nationally.

According to the National Association of Women Business Owners, nearly 12 million businesses are owned by women, generating $1.7 trillion in sales, and employing over 9 million people.  Together, these businesses represent one of the fastest growing sectors of our economy. 

Read more about how women entrepreneurs are driving America's recovery from the global pandemic.

Black Women Business Owners Are at the Forefront of Innovation as Entrepreneurs

Meet the 10 finalists for the first New Voices + Target Accelerators Pitch Competition of 2021. 

Black women business owners are continuing to remain at the forefront of innovation as entrepreneurs and the New Voices team is joining forces with the Target Accelerators team yet again to give ten of these hard-working women the chance of a lifetime. 

Poised and prepared before a panel of business experts, the ladies shared their entrepreneurship journeys for a chance to win between $5,000 and $20,000 in funding for their businesses. 

Winners will also receive business coaching and mentoring from @newvoicesfamily to help them grow and scale their companies with purpose.

To learn more visit, here (note:  this was previously aired but you can get your free passes to check things out).

Be Real

I (Laurel Delaney and creator of this blog) have the good fortune of connecting on a quarterly basis with Colleen Killen-Roberts, Divisional Vice President of Entrepreneurship at the Edward Lowe Foundation through the global business work I do in their System for Integrated Growth (SIG) program.  

Below Colleen talks about why relationships matter and how to take 5 steps to building stronger ones.

One step in particular resonated with me:

4.  Be consistent — and genuine. Walk the talk. Do what you say you’re going to do — and in a timely manner. Bring the authentic version of yourself, warts and all, when meeting with existing or potential partners. You don’t have to be perfect. But you do have to be real.

So often people don't practice this.  Do you?

Read the entire article, Relationships Matter:  5 Steps to Stronger Partnerships

The World Needs More Love

©2019 Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.

"What the world really needs is more love and less paperwork." – Pearl Bailey, actress

Four Tips on Facing Fears When Creating a Business

Spiritual business coach Ava Johanna overcame homelessness and hardship and found prosperity. Here's her story, plus her top four tips on facing fears.  It's all about seeing beyond your past when creating a business.

Why Is Israel the Best Country for Female Entrepreneurs?

The Mastercard Index of Women Entrepreneurs (MIWE) tracks the global progress of women entrepreneurs and business owners across 58 economies. The US, Switzerland and New Zealand ranked second, third and fourth, with the UK sixth. So what enabled Israel to take the top spot?

Find out from the founders of an Israeli venture capital firm as they tell how they have made it in a man’s world and the ways they feel the status quo could be changed.

The One and Only Pop Superstar and Entrepreneur Lady Gaga: Greatest Female Singer of All Time

Use Your Power to Support Female Entrepreneurs

Two women discuss various ways to support female entrepreneurs. Here’s a closer look at their four tips.

1. Know the difference between real and performative allyship — and practice the former
2. Take a step beyond mentorship and be a sponsor
3. Be an active bystander against micro aggressions
4. Use your votes and dollars to push for bigger policy and ecosystem changes

Read the entire article on ways to be an ally for female entrepreneurs.

She Works

The products the women make in Uganda at luxury jewelry brand Akola are sold at Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue, Nordstrom and many other retailers.

Akola means “she works” in a local Ugandan dialect, and it was founded as a nonprofit almost 12 years ago with the idea that sustainable job creation is the only way to get women out of poverty. 

Drill down further to see how through a combination of vertically integrated manufacturing, swift innovation in their product offerings and a strategic business model that includes a combination of for-profit and nonprofit entities, the decade-old brand has been able to navigate the Covid pandemic with unwavering commitments to sustainability and social impact.

Meditate to Focus in 2021

Meditation is an excellent tool to take your mind off the daily hustle and regain your ability to stay focused.  Here are some tips to regain the ability to be attentive to what is truly important.

Meanwhile, have yourself a joyful, healthy and prosperous New Year!

Get Inspired Women Entrepreneurs

We all need inspiration, especially this year.  

As you reflect on the year and what's ahead, check out these successful founders who are also some of the most respected athletes, political figureheads, musicians and performers going. 

The Story Exchange gathered up nine of their favorite motivational quotes from these well-known women who share all that they’ve learned about perseverance, patience, and finding strength.

Get inspired my fellow women entrepreneurs.  The new year is about to begin.

Peace and Joy to Our Escape From Corporate America Friends

©2020 Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.

Merry Christmas and Blessed New Year to all our Escape From Corporate America friends.  Peace and Joy.

Ditch the Big Corps and Support the People of Color Small Businesses This Holiday

Small businesses owned by people of color are particularly vulnerable to the economic impacts of COVID-19. So this year, consider ditching the big corporations and opt for patronizing these small businesses instead. 

Despite the economic impacts of the pandemic, the National Retail Federation projects that holiday spending will grow between 3.6% and 5.2% this year. And while patronizing Amazon might get us the latest gadget at a reduced price, dozens of small businesses need your dollars more—especially those owned by people of color. 

Start your shopping now before it's too late.

Ladies, Don't Ask for Feedback, Ask for Advice Instead

Our friend and esteemed colleague, Dan Pink, Tweeted:

Don't always ask for feedback. It's backward-looking and often not very actionable.

Dan is referencing an article by Dr Amantha Imber, who is the founder of behavioral science consultancy Inventium and the host of How I Work, a podcast about the habits and rituals of the world’s most successful people. 

"For women in particular, feedback can be unhelpful," says Dr. Imber.  "One study conducted by professors Shelley Correll and Caroline Simard at Standard University analyzed over 200 performance reviews across three high-tech companies and a professional services firm. It found that, compared to men, women received feedback that was less likely to be tied to business outcomes and was also more vague and challenging to implement."

Read the entire article at Harvard Business Review.

Are You Helping Other Women Get What They Want?

Leadership is about having a message you can unite people behind — whether you’re pushing humanity toward a movement or an idea or a philosophy — and helping people get what they want. Not having people get you more of what you want.

Do you consider yourself a leader?  If everyday you do one thing to help another person move ahead, especially a woman, then I consider you a leader.

Wishing All of You the Best This Thanksgiving From Escape From Corporate America

©2020 Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.

Happy Thanksgiving!  Yes, this year has been rough, but despite challenging circumstances, we see your strength and resiliency. May you enjoy the warmth of family this season and the harvest of the feast!  Wishing you all the best this Thanksgiving.  🧡

During the Global Pandemic, Ask for Help

Small businesses are the backbone of the U.S. economy. According to the World Economic Forum, small businesses are responsible for employing nearly half of the private sector workforce. 

However, during these volatile times where social distancing measures have been put in place and mandatory shut-downs have happened, many small businesses have not been able to survive.   

Entrepreneur reports that In September, Yelp released its latest Economic Impact Report revealing business closures across the U.S. are increasing as a result of Covid. According to Yelp data, permanent closures have reached 97,966, representing 60 percent of closed businesses that won’t be reopening.

No matter how you react to the reports, here are five ways to help your small business survive the global pandemic, one being to ask for help.

Ladies, We Are All in That Room Together

“Yes, sister, sometimes we may be the only one that looks like us walking in that room,” she told a largely Black audience in Fort Worth [Texas]. “But the thing we all know is we never walk in those rooms alone — we are all in that room together," say Kamala Harris.

That Ms. Harris has risen higher in the country’s leadership than any woman ever has underscores the extraordinary arc of her political career.

Read more about how Kamala Harris just made history as first woman and woman of color as Vice President, USA.