To unlock this potential, growth-oriented women-led small and medium enterprises (WSMEs) – the “missing middle” – must receive stronger support. These firms face major financing gaps, being too large for micro loans but often viewed as too small or risky for banks and investors.
Read more about what the World Bank has set as a target for reaching more women and women-led businesses by 2030.
However, in the realm of publicly traded companies, women leaders remain scant. Just over 40 companies on the S&P 500 had women CEOs – a paltry 8%.
The growth is slow.
While there are thousands of publicly traded companies worldwide, The Story Exchange only found 44 thus far that had women involved from the very beginning.
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With every purchase, 10% will be donated to Live Limitless Refuge Center, a Luxury Women's Shelter in Troy, NY, and you can choose to purchase a kit that will be donated to the women served at the shelter. Every purchased donation kit will be delivered monthly to the shelter.
The money will go towards purchasing more feminine products and other necessary items for women who come through the doors.
Julie Vavrichek of WELLinsulated, created a line of chic, insulated bags designed to protect skincare, electronics, and medication from freezing temperatures.
Jaye and Julie have created niche products specifically for cold-weather challenges, addressing both comfort and protection of goods.
Sounds like the perfect time to explore these products while the bitter cold blankets USA!
Here, female entrepreneurs share their must-reads for you and for me. Oh, and my favorite? Anything by Jim Collins, the late Clayton Christensen or Peter Drucker.
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| Image created by ChatGPT prompt: Sophia Woodhouse's 1819 straw hat |
“She went and picked the grass and discovered a method of turning it into beautiful bonnets,” said Gillie Johnson, Wethersfield Historical Society. “And in 1819 she entered the Hartford Agricultural Society’s Cattle Show and Fair and displayed a bonnet that dazzled people and what was popular at the time were Leghorn bonnets from Italy, and people said her bonnet was just as good if not better than those bonnets.”
Sophia Woodhouse turned her bonnet making into a business, creating a cottage industry. She is known today as one of the first female entrepreneurs of the greater Hartford, Connecticut area, even earning a patent for her design in 1821.
Two first ladies, Dolley Madison and Louisa Adams, wore her design. President John Quincy Adams called the bonnets “an extraordinary specimen of American manufacturing.”
Despite these green shoots, the path for a woman entrepreneur or employee in the MSME sector is less of a ladder and more of a labyrinth. The challenges are not merely operational but are also, unfortunately, deeply entrenched in the social fabric. One of the most glaring issues remains the lack of asset ownership.
Women entrepreneurs, no matter where they are based continue to shoulder the responsibility of propelling economic growth, employment, and exports.
Personal note from Laurel – Happy 2026! Make it a standout year for you. Also, feel free to attend a wegginar I am presenting on 1/7 at 11:00 AM CT on global trade trends. It's free of charge but you must register to get the sign-in link. Get a leg up for your business in 2026.
Proactive year-end planning can help business owners reduce their tax bill, maximize deductions and set their businesses up for a profitable new year.
Here are a couple of other ideas to get your creative juices flowing for 2026.
Go, go, go! Best wishes for a merry, bright and prosperous 2026!
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| ©2025 Laurel J. Delaney. All rights reserved. |
Picture this: a world where gifts aren’t just things you give but celebrations of her unwavering hustle, creativity, and drive. Yeah, that’s the vibe I’m going for today. Whether she’s rocking the boardroom, slaying at running an online business, or just generally being a business badass, this list of amazing gifts will be just what she wants and needs.
Explore a gift guide that’s anything but ordinary, just like the female entrepreneurs we’re celebrating this year. One of our favs can be found here.
GrantWatch offers the structure, clarity, and direction to help you move from ideas to action with confidence.
When women thrive, families, communities, and nations flourish. Say YES and be part of a powerful movement creating a world where every woman becomes a force for equality and unstoppable impact!
Go here to visit and join the Women's Entrepreneurship Day Organization (WEDO), which was founded in 2013 by Wendy Diamond, an entrepreneur and humanitarian, with the aim of celebrating, supporting, and empowering women entrepreneurs worldwide
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Oh what a party and oh what a turnout! Thank you to everyone who celebrated with us. The pictures say it all.
More here. Happy 10 Years wegg!
All photos courtesy: Lisa Miller Photography
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| ©Women Entrepreneurs Grow Global® All rights reserved. |
More about Success On Her Terms (SoHT)
Women Entrepreneurs Grow Global unveils its newest and most exciting program yet! "Success On Her Terms," a dynamic four-part series presented by Women Entrepreneurs Grow Global® in collaboration with Merrill’s Baldwin Marcovici Group and moderated by Alex Didac.
More about Shelly Sun Berkowitz
Shelly now serves as CEO of her advisory firm, Founder 2 Founder, where she is helping other founders scale, sell, and secure their business legacies. Through her family office, Next Phase Capital (NPC), Shelly offers patient, values-aligned capital to franchise businesses.
To register
Again, to learn more and to register (free of charge) for the first session that Shelly is kicking off, visit: https://womenentrepreneursgrowglobal.org/programs/success-on-her-terms/
I [Laurel Delaney] hope to see you there!
During October DCEO is celebrating National Women's Business Month throughout October by recognizing the significant contributions of women-owned businesses across the state.
“I’m proud to celebrate the wealth of women-owned businesses across our state – and the thousands of talented women who’ve helped establish Illinois’ vibrant business community as the best in the nation,” said Gov. JB Pritzker.
Read on to learn of additional resources that are available to women-owned IL businesses.
How has he done it?
Before jumping into reading the entire article, I'll give you a spoiler alert: Raider’s advice to aspiring [women] entrepreneurs is to, “Create a product that is unique, different, and better in some way, and make it easy to explain.”
Alicia Sheares’ research on Black tech entrepreneurship in Atlanta and Silicon Valley identifies additional barriers faced by Black women in the field due to negative assumptions about their abilities, signals that they do not belong, sexual advances, and distractions relating to their appearance and attractiveness.
These challenges for Black women are distinct from those reported by Black men and by white women.
For her presentation to the Clayman Institute, Sheares dug into her research on Black women.
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| ©2025 Women Entrepreneurs Grow Global. All rights reserved. |
Enjoy exceptional food, signature cocktails, lively conversation, and a soundtrack curated entirely by women artists—plus gift bags filled with products made by women. And to top it all off, the evening will be emceed by the sensational Whitney Reynolds!
To learn more and to buy your tickets, visit: https://womenentrepreneursgrowglobal.org/about/10yr-anniversary/
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