In MiamiHerald.com
They want access to capital, training and markets. But women with businesses of $1 million or more are twice as likely as male counterparts to seek advice from a mentor. they also want to be taken seriously.
Read the article here, "What do 'hot mamas' want?" Don't be mislead by the title -- I was when I read 'hot mamas' -- for the article is written by a respected Harvard professor. Still I question what's up with that?
Monday, January 23, 2006
Wednesday, January 18, 2006
Staging Your Second Act: Entrepreneurship At Its Best
In Iceved
What does it take to become an entrepreneur and get your business off the ground? Here are some tips from those who have done it.
Startup Secrets of the Successful
What does it take to become an entrepreneur and get your business off the ground? Here are some tips from those who have done it.
Startup Secrets of the Successful
Friday, January 13, 2006
Be Happy You Are An Entrepreneur
Published in the New York Times January 9, 2006
You have to read this to believe it and since it is only available to subscribers, I am posting the whole darn thing. Let me know what you think. I nearly canceled my subscription to the Wall Street Journal when I had read that Karen House was passed over for the chief executive position of Dow Jones but I didn't only because I find MS. Wendy Bounds's small business column on Tuesdays useful to my work.
To Reach the Heights, First Be Male
THE glass ceiling has been shattered so often in the last decade that you might think that metaphor for the limits many women in business confront would have lost its power. But as some women in the media business found out last week, once you get through the ceiling, you find a secret glass treehouse suspended far above your head. That's where the men sit.
Last week, Martha Nelson was promoted by John Huey, Time Inc.'s editor-in-chief, from editor of People magazine, that large, reliable A.T.M. for Time Inc., to corporate editor in charge of People and its offspring. When Mr. Huey ascended from editorial director earlier this year, some thought Ms. Nelson would get his old job as No. 2 and act as his adviser and confidante, as Mr. Huey had for Norman Pearlstine.
But People and magazines like InStyle - another cash machine that Ms. Nelson had helped create - are responsible for almost half of Time Inc.'s profit, and Mr. Huey was reluctant to kick her upstairs, far from the action. It makes business sense: Mr. Huey just got the job and he does not need to train his successor.
But you have to wonder if Ms. Nelson were a man whether she would have been brought up into the executive clubhouse on the 34th floor. (It's worth mentioning that Ann S. Moore, the chief executive of Time Inc., already resides there.) For the time being, the glass ceiling is a skating rink, an arena in which she can show off her substantial skills, but it could contain unseen trapdoors.
Karen Elliott House, the publisher of The Wall Street Journal, just ended up falling through one. When the board members of Dow Jones & Company chose a chief executive, they bypassed Ms. House, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist who was both professionally and personally wedded to Peter R. Kann, the outgoing chief executive, in favor of Richard F. Zannino, a vice president of the company who came from Liz Claiborne in 2001.
Ms. House, who had been at the company 32 years, found herself out of a job. A hard-charging journalist and executive - some would say a bit too driven, a frequent charge against successful women - her career and personal life became defined by her alliance with Mr. Kann. Once she was at the top, the glass ceiling became a mirror, a reflection of choices made.
Perhaps the biggest surprise of the week was the departure of Mary G. Berner, the chief executive of Fairchild Publications, a division of Condé Nast. A former publisher of Glamour, she took over what had been a workmanlike division that published trade magazines like Women's Wear Daily and Footwear News, along with W, a fashion magazine.
IN six years, she doubled the number of publications, took Details, a crippled men's magazine, off the hands of Condé Nast and repositioned it at Fairchild as a somewhat androgynous men's magazine, and elevated Fairchild into a respected player in publishing.
As a chief executive, she had few peers, building a low-cost, collegial workplace with flat architecture that engendered the kind of loyalty that the trade magazine Folio once described as "the cult of Mary."
Ms. Berner sponsored a magazine day at the company in which anyone from publishers down to the people in the mailroom could pitch an idea. (Someone from the mailroom actually did pitch a magazine, and while his idea didn't get picked up, he was promoted to the circulation department.) Last year, an employee pitched an upscale parenting magazine called Cookie that has since blossomed into a going concern.
Fairchild was Ms. Berner's own little meritocracy. It eschewed the hierarchy and the town car prerogatives of Condé Nast in favor of a feisty underdog approach that created significant dynamic competition.
Not all of it worked. Vitals, a men's shopping magazine, fell flat, and the division's fashion titles like W and Details had to fight for the same dollars pursued by Vogue and GQ.
Four months ago, Charles H. Townsend, chief executive and president of Condé Nast, decided that the crossover created by the independent division made no business sense and reorganized Fairchild back into the fold. Ms. Berner, who had an option to leave the company if she no longer reported to S. I. Newhouse Jr., the chairman, did just that last week.
Part of her departure has to do with her disposition. Ms. Berner likes to run her own show. Much as the folding of The New Yorker into Condé Nast in 1999 cost Tina Brown her independence, the move made Ms. Berner just one more executive.
She may manage down very effectively, but has a tendency to speak her mind in a way that was not always appreciated within Condé Nast. And neither is being a woman. Ms. Berner, the mother of four, put in her hours, but she was never one to head out for drinks or golf.
Like a lot of media companies - like a lot of companies period - Condé Nast is a male-inflected place. In 1999, the company paid more than $1 million to a woman on staff who had been injured by Richard D. Beckman, the company's boisterous and effective president in charge of group sales, when some horseplay went awry. (Although he has since moderated his approach, the sobriquet of "Mad Dog" Beckman is still bandied about.)
And when the plum job of publisher of Vanity Fair came up, it went to Alan Katz, who had only recently arrived and served at Cargo, a start-up magazine, bypassing several outstanding women who had served at the company as publishers for years.
"Because there are so few women executives, we tend to notice when something happens to one of them," said Judy B. Rosener, a professor in the business school at the University of California, Irvine. "But women have attributes that men dismiss or see as foreign. They tend to think people at the bottom have as much or more information than the people at the top."
That's one way to do business, but not exactly the Condé Nast way. Most executives, men and women, end up losing out for the top slot just by virtue of the numbers. But in the instance of Ms. Berner, the assets she brought to the job - a willingness to share ideas and credit, an ability to build a civil and productive work culture - are viewed as weaknesses. She might be good, but she wasn't in the club.
You have to read this to believe it and since it is only available to subscribers, I am posting the whole darn thing. Let me know what you think. I nearly canceled my subscription to the Wall Street Journal when I had read that Karen House was passed over for the chief executive position of Dow Jones but I didn't only because I find MS. Wendy Bounds's small business column on Tuesdays useful to my work.
To Reach the Heights, First Be Male
THE glass ceiling has been shattered so often in the last decade that you might think that metaphor for the limits many women in business confront would have lost its power. But as some women in the media business found out last week, once you get through the ceiling, you find a secret glass treehouse suspended far above your head. That's where the men sit.
Last week, Martha Nelson was promoted by John Huey, Time Inc.'s editor-in-chief, from editor of People magazine, that large, reliable A.T.M. for Time Inc., to corporate editor in charge of People and its offspring. When Mr. Huey ascended from editorial director earlier this year, some thought Ms. Nelson would get his old job as No. 2 and act as his adviser and confidante, as Mr. Huey had for Norman Pearlstine.
But People and magazines like InStyle - another cash machine that Ms. Nelson had helped create - are responsible for almost half of Time Inc.'s profit, and Mr. Huey was reluctant to kick her upstairs, far from the action. It makes business sense: Mr. Huey just got the job and he does not need to train his successor.
But you have to wonder if Ms. Nelson were a man whether she would have been brought up into the executive clubhouse on the 34th floor. (It's worth mentioning that Ann S. Moore, the chief executive of Time Inc., already resides there.) For the time being, the glass ceiling is a skating rink, an arena in which she can show off her substantial skills, but it could contain unseen trapdoors.
Karen Elliott House, the publisher of The Wall Street Journal, just ended up falling through one. When the board members of Dow Jones & Company chose a chief executive, they bypassed Ms. House, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist who was both professionally and personally wedded to Peter R. Kann, the outgoing chief executive, in favor of Richard F. Zannino, a vice president of the company who came from Liz Claiborne in 2001.
Ms. House, who had been at the company 32 years, found herself out of a job. A hard-charging journalist and executive - some would say a bit too driven, a frequent charge against successful women - her career and personal life became defined by her alliance with Mr. Kann. Once she was at the top, the glass ceiling became a mirror, a reflection of choices made.
Perhaps the biggest surprise of the week was the departure of Mary G. Berner, the chief executive of Fairchild Publications, a division of Condé Nast. A former publisher of Glamour, she took over what had been a workmanlike division that published trade magazines like Women's Wear Daily and Footwear News, along with W, a fashion magazine.
IN six years, she doubled the number of publications, took Details, a crippled men's magazine, off the hands of Condé Nast and repositioned it at Fairchild as a somewhat androgynous men's magazine, and elevated Fairchild into a respected player in publishing.
As a chief executive, she had few peers, building a low-cost, collegial workplace with flat architecture that engendered the kind of loyalty that the trade magazine Folio once described as "the cult of Mary."
Ms. Berner sponsored a magazine day at the company in which anyone from publishers down to the people in the mailroom could pitch an idea. (Someone from the mailroom actually did pitch a magazine, and while his idea didn't get picked up, he was promoted to the circulation department.) Last year, an employee pitched an upscale parenting magazine called Cookie that has since blossomed into a going concern.
Fairchild was Ms. Berner's own little meritocracy. It eschewed the hierarchy and the town car prerogatives of Condé Nast in favor of a feisty underdog approach that created significant dynamic competition.
Not all of it worked. Vitals, a men's shopping magazine, fell flat, and the division's fashion titles like W and Details had to fight for the same dollars pursued by Vogue and GQ.
Four months ago, Charles H. Townsend, chief executive and president of Condé Nast, decided that the crossover created by the independent division made no business sense and reorganized Fairchild back into the fold. Ms. Berner, who had an option to leave the company if she no longer reported to S. I. Newhouse Jr., the chairman, did just that last week.
Part of her departure has to do with her disposition. Ms. Berner likes to run her own show. Much as the folding of The New Yorker into Condé Nast in 1999 cost Tina Brown her independence, the move made Ms. Berner just one more executive.
She may manage down very effectively, but has a tendency to speak her mind in a way that was not always appreciated within Condé Nast. And neither is being a woman. Ms. Berner, the mother of four, put in her hours, but she was never one to head out for drinks or golf.
Like a lot of media companies - like a lot of companies period - Condé Nast is a male-inflected place. In 1999, the company paid more than $1 million to a woman on staff who had been injured by Richard D. Beckman, the company's boisterous and effective president in charge of group sales, when some horseplay went awry. (Although he has since moderated his approach, the sobriquet of "Mad Dog" Beckman is still bandied about.)
And when the plum job of publisher of Vanity Fair came up, it went to Alan Katz, who had only recently arrived and served at Cargo, a start-up magazine, bypassing several outstanding women who had served at the company as publishers for years.
"Because there are so few women executives, we tend to notice when something happens to one of them," said Judy B. Rosener, a professor in the business school at the University of California, Irvine. "But women have attributes that men dismiss or see as foreign. They tend to think people at the bottom have as much or more information than the people at the top."
That's one way to do business, but not exactly the Condé Nast way. Most executives, men and women, end up losing out for the top slot just by virtue of the numbers. But in the instance of Ms. Berner, the assets she brought to the job - a willingness to share ideas and credit, an ability to build a civil and productive work culture - are viewed as weaknesses. She might be good, but she wasn't in the club.
Thursday, January 05, 2006
Happiness Found: Working For A Company?
In BusinessPundit.com
A lesson for us all in this poignantly written commentary headlined "Why I Quit Entrepreneurship and Got a Real Job."
A big thanks to Rob for sharing.
A lesson for us all in this poignantly written commentary headlined "Why I Quit Entrepreneurship and Got a Real Job."
A big thanks to Rob for sharing.
Tuesday, December 27, 2005
Happiness Found: Working For Yourself
In Chron.com
A report released this week finds older workers who are self-employed — particularly those who not only work for themselves but also employ others — are likelier to be happier with their work situation than those who labor for someone else while women face the hardest road.
Small-business owners (whether men or women!) are happier, said Ellen Galinsky, president of the Families and Work Institute, a New York-based nonprofit research group that studies workplace and family issues.
Galinsky said the study provides a message to employers hoping to improve employee retention: "There are lessons in here for organizations that employ people: Provide people with learning opportunities, provide them with more autonomy, provide them with more flexibility," she said.
Hey, hey and Happy New Year!
Read the entire article here.
A report released this week finds older workers who are self-employed — particularly those who not only work for themselves but also employ others — are likelier to be happier with their work situation than those who labor for someone else while women face the hardest road.
Small-business owners (whether men or women!) are happier, said Ellen Galinsky, president of the Families and Work Institute, a New York-based nonprofit research group that studies workplace and family issues.
Galinsky said the study provides a message to employers hoping to improve employee retention: "There are lessons in here for organizations that employ people: Provide people with learning opportunities, provide them with more autonomy, provide them with more flexibility," she said.
Hey, hey and Happy New Year!
Read the entire article here.
Wednesday, December 07, 2005
Another Move By Corporate America ...
In The Wall Street Journal
I have been trying to track down the online version of the letter to the editor published in The Wall Street Journal on Tuesday, December 6th entitled "In the Days When Shopping Was Elegant." It was all about the Marshall Field's name coming off the building the first of the new year when Macy's takes over. It's a great letter but what really struck me was the author's insight that is applicable to everything we write about on this blog:
"... And now, taking Marshall Field's (Chicago) sign off the building is another move by corporate America to take us all down to the lowest common denominator. I resent the increasing "sameness" in stores everywhere. Call it the Wal-Marting of America. Let's boycott'em all! Mom and Pop stores, arise! The cycle is coming around!" ~ Bill Evans, Bainbridge Island, Washington
Isn't that a fresh new take on entrepreneurship? Way to go Bill!
I have been trying to track down the online version of the letter to the editor published in The Wall Street Journal on Tuesday, December 6th entitled "In the Days When Shopping Was Elegant." It was all about the Marshall Field's name coming off the building the first of the new year when Macy's takes over. It's a great letter but what really struck me was the author's insight that is applicable to everything we write about on this blog:
"... And now, taking Marshall Field's (Chicago) sign off the building is another move by corporate America to take us all down to the lowest common denominator. I resent the increasing "sameness" in stores everywhere. Call it the Wal-Marting of America. Let's boycott'em all! Mom and Pop stores, arise! The cycle is coming around!" ~ Bill Evans, Bainbridge Island, Washington
Isn't that a fresh new take on entrepreneurship? Way to go Bill!
Friday, December 02, 2005
Why Do Women Escape From Corporate Canada?
In Oak Bay News
Women in Canada are starting more businesses than ever. Money isn't the main reason. Guess what is? Find out here.
Women in Canada are starting more businesses than ever. Money isn't the main reason. Guess what is? Find out here.
Tuesday, November 29, 2005
A woman entrepreneur's desire to succeed
In Entrepreneur
While some would have found the twists and turns of this woman's entrepreneurial ride too tumultuous to stomach, and her unexpected obstacles insurmountable, her business has emerged successful. Read the article to find out why and how. It could be you.
While some would have found the twists and turns of this woman's entrepreneurial ride too tumultuous to stomach, and her unexpected obstacles insurmountable, her business has emerged successful. Read the article to find out why and how. It could be you.
Monday, November 21, 2005
What Motivates Women Entrepreneurs?
In icWales
Whether you are running a business in Wales or Wilmette, Illinois, women are motivated by a desire for independence, freedom and self-fulfilment, research shows.
Learn more by reading: The Start-Up Barriers Facing Women
Whether you are running a business in Wales or Wilmette, Illinois, women are motivated by a desire for independence, freedom and self-fulfilment, research shows.
Learn more by reading: The Start-Up Barriers Facing Women
Sunday, November 13, 2005
Drucker Managed To Do It First And Now He Is Gone
In the Financial Times
My favorite and most influential management guru -- Peter Drucker -- passes on at age 95.
"Managers learn in business school that relationships are either up or down, but the most important relationships today are sideways," Drucker said with an Austrian accent grown stronger with old age. "If there is one thing that most of the people I know in management have to learn it is how to handle relationships where there is no authority and no orders. Now, what else do you have?" ~ Peter Drucker, November 15, 2004.
Doesn't it sound like entrepreneurship? Well entrepreneurship and innovation occupied him powerfully in his later years, along with the growth of what he called “knowledge work” and management's wider role in society. He revelled in such observations as “for the first four years, no new enterprise produces profits. Even Mozart didn't start writing music until he was four."
Drucker taught us that the best ideas have to be simplified in order to be effective. Who else could question with such authority: “What business are we in, and who are our customers?”
I will miss his genius immensely. Read the obituary here.
My favorite and most influential management guru -- Peter Drucker -- passes on at age 95.
"Managers learn in business school that relationships are either up or down, but the most important relationships today are sideways," Drucker said with an Austrian accent grown stronger with old age. "If there is one thing that most of the people I know in management have to learn it is how to handle relationships where there is no authority and no orders. Now, what else do you have?" ~ Peter Drucker, November 15, 2004.
Doesn't it sound like entrepreneurship? Well entrepreneurship and innovation occupied him powerfully in his later years, along with the growth of what he called “knowledge work” and management's wider role in society. He revelled in such observations as “for the first four years, no new enterprise produces profits. Even Mozart didn't start writing music until he was four."
Drucker taught us that the best ideas have to be simplified in order to be effective. Who else could question with such authority: “What business are we in, and who are our customers?”
I will miss his genius immensely. Read the obituary here.
Friday, November 04, 2005
Women Entrepreneurs Aspire To Just "Be"
In The Wall Street Journal
Yesterday I read Colin McGinn's review on "What's It All About?" -- a book on how to figure out what our values and goals should be -- and could not help but notice how parts of his review minded me so much about entrepreneurship. I don't know if the piece is available online but here is the clip I enjoyed the most:
"This possibility suggests that some notion of authenticity and genuine achievement is necessary for a meaningful life, not merely agreeable affect. As Mr. Haggini (author of book) notes, we needn't restrict such achievement to the artist or scientist or entrepreneur; everyone strives for success in one form or another, even if it is "just" being part of a loving family. People need to achieve worthwhile goals if they are to feel satisfied with their lives, but the goals may vary. Above all, people need to become the kind of person they individually aspire to be."
Yesterday I read Colin McGinn's review on "What's It All About?" -- a book on how to figure out what our values and goals should be -- and could not help but notice how parts of his review minded me so much about entrepreneurship. I don't know if the piece is available online but here is the clip I enjoyed the most:
"This possibility suggests that some notion of authenticity and genuine achievement is necessary for a meaningful life, not merely agreeable affect. As Mr. Haggini (author of book) notes, we needn't restrict such achievement to the artist or scientist or entrepreneur; everyone strives for success in one form or another, even if it is "just" being part of a loving family. People need to achieve worthwhile goals if they are to feel satisfied with their lives, but the goals may vary. Above all, people need to become the kind of person they individually aspire to be."
Tuesday, October 25, 2005
Rosa Parks, The Entrepreneur
Rosa Parks was a true entrepreneur. She had courage and stood up for what she believed in. She was a change maker -- fighting so vigorously for her, and everyone else's, rights. Freedom was her ultimate goal. And it all started on that one bus ride.
I will see if I can dig up a story I wrote that included a passage about Rosa Parks. It's never been published but maybe in Rosa's honor, this is the time to do so.
Let's mourn her passing and celebrate her life.
I will see if I can dig up a story I wrote that included a passage about Rosa Parks. It's never been published but maybe in Rosa's honor, this is the time to do so.
Let's mourn her passing and celebrate her life.
Saturday, October 22, 2005
Happy Women's Small Business Month!
In U.S. Census Bureau Daily Feature
Profile America for Saturday, October 22, 2005 is on Women Entrepreneurs. Did you know that this month is Women's Small Business Month? Well it is! Celebrate ladies and congratulations!
Profile America for Saturday, October 22, 2005 is on Women Entrepreneurs. Did you know that this month is Women's Small Business Month? Well it is! Celebrate ladies and congratulations!
Monday, October 17, 2005
The Pros of Running Your Business Like A Girl
In MSNBC
In her new book, "How to Run Your Business Like a Girl," Elizabeth Cogswell Baskin turns the idea of doing something "like a girl" on its head by exploring common female traits and how women entrepreneurs -- and all entrepreneurs -- can use them to their advantage when running a business.
In her interviews with women business owners she found that women tend to use three unique strengths more than their male counterparts: trusting their intuition, focusing on relationships, and putting more emphasis on life balance.
Find out more here.
In her new book, "How to Run Your Business Like a Girl," Elizabeth Cogswell Baskin turns the idea of doing something "like a girl" on its head by exploring common female traits and how women entrepreneurs -- and all entrepreneurs -- can use them to their advantage when running a business.
In her interviews with women business owners she found that women tend to use three unique strengths more than their male counterparts: trusting their intuition, focusing on relationships, and putting more emphasis on life balance.
Find out more here.
Monday, October 10, 2005
When Will Businesses Get Clued In?
In Portland Bizwomen.com
It happened again. The workday was essentially over, shirts were untucked, shoes were off, and the kids had their faces focused on TV and the computer. My husband cleared dishes, and, employing a typical making-dinner-avoidance strategy, I sorted through the day's mail.
Two offers made me narrow my marketer's eyes. My Saab dealer sent a service reminder and discount for car detailing to my husband, Paul. My local grocer had sent some coupons to me, well, just look at these facts ...
The Center for Women's Business Research reinforces Pettigrew's original claims about business and women. As of 2004, 10.6 million firms in the United States are at least 50 percent owned by a woman or women, and over a million women work out of their homes. The untapped women-owned business-to-business marketing opportunities are enormous.
When will businesses get clued in?
It happened again. The workday was essentially over, shirts were untucked, shoes were off, and the kids had their faces focused on TV and the computer. My husband cleared dishes, and, employing a typical making-dinner-avoidance strategy, I sorted through the day's mail.
Two offers made me narrow my marketer's eyes. My Saab dealer sent a service reminder and discount for car detailing to my husband, Paul. My local grocer had sent some coupons to me, well, just look at these facts ...
The Center for Women's Business Research reinforces Pettigrew's original claims about business and women. As of 2004, 10.6 million firms in the United States are at least 50 percent owned by a woman or women, and over a million women work out of their homes. The untapped women-owned business-to-business marketing opportunities are enormous.
When will businesses get clued in?
Wednesday, October 05, 2005
Ex-IBMer Launches Her Own Firm
In StartupJournal
And it can happen to you! Caryl Parker spent 16 years calling on customers for International Business Machines Corp. After it stopped being fun, and four children were well on their way, she left the work force for nearly a decade. But she wanted to get back, so last year she launched a tennis-equipment company in her dining room.
What a racket.
And it can happen to you! Caryl Parker spent 16 years calling on customers for International Business Machines Corp. After it stopped being fun, and four children were well on their way, she left the work force for nearly a decade. But she wanted to get back, so last year she launched a tennis-equipment company in her dining room.
What a racket.
Thursday, September 29, 2005
Women Make Up 20 Percent Of All Entrepreneurs in China
The Christian Science Monitor
As I have said before, it's not just American women escaping corporate life, it's women everywhere. Take a look at a few of the comments that were made by Chinese women entrepreneurs in "Four Women Who Shape Beijing." And as you scan, think about "what women want" or rather "what you want" from your professional life.
• She leapt at the chance, as she puts it, to influence a new generation of Chinese consumers.
• "It's rare to get a project that is heart and soul, as well as brains."
• "Women like to put their love into their products and services. They're determined."
• Like so many Chinese, women entrepreneurs are leaving behind any qualms about capitalist enterprise. Many have studied abroad. And as they set up shop, they're acutely aware of their role in shaping a new China -- changing corporate culture, encouraging creativity, and striving to operate by international standards in a country where a weak legal system means that copying is rampant and business figures are often fuzzy.
• Few have a sense of limitation. "I believe knowledge is power," says restaurant owner Zhang Lan, echoing the sentiments of many businesswomen. "I don't have people to rely on, so I have to be self-sufficient."
• "But the true lesson is that you have to cater to the market, not yourself."
• "Every day I told myself, 'You have to keep kicking the ball before the referee blows the whistle."
• "I have a punk heart -- this means breaking old styles," she says.
• "Most people define success as money, getting something big. For me, it's to do what I like."
• "Though I'm female, I have a male personality," she laughs. "If a chef doesn't listen, I'll tell him to move over and I'll do it. So I set up a strong model from the start."
• Most of the time, she says, she doesn't think about being a woman in a male-dominated profession. "But sometimes I get comments like, 'Your projects don't look like a woman's.' "She thinks for a minute. "They think they're being complimentary, but they're not."
As I have said before, it's not just American women escaping corporate life, it's women everywhere. Take a look at a few of the comments that were made by Chinese women entrepreneurs in "Four Women Who Shape Beijing." And as you scan, think about "what women want" or rather "what you want" from your professional life.
• She leapt at the chance, as she puts it, to influence a new generation of Chinese consumers.
• "It's rare to get a project that is heart and soul, as well as brains."
• "Women like to put their love into their products and services. They're determined."
• Like so many Chinese, women entrepreneurs are leaving behind any qualms about capitalist enterprise. Many have studied abroad. And as they set up shop, they're acutely aware of their role in shaping a new China -- changing corporate culture, encouraging creativity, and striving to operate by international standards in a country where a weak legal system means that copying is rampant and business figures are often fuzzy.
• Few have a sense of limitation. "I believe knowledge is power," says restaurant owner Zhang Lan, echoing the sentiments of many businesswomen. "I don't have people to rely on, so I have to be self-sufficient."
• "But the true lesson is that you have to cater to the market, not yourself."
• "Every day I told myself, 'You have to keep kicking the ball before the referee blows the whistle."
• "I have a punk heart -- this means breaking old styles," she says.
• "Most people define success as money, getting something big. For me, it's to do what I like."
• "Though I'm female, I have a male personality," she laughs. "If a chef doesn't listen, I'll tell him to move over and I'll do it. So I set up a strong model from the start."
• Most of the time, she says, she doesn't think about being a woman in a male-dominated profession. "But sometimes I get comments like, 'Your projects don't look like a woman's.' "She thinks for a minute. "They think they're being complimentary, but they're not."
Thursday, September 22, 2005
Women Entrepreneurs: The Backbone of the Economy
In DITonline: For Students || By Students
As reported in South Africa, entrepreneurs are fast becoming the backbone of the economy and women play a significant role. Our very own Aretha Franklin belted out the song that inspires and gets to the heart of independent women. Yes, ‘sisters are doing it for themselves.' Females are facing up to challenges. Women have always had the mettle to do anything but had to overcome obstacles and prove that gender is not an issue.
So whether you conduct business in America, Japan, Argentina or even South Africa, women entrepreneurs make a significant positive impact on our world economy.
As reported in South Africa, entrepreneurs are fast becoming the backbone of the economy and women play a significant role. Our very own Aretha Franklin belted out the song that inspires and gets to the heart of independent women. Yes, ‘sisters are doing it for themselves.' Females are facing up to challenges. Women have always had the mettle to do anything but had to overcome obstacles and prove that gender is not an issue.
So whether you conduct business in America, Japan, Argentina or even South Africa, women entrepreneurs make a significant positive impact on our world economy.
Wednesday, September 14, 2005
Women Entrepreneurs Share Blueprint For Success
In the Chicago Sun-Times
Creating a successful business is fraught with challenges and opportunities. And after attending the Women's Business Development Center's 19th annual conference yesterday and today, I realize it more than ever.
The event, co-sponsored by the Chicago Sun-Times, is designed to help women launch and expand their businesses, and panelists at the conference's forum luncheon, moderated by Sun-Times columnist Terry Savage, heard words of advice from the women owners of young and mature businesses.
Here's a snapshot of the entrepreneurs and advice they offered.
Creating a successful business is fraught with challenges and opportunities. And after attending the Women's Business Development Center's 19th annual conference yesterday and today, I realize it more than ever.
The event, co-sponsored by the Chicago Sun-Times, is designed to help women launch and expand their businesses, and panelists at the conference's forum luncheon, moderated by Sun-Times columnist Terry Savage, heard words of advice from the women owners of young and mature businesses.
Here's a snapshot of the entrepreneurs and advice they offered.
Monday, September 05, 2005
Happy Labor (Entrepreneur) Day!
I hope all of you are resting and enjoying your time off.
All the best,
Laurel
All the best,
Laurel
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
