Fast and Furious Women

Here's what a fellow race car driver had to say about Danica Patrick back in 2006:

... Ed Carpenter, who in 2006 noted: "Danica is pretty aggressive in our cars, especially if you catch her at the right time of the month." This putdown might have had more punch if Mr. Carpenter had himself ever managed to win an Indy race. He has not. In fact, if memory serves, Mr. Carpenter instead managed to crash in five out of his 17 starts in 2007. Maybe Ms. Patrick could give him some tips.

Examine the source when someone makes a comment about you especially if it is intended as a putdown.

Another complaint from men about Danica is that she only weighs about 100 pounds which puts her at a competitive weight advantage against them. Oh come on ... if weight is so important in establishing a winning formula for race car driving, why don't the men train as if they are race horse jockeys?

Read the article here.

Dream Business

You don't have to be a boomer to start a dream business.

You've worked hard, you've invested well, and now you have the financial means to exit early. While others might be perplexed by the unscheduled blocks of time in retirement, you know exactly what you want to do. For years you squeezed it into the spare hours of your workweek or daydreamed about it at your desk.

Turn your hobby or passion into your life work now.

Women Break Business Barrier

According to the briefing, "Dollars and $ense: Women Breaking the Business Barrier," women business owners don't have any different needs than their male counterparts.

However, we do make decisions differently.

One thing for sure, we know we take more time and gather more information before we make our decisions, especially if it will affect friends, family, employees, vendors and clients.

Find out what else we do that sets us apart from men in a very positive way here.

Putting the Squeeze on Women Business Owners

No new federal women's business centers will open in the 2009 fiscal year, which starts Oct. 1, because of funding constraints, according to the Small Business Administration official who oversees the grant program.

The $13-million program also has capped the size of the grants it will award to the oldest centers for fiscal 2009.

What's next? For now, read what they have to say about the whole new deal. All I can say is "Show me the money!"

Plexiglass Ceiling

Has anyone read "Through the Labyrinth: The Truth About How Women Become Leaders"? The authors seem to have given us a new metaphor for glass or what I am starting to call plexiglass ceiling.

See what you think. Let me know your thoughts and comments, especially if you read the book. Looks interesting. Do you really think women lead differently but possibly more effectively?

Are Women Underrepresented in Corporate America?

Why don't women have more power in Corporate America?

Nobody wants to talk about it except Jezebel and its counter-part Jezenomics which I just love for its oh-so-over-the-top reporting.

J has something to say about how Corporate America is a laughingstock and how Portfolio wrings its manicured hands over it.

Read more here.

The Official Escape From Corporate America

One of the things we are most proud of here at Escape From Corporate America is the fact that we came up with the name of this blog (and the whole concept of women leaving corporate America in droves for entrepreneurship) way back in July, 2004, after authoring a thought-provoking article by the same title for The Conference Board in March/April 2003.

Since then, a lot has changed. Women are still abandoning Corporate America, many are writing about the topic and some even stole our name to put to use on their work (how disappointing).

But the bottom line is this: No one will ever be able to take away the fact that we are No. 1 with securing the name as a blog, No. 1 with securing the name as a website and No. 1 with defining exactly what Escape From Corporate America means.

Thank you dear fans for staying with us and for keeping us No. 1 as the official and original Escape From Corporate America creator. More to come!

Sexual Paradox in the Workplace

Why do girls on average lead boys for all their years in the classroom, only to fall behind in the workplace? Do girls grow up and lose their edge, while boys mature and gain theirs? Oh boy, oooops, oh girl. Get clued in here.

Postfeminism And Other Fairy Tales

Where does society stand on gender matters? Find out here. Shortcut: Take a quick glimpse at the last sentence of the commentary by Kate Zernike in the New York Times newspaper (3/16).

But Ms. Michelman is not changing her vote: “I do think women are angry, but anger doesn’t get us very far. It’s a motivator, but it’s not enough.”

Oftentimes, I think, when it comes to starting a business, anger (at Corporate America) is a huge motivator and gets us very far. It leads to ... "I'll show'em and prove just how much talent I really have by doing my own thing and doing it remarkably well!"

Fewer Working Mothers is Bad Business for Restaurants

Attention restaurants: Start wooing women entrepreneurs and their families!

Read more here about how the restaurant industry is concerned over the trend that harried working moms isn't growing like it used to.

WOWOWOW!

New Web site aimed at smart women 40 and older.

The five women who started the intelligent site -- called Wowowow -- are Liz Smith, Lesley Stahl, Mary Wells, Joni Evans and Peggy Noonan. The idea originated with literary agent Joni Evans who says she was tired of the usual travel and shopping sites and thought there was a void in terms of content for "sharp, driven women like herself."

Take a tour, here.

P.S. Will your face be on Mt. Rushmore?

Who Will Be The Next TechPresident?

Here, we all strive to be presidents of one kind or another but who will be America's first TechPresident?

Cast your vote and add your two cents here.

On Diversity, America Isn't Putting Its Money Where Its Mouth Is

Are there pay discrepancies between men and women in corporate America? If you guessed yes, you guessed right. And unfortunately, we -- the women -- lose. That is, if you work in corporate America. Fortunately, I don't.

And that's why entrepreneurship is becoming more and more attractive to corporate folks the longer we go without closing the gender pay gap.

Read more here.

Quoted from the article:

Diversity is good for the bottom line because it enables them [business chiefs] to recruit the best talent, enlist broad thinking and reach diverse customers world-wide.

Lose Job; Start a Business

Downsizing can help jump-start entrepreneurs. Losing a job can be just the impetus needed for starting your own company. You end up walking out with a smile on your face.

And in this article be sure to check out the small business advice section in the call-out box which refers to a concept called start-up graveyard -- something you will want to avoid.

Read more here.

50 Top Women in Tech

What an extraordinary group of women!

Corporate Board Member has put together this list to help boards redress two common shortfalls: an overall lack of technology experience among directors and a shortage of female directors in general. The women we’re portraying speak about their own adventures in the technology industry, the effects their gender may have had on their careers, and the extent to which things might be different for those who come after them. The ones who have already made their mark are selective about which boards they’ll even consider (for more, see “Stalled Gains for Women in Technology”). Whitman says the growing number of women who earn engineering degrees will push the needed change. Maybe. But compared with 25 years ago, fewer women are graduating in tech-related fields. Recruiters and board members, particularly those serving on the governance committee, should move fast.

A hat tip to Judith Dobrzynski for turning us on to it. Promise me you will read each and every one of the features and that you will pass this brilliant piece along to everyone you know!

Are You a Thinker?

Who is the most influential living management thinker? Is it you? That was the simple question that inspired the original Thinkers 50 in 2001. A lot of hard work and number-crunching later, the answer became the first global ranking of business gurus.

The Thinkers 50 2007 provides a completely new ranking and one that reflects only a handful of women. See for yourself.

I think we should start a Women Entrepreneurs 50 2008 covering the most influential living women entrepreneurs. What do you think?

A Guy-Block in Disguise

Women occupy 40% of all managerial positions in the United States. But only 6% of the Fortune 500's top executives are female. And just 2% of those firms have women CEOs. What's getting in their way?

Perhaps its leadership style?

Put on your boxing gloves ladies!

Escape Suburbia

Every once in a while I stumble upon something that I think is hilarious, odd, interesting, compelling, or, as in this case, so close to home on what we are doing here that I absolutely must share it with you.

Escape From Suburbia. Yes, you read that right. The first link is a film from the Film Connection and the second link is the website that goes along with it.

About the film:

In this sequel to the acclaimed documentary The End of Suburbia, we meet three people and one town in California who are moving forward consciously and responsibly from a lifestyle built on cheap and abundant oil. Its a film about reinventing local economies and rediscovering personal empowerment in our communities as we move into the post-carbon age.

Okay. Let's translate that for Escape From Corporate America:

At this blog, which is associated to the acclaimed article, Escape From Corporate America, we meet women who are fed up with Corporate America and are moving forward consciously and responsibly from a lifestyle built on shattered glass to that of building their own ventures. Its a blog about reinventing local and global economies and rediscovering personal empowerment worldwide as we move into the age of adventure and spirited entrepreneurship!

There you have it.

16 Ways of Looking at a Female Voter

In light of today being Super Tuesday, Linda Hirshman covers what we do and don't know about gender and politics.

Read her comprehensive article in the New York Times Magazine (2/3/08).

In case you don't know about Linda's work, here are a couple of clips:

Unleashing the Wrath of Stay-at-Home Moms

Homeward Bound

And her official site.

Female Ownership Matters

Patricia Karter, Dancing Deer Bakery CEO, thinks a better gender balance in the business world could improve society as a whole.

What do you think? Read more here.