Invest In Women Entrepreneurs Is a Smart Business Decision

Ecem Altıok is Investment Director at Yıldız Ventures, Gözde Tech Ventures, and Yıldız Holding, where she oversees Venture Capital (VC) and Corporate Venture Capital (CVC) investment and portfolio management activities, was recently asked:  Why do you think it is important to invest in women entrepreneurs?

Investing in women entrepreneurs is not only a matter of gender equality but also a smart business decision. Women entrepreneurs bring unique perspectives, creativity, and problem-solving skills to the table. They often identify market gaps and consumer needs that may have been overlooked, leading to innovative business ideas and solutions. It also has a multiplier effect, as women tend to invest back into their communities, creating job opportunities and driving social impact. By supporting women-led businesses, we contribute to building a more equitable and sustainable future.

Overall, investing in women entrepreneurs is not only the right thing to do but also a strategic investment that can yield substantial returns and foster economic empowerment for women.

Read the entire interview here.

How to Overcome Obstacles as Women Entrepreneurs

Overcoming obstacles is key to being a successful female entrepreneur.  Unequal access to capital is a significant obstacle for female entrepreneurs, but it is just one of many unique challenges faced.

Here are four tips – a deeper dive – to help you navigate challenges, foster resilience and thrive in business.

1. Build a support network
2. Own accomplishments
3. Create work/life balance
4. Overcome self-doubt

To read the entire article, which includes funding options, federal contracts, business loans, and alternative financing, visit here.

Grameen America Helps Low-Income Women Business Owners With Loan Capital and Credit-Building

Grameen America is the fastest growing nonprofit microfinance organization in the United States. Atlanta is the 25th U.S. city where the fund has set up operations. The new Grameen America Atlanta office is being funded through partnerships with The Studio@Blue Meridian, Truist Foundation, Investor and philanthropist Robert F. Smith and Regions Bank which donated $1million. 

What does Grameen America do?

Grameen America provides low-income women business owners with loan capital, financial education, asset- and credit-building, and peer support. Since 2008, Grameen America has reached more than 170,000 women living in underserved communities across the United States and recently achieved a record milestone of investing over $3 billion in capital to emerging entrepreneurs. The organization’s repayment rate is over 99% and its members have achieved an average credit score of 653 through participation in the program.

Atlanta is known for its strong women entrepreneur base, so it was a natural that the organization would eventually set up shop here. The fund started making inroads into the metro area in June 2022.

Learn more about the plans for Grameen America and women entrepreneurs. 

Books. Biometrics. Beauty Products. Women Continue To Break Records in Entrepreneurship

These 100 female entrepreneurs, executives and entertainers made their fortunes in every conceivable way.  But hard work was the real underlying strength that got them to where they are today. 

Bolstered in part by a rebound in the stock market, they are cumulatively worth a record $124 billion, up nearly 12% from a year ago. Building supply distributor Diane Hendricks remains No. 1 for the sixth year in a row, with a $15 billion net worth. Showrunner Shonda Rhimes and Insitro CEO Daphne Koller, whose firm is using AI to develop drugs more quickly, are among the eight newcomers.

Check out these self-made women who are taking the world by storm. 

Know Someone Where Time Doesn't Exist When You Are Together?

Excuse me, have we met before?  This encountering could occur with a person on a bus, at the gym, or picking up a coffee at Starbucks when time stops or seems endless when you meet. That specialness is a sign that perhaps you are picking up from a past life.

At some point, we’ve all met someone that impacts us on a far deeper level than we ever could have imagined. Understanding how to tell if you know someone from a past life could explain why you feel so drawn to a specific person. It will even shine a light on the relationship dynamics you share with them now.

Read on for 11 Signs You Know Someone From a Past Life (& That You’re Picking Up Where You Left Off).

If you believe in reincarnation, you know the soul continues beyond death.

If You Want to Get Something Done, Use Your Ecosystem

Interest rates are rising, banks are failing, there’s high inflation, and a dynamic of low unemployment and layoffs. The economy is different than a couple of years ago, and venture capital firms are slowing their funding. 

Companies solely founded by women receive less than 3% of all venture capital investments, and women account for less than 15% of checkwriters, according to PitchBook. 

Yet there is still a glimmer of hope.  The key is having a business that can scale and is durable, one that could survive a recession if it happens.  And, it helps to access and use your ecosystem.  Some examples are the Women Presidents Organization, Women Entrepreneurs Grow Global® and Women Elevating Women.

Learn more about how you can get one step closer to your entrepreneurial goals.  Spoiler alert:  It's not easy.

Best Tips (21) For Women Entrepreneurs

To help women entrepreneurs who are starting new businesses, AllBusiness asked female entrepreneurs and founders to share advice that helped them—or that they wish they'd known—when they started their own entrepreneurial journey.

They shared the following tips:

1. Cultivate powerful storytelling
2. Bring a new perspective
3. Find a purpose
4. Know that you are in control
5. Stop discriminating against yourself
6. Hire employees who share your passion and vision
7. Get out of the hourly rate mentality
8. Surround yourself with supportive people
9. Maintain authenticity 
10. Develop a support network
11. Ensure you have work-life balance
12. Overcome imposter syndrome
13. Don't underestimate the power of community
14. Seek female-friendly investors
15. Stay true to your values
16. Build a strong support system
17. Focus on Progress, Not Perfection
18. Grow a strong local network 
19. Develop the right mindset
20. Don't sell yourself short
21.  Realize the power of emotional intelligence

Read the entire article here.

Put Yourself Out There

To run a business, “you have to be willing to put yourself out there,” Julia Broome, owner of Kin Southern Table + Bar recently told The Herald. “You can’t be afraid to put yourself out there, and speak, live, eat (and) breathe your brand.”

The Herald spoke with three women who own and run businesses about the successes and challenges of entrepreneurship.

Path to Liberation: Entrepreneurship

Many people celebrate the impressive volume of Black women launching and running businesses.

JPMorgan Chase found that “[t]he number of businesses owned by Black women grew 50% from 2014 to 2019, representing the highest growth rate of any female demographic. Black females accounted for 42% of all women who opened a new business during that time and represented 36% of all Black employers.”

But what is seldom discussed about black women entrepreneurs:  Why are they starting the businesses?

According to this article, black women are leaving workplaces in record numbers due to racism, sexism, and an inability to bridge pay disparities between white men and white women.

As the article states at the end:  "Our workplaces need seismic shifts in policy, structures and society – shifts that specifically see and center Black women. Companies should not assume what Black women need; they should engage with us to co-create self-determinate solutions. In other words, ask Black women what we need, and be prepared to offer it."

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©2023 Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.

Foster Inclusion, Embrace Multi-Stakeholder Collaboration, and Cultivate a Community

Women are just as likely as men to succeed as entrepreneurs when starting similar businesses in similar industries. Unfortunately, they face formidable barriers to accessing enabling resources and are constantly up against harmful stereotypes.

The Cartier Women’s Initiative strives to level an uneven playing field by recognizing that talent is universal but opportunity is not. Our program supports women impact entrepreneurs in scaling their up-and-running businesses, especially beyond national borders.

These remarks are from Wingee Sampaio, global program director of the Cartier Women’s Initiative. 

Decorate Your Space to Feel As Good As the Season

Oh so many cute things here.  Spring is full of bright colors, floral blooms, sundresses, and of course, Easter! Decorating your space to feel as good as the season can really boost spirits, so now's the perfect time to start your Easter decor search – it's never too late.

Get ready to shop springtime with these 23 ideas to liven up your space this season.  Happy Easter!

Advocate For Yourself

Four women entrepreneurs are leading the way in their respective fields, encouraging other women to advocate for themselves and, in some cases, helping the environment and breaking barriers in the process.

A couple of inspiring quotes by them:

• “Release all judgment and dream big."
• “You are already worthy. You deserve to have the same valuations as your male founder counterparts.”
• “Our main message is to carve out space to do the things that support us in our daily lives – the cornerstones of being, eating and resting."
• “Don’t be afraid to be your most authentic self, no matter how scary it may seem."

Check out their stories here.

Go Into the Entrepreneur World Without Any Fear

Over 11 million U.S. businesses are owned by women, generating $1.7 trillion in sales, according to the National Association of Women Business Owners.  Yet women in business are often overlooked or overshadowed as the number of women only tells part of the story.

These numbers don't tell the whole story. Women entrepreneurs are still in the minority, although times have evolved. The theme for 2023's International Women's Month "#EmbraceEquity", is just the start of shedding light to some of the fight women face in a male- dominant area.

Read on to learn how women-owned businesses have influenced the way the globe does business and why other women are deciding to go into the entrepreneur world without any fear.

How to Generate $7.8 Million In Revenue in 12 Hours

According to Launchmetrics, which measures the monetary value of media marketing strategies, Rihanna's Fenty line generated $7.8 million in the first 12 hours after her 2023 Super Bowl halftime performance.

We are not superstar Rihanna with her tremendous social following but we can learn from her on how she markets herself and her brand – seizing on opportunity every chance she can get.

Since the start of the pandemic, women, particularly women of color, have become the leading drivers of business creation in the U.S. In 2020 and 2021, women accounted for 49 percent of new business launches, according to a study by Gusto, a human resources software company, compared to 42 percent for men in 2021. 

Bet on yourself.  Start a business.  Become an entrepreneur. Create your own destiny.  The world awaits.

Being a Women In Business Can be Challenging But You've Got This

Whether you’re trying to find your voice, struggling from the do-it-all mindset, or looking for fellow women to bounce ideas off of, take a minute to step back and appreciate all that you’ve already accomplished.

Yes there are going to be hard days that really tax your patience and ability to move forward. But you are full of grit, passion, and perseverance. You can do this. 

There are over 12.9 million women-owned businesses in the United States, with means a whole heck of lot of women have overcome challenges, and 9 of them were gracious enough to contribute to this collection of the best business advice for women.

And what they all say is being a woman in business can be challenging, but you’ve got this!   

Time For a New Set of Rules That Values All of Us

It’s time for a new set of rules that values all of us—our bodies, our lives and our work. 

The Majority Rules project—an artful essay and op-ed series from Ms. and Supermajority Education Fund—marks an essential step toward achieving gender equality.

Explore this artful series featuring the five Majority Rules and the inevitable Super Rule: The lives and experiences of women—particularly women of color—are front and center in addressing all of our nation’s challenges.  Visit here.

Trailblazing American Women Entrepreneurs

Long before Martha Stewart and Oprah Winfrey, as far back as the late colonial era, these successful business women were breaking glass ceilings.

Starting a new business has rarely been an easy endeavor. But throughout much of American history, female entrepreneurs faced especially daunting obstacles. They couldn’t open bank accounts in their own names, obtain a loan—or even vote. Still, some tapped family connections, sussed out unique business opportunities and beat the considerable odds. The businesses these women launched—some of which survived for a century or longer—turned their founders into role models for more contemporary American moguls like Oprah Winfrey and Martha Stewart.

Read the entire article at History.

How She Went Global® Podcast with Julie Meyer

©2023 Women Entrepreneurs Grow Global.  All rights reserved.

Listen to the How She Went Global® podcast hosted by Women Entrepreneurs Grow Global® and learn what it takes to build a global consultancy.  Your business may be local (domestic only) now but by listening to the podcast, you'll aspire to take your business global.

In this episode, Julie Meyer, co-CEO and founder of Eat Well Global, talks about how she attracts new business, who her global clients are, how she gets paid, how B-Corp. status and Certified Woman-Owned Business help with growth, and offers her superpower mantra.

The podcast is brought to the world by companies who unwaveringly support women entrepreneurs:  Bluedog Design and Associated Bank.

Contributions That Women Have Made to American Society

In recent years, women-owned small businesses have been on the rise, making up 49 percent of all businesses in 2019.  They are outpacing overall business growth (9 percent) from 2014 to 2019 at 21 percent.

While female entrepreneurship is on the rise, the disparities – especially for minority women – within the American workforce are still stark when compared to male and male and female-owned businesses.

Learn more about gender and SBA loan statistics, grants for women, and startup funding tips here.

Every month, not just Women's History Month in March, should be dedicated to highlighting the contributions that women have made to American society, including in the finance and business sector.