Women Entrepreneurs

Men still out earn women on average. But the gap has significantly closed over the last 2 decades and we are forecasting earnings parity between the sexes will occur within the next decade. We also believe women's earnings growth will outperform men past that point and by the 2030 time frame women, on average, will substantially out-earn men.[read more]

My intention is to inspire you to take a long hard look at your business and imagine and brainstorm how you could reinvent your business model so that you are able to make an even bigger impact.[read more]

Women-owned firms start and grow businesses with substantially less outside financing, according to a Department of Commerce survey of women-owned companies across the U.S. Well, a new funding source may not only grow the overall amount of money available to small businesses, but it may grow the slice that women entrepreneurs get.[read more]

Women-owned businesses start life with significantly less capital than those owned by men. How can a business grow if it starts life undernourished? The good news is there’s an alternative to loans, and angel and venture capital financing: crowdfunding.[read more]

I had a hunch a year ago, when I imagined a conference that was less “let me come and sit in awe of your many accomplishments, oh great famous person” and more “let me sit by your side, awesome peer, and learn from you. And by learning from you, be reminded that I have everything I need to grow my business, and that I have as much to teach as I have to learn.” So I put on an event called Power Boost Live 2012, which was held from October 12-13, 2012.[read more]

It was the perfect fit that last night’s speaker was Tony Hsieh, the founder of Zappos, who has recently moved the company’s headquarters to downtown Vegas. This is part of a project he initiated to revitalize that area of the city.[read more]

Elizabeth Gilbert is a gifted writer who gained worldwide notoriety after toiling with her passion for two decades. Three years ago, she reflected on the success of her book "Eat Pray Love" during her TEDTalk and how she felt about whether it would return. Her perspective may surprise you.[read more]

Alicia Marie Fruin interviews Nina Kaufman on partnerships, accountability, choosing a business form, and more.[read more]

I really enjoy Marie Forleo's spunky videos, funny rap language included. She takes Q&As and answers them every Tuesday, covering issues like how to start outsourcing yourself and what to do when no one understands your quirky business venture.[read more]

Three and a half years ago, I read an article in the Wall Street Journal that discussed a “new breed of business guru” and included a ranking, compiled by the Journal, of the top 20 business thinkers.[read more]

I've heard one too many female entrepreneurs preface a challenge they've had with the statement "maybe it's just because I'm a woman but I find it hard to"...(you can fill in the blank): ask for what I want; settle for something less than perfect; not to try to do it all myself. These statements make me cringe. I'm not a fan of sweeping gender generalizations and I'm certainly not keen on women attributing their challenges (challenges that many people experience by the way) to the fact that they are female. Women entrepreneurs get enough flak for not being more like men without us jumping on the bandwagon ourselves.[read more]

As an expert on women entrepreneurs, I'm often asked questions such as: Why do female entrepreneurs have a problem of scale? Why do they continually start and run businesses that are low-profit, low growth, small enterprise, and low-tech? How can they be encouraged to build larger, higher-tech, more noticeable businesses? In short, I am being asked: "How can we get female entrepreneurs to start those blockbuster businesses that are so often started by men?"[read more]

For beginning or experienced entrepreneurs, your peers have the answer to your questions, can shorten your learning curve, and can save you from learning the hard way. Why are so many new entrepreneurs hesitant to utilize their contacts?[read more]

A few weeks ago we had a meeting with a lovely gentleman from Astia, a terrific organization that helps women entrepreneurs gain access to capital. During our conversation he made the distinction between high-growth businesses and "lifestyle" businesses. I visibly winced and sharply responded that I really hated that term. When he asked why I told him that I understood his point, high-growth businesses are very different from regular small businesses, but I didn't agree with the language.[read more]

Continuing our Tuesdays and Thursdays with pieces from women entrepreneurs and writers: Social business is the new trend following on from Enterprise 2.0 – but underlying it is an essential conflict between two different styles of doing business. The conflict is between businesses optimized for efficiency and those optimized for the creation of value.[read more]

There is no such thing as a "typical" entrepreneur. We come in all shapes, sizes and flavors. Still, myths abound, and most of us walk around with a specific caricature of what an entrepreneur is like in our minds. Most often that image includes someone who is bold, daring, comfortable with risks and a consummate schmoozer.[read more]

You don't have to be a business expert to know that something has to change for these folks if their effort is going to be worth the trouble. Working 17 hours a day for less than minimum wage doesn't sound like anyone's idea of a good gig, much less a dream job. But the topic begs a bigger question. Given all the hype, "is entrepreneurship all it's cracked up to be?" The answer is yes -- but only if you build a business that meets your needs.[read more]

Over on Sustainable Business Forum, a look at the jobs and managers that wore one entrepreneur down, and how she pulled herself back up.[read more]

Every August 28 morning, for the last 45 years, my mother tells me the story of my birth. It was a hot San Anselmo day, and my mom’s water broke as she was hanging laundry in the backyard. Our neighbors waved from the curb as my dad sped her to Kaiser Hospital in San Francisco.[read more]

Fifteen years ago yesterday, on August 16, 1996, I rolled over slowly in bed. My head was throbbing. I could hardly breathe. I felt weak. It was my first day as a self-employed person. I was in the middle of a wicked bout of pneumonia, and at that point, all I knew was that I no longer could keep up the grueling pace of full-time...[read more]