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Women Entrepreneurs

Marie Forleo's Videos for Women Entrepreneurs

December 16, 2011 by Carissa Wodehouse with 44 views

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]

Finally, a Business Thinkers List with Female Representation

November 17, 2011 by jmcaddell with 55 views

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]

10 Reasons Why Women Make Better Entrepreneurs

October 21, 2011 by Adelaide Lancaster with 625 views

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]

Are Women Business Owners Treated as a Second Class? How to Claim the Title Entrepreneur

October 20, 2011 by Adelaide Lancaster with 90 views

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 Entrepreneurs, Your Network Holds the Answer

October 11, 2011 by Adelaide Lancaster with 94 views

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]

3 Reasons to Lose the Term 'Lifestyle Business'

September 29, 2011 by Adelaide Lancaster with 74 views

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]

The Business of Social Business

September 27, 2011 by Kate Carruthers with 112 views

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]

5 Surprising Shared Traits Of Successful Entrepreneurs

September 22, 2011 by Adelaide Lancaster with 263 views

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]

To Be a Happy Entrepreneur, Build a Business That Meets Your Needs

September 20, 2011 by Adelaide Lancaster with 271 views

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]

Where Is Your Mojo? One Entrepreneur Gets Hers Back

September 5, 2011 by Carissa Wodehouse with 82 views

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]

Now Then: A Mid-Life Battle Cry

September 3, 2011 by Pamela Slim with 66 views

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]

What I Have Learned from 15 Years in Business

August 17, 2011 by Pamela Slim with 110 views

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]

Hearsay Integrates Social Campaigns, Goes Rogue and Raises $18 Million

July 28, 2011 by Brent Leary with 125 views

Hearsay Social is a social media platform for businesses with local branches, to bring the corporate marketing structure to a local level. The company was co-founded by Clara Shih, writer of the popular book The Facebook Era. [read more]

Poquito a Poquito: On Boxing and Building a Business

July 20, 2011 by Pamela Slim with 67 views

During my trip to New York, I had the good fortune to meet up with my good friend and client Amanda Wang. I have written and spoken about Amanda many times, including in my TEDx talk about the power of the next generation. [read more]

A Woman’s Definition of Success

July 13, 2011 by AnaLuciaNovak with 184 views

How you define success is actually your key to success. Here is a process to help you reach clarity on your definition of success. [read more]

The Top 5 Understandings Women Need for Successful Negotiation

July 13, 2011 by AnaLuciaNovak with 72 views

5 skills women can use to negotiation powerfully. [read more]

Small Business Grants and Loans for Women

June 16, 2011 by Tushar Mathur with 471 views

If you’re a woman who is looking to start a business and you have both a great idea and a comprehensive plan, but find yourself woefully lacking in funds, then you’ll be happy to hear that there are a lot of resources out there geared at helping you get your enterprise off the ground. [read more]

Working On, Rather Than In, Your Business

May 12, 2011 by Brad Feld with 90 views

I spent the day yesterday in Kansas City at the Kauffman Foundation with about 20 women entrepreneurs who were the E&Y Winning Women from 2008, 2009, and 2010. As part of their program, Paul Kedrosky and I spent the morning talking to them about accelerating their growth, dynamics around financings, and boards – mostly about how to... [read more]

Return Path Joins The NCWIT Workforce Alliance

March 10, 2011 by Brad Feld with 261 views

My long time friend Matt Blumberg, the CEO of Return Path, wrote a blog post today titled A New Kind of Partnership for Return Path. In it he talks about his recognition, as Return Path has grown (they are now around 250 people), of the gender imbalance in the software engineering team (women are around 15% of total engineering team.. He... [read more]

How to Avoid “Hitting the Wall” in Your Strategic Plan

March 9, 2011 by Holly Green with 516 views

I focus a lot of my time and energy on helping clients remember the importance of ongoing communications as their strategic plan unfolds. Keeping employees informed on a regular basis helps to keep the finish line in sight and ensures that everyone runs the same race. But getting from where you are now to where the organization needs to... [read more]

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