Not a Glass Ceiling for the Female Entrepreneur

Women Entrepreneurs Emerge as Economic Force

Women...... Excel!

More Women Succeed As Business Owners

Whether disenchanted with the "glass ceiling", motivated by the need to achieve or, confident in their ability to drive a dream to reality, more women are starting their own businesses. With nearly 8 million women-owned businesses in this country employing over 18.5 million people and generating close to $2.3 trillion in sales, women-owned businesses are being taken very seriously. Women-owned businesses account for over one-third of all the firms in this country. They provide employment for one out of every four U.S. company workers. The growth of women-owned businesses continues to outpace overall business growth by nearly two to one. Women are starting businesses at five times the rate of men, owning 50 percent of the businesses in this country. Women are no longer a niche market or a minority, but an economic force with economic power. 

Why would women give up the security and benefits of climbing the corporate ladder to climb their own? Reasons vary from the desire to control their own time and destiny, to gain flexibility and financial independence and to believing that there is simply a better way to do "it", whatever "it" is. No matter how it's phrased, the need to control one's own destiny, to go it alone and to make one's own decisions is often at the heart of the entrepreneur's American dream. But, realizing that dream requires a lot of work.

Small business organizations have gained considerable attention in recent years as the ranks of entrepreneurs have swelled dramatically. And, now, a new national organization has stepped forward to amplify the voices of women-owned firms. 

Women own businesses in both traditional and non-traditional fields. The majority of women are in the service sector. 
The top growth industries for women-owned businesses in the last 10 years are in construction, wholesale trade, transportation, communications, agribusiness and manufacturing. Women are excelling in technology because there is more mobility in high-tech companies and more women are getting degrees in engineering and computer science. 

While more women today are starting their own businesses, the size of their companies tends to be very small. According to the Small Business Administration, more than 70 percent of businesses owned by women have less than five employees. And with owning a small business come the challenges of finding adequate financial backing, obtaining affordable quality benefits and competing with larger corporations remain challenges. 

Dr. Connie Sitterly, CPCM, is an international management consultant, trainer & author of:
The Woman Manager, The Female Entrepreneur,
and co-authored
A Woman's Place: Management. 
Her company, Management Training Specialists ,
provides training, consulting on numerous workplace issues. 
She can be reached at
P.O. Box 470695,
Fort Worth, TX 76147
817 737-2893
or email president@sittcom.com