Archive for Women Entrepreneurs
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Friday,
January
23rd,
2015
Categories : Entrepreneurial Lifestyle, Women Entrepreneurs
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Thursday,
December
12th,
2013
We know that Spanx founder Sara Blakely is a pretty spectacular woman, having created a wildly successful line of shape wear that can be found all over the world while still managing to keep her feet on the ground. So if that isn’t enough of a reason to appreciate what she’s built for herself, here’s another reason to love her. In May of this year, Sara Blakely also became one of the newest members to join The Giving Pledge, a foundation created to motivate the world’s wealthiest people to commit more than half of their wealth to philanthropic causes.
The Giving Pledge is a joint venture created by Warren Buffet and Bill and Melinda Gates as a way to donate the majority of their fortunes to charity foundations and philanthropic causes that are close to their hearts. To date, there are 115 of the world’s billionaires who have pledged the majority of their wealth. The pledge does not directly donate an exact amount to The Giving Pledge or the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, but instead, works as a promise from the billionaires to society that they will contribute the majority of their wealth to the organizations of their choice over the course of their lifetime or upon their death.
Blakely is already known for her contributions to women’s charities and the establishment of the Sara Blakely Foundation, and says in her pledge letter that, “Since I was a little girl I have always known I would help women.” According to Blakely, Bill and Melinda Gates approached her at a dinner party they held, and Blakely spent a few months mulling the proposition over before deciding to make the pledge.
Of course, Blakely would never let her signature style be lost, even with joining such a large foundation. As a form of introduction in her pledge letter Blakely says, “At Spanx we say it’s our goal to make the world a better place, one butt at a time. With this pledge my goal is to make the world a better place… one woman at a time.” Even Blakely herself never thought such a success could be built from wanting a better looking behind.
Blakely is now among the likes of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, and inventor Elon Musk, who have all made the same pledge. In the years to come, it will be both interesting and influential to see the good these entrepreneurs will continue to do, and who else will make such an impressive pledge.
© Zoe Begopoulos, DemGe Inc. 2013
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Thursday,
June
13th,
2013
Starting a new business can be a daunting task, taking much time and effort to plan and execute properly. What can be equally as daunting is the decision to invest in an entrepreneur. If you ever thought about taking the investment plunge, might I suggest one thing: invest in women.
While it started out slow, the economy has seen a steady rise in the amount of women owned businesses, with as many as 8.3 million women owned businesses accounted for in the United States in 2012. In addition to that, a report from the Pew Research centre now shows that 40 per cent of mothers are the primary source of income for families. With those types of numbers, it’s no surprise that more and more organizations are looking to invest in and support women entrepreneurs.
One of these organizations is the 10,000 Women Initiative created by Goldman Sachs. This program is a five-year initiative meant to provide women entrepreneurs world wide with a business management education, so they are able to further themselves and their communities.
Another society is Lean In, created by the chief operating officer of Facebook, Sheryl Sandberg. The Lean In community strives to encourage women through an active and supportive community, as well as offers continued education through online lectures. Included within the Lean In community is the innovative “Circles” aspect, where small groups are able to meet monthly, similar to a brainstorming support group. The Lean In novel discusses topics that could hinder women in their path to success, such as dealing with ‘imposter syndrome’, completing ‘successful negotiations’, and even ‘how to make your partner a real partner.’
One of the biggest topics Lean In covers is ‘the myth of doing it all.’ Women in the work force are still under the guise that they must complete everything alone, and that it must be perfect. The founder of Women in Biz Network, Leigh Mitchell, believes that perfection can sometimes be a burden, and can cause people to put off doing things. As a female entrepreneur, that thought is constant, and understanding that help is there (within societies like Lean In) can be quite the relief.
The Lean In initiative has taken off exponentially in the last couple months. Other online publications have also been showcasing talented female entrepreneurs, and as a women myself, I hope the trend continues.
Entrepreneur.com has multiple stories about women entrepreneurs, including ‘2013s Entrepreneurial Women to Watch’, ‘Young Women Entrepreneurs Speak Out About Starting Up Today’, and ‘Facing Down Doubters and Empowering Others,’ by Ingrid Vandervelt, an extremely successful female entrepreneur in her own right.
If you’re still looking for sufficient examples of the benefits of successful females in the work world (besides our own Pamela Christie, co-founder of DemGen), the Globe and Mail published an interesting article about how employing equal amounts of men and women in a company can have benefits such as increasing Canada’s gross domestic product (GDP) by five per cent.
Now, having said all that, if you’re looking for an investment to become a part of I stand by my first suggestion: invest in women.
© Zoe Begopoulos, DemGen Inc 2013
Categories : Small Business, Starting a Business, Women Entrepreneurs
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Friday,
May
24th,
2013
We recently shared some insights on the optimistic state of women-owned businesses in the US.
Here are some interesting facts on Canadian women in business and where female entrepreneurs are in Canada.
Categories : Entrepreneurial Lifestyle, Small Business, Women Entrepreneurs
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Comments Off on Women Business Owners Decidedly Optimistic
Friday,
March
8th,
2013
A national survey of women business owners (WBOs) conducted by Web.com Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: WWWW) and the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO) found a pervasive sense of economic optimism, including a prediction by most WBOs (85 percent) that more women will become entrepreneurs in 2013 than in past years. WBOs also plan to invest more (38 percent) or the same (54 percent) in hiring this year than they did in 2012 – a positive sign for the economy.
© DemGen Inc. 2013
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Comments Off on Women Entrepreneurs Are Changing the Business World
Tuesday,
September
25th,
2012
We noticed an emerging trend in the business world quite some time ago and it does not appear to be slowing down… Women Entrepreneurs!
They come from many different walks of life. Some decided to start their own business to spend more time with their families. Others were sick of the corporate world and ready to make a change. Many are wife and husband teams. All have great businesses!
(Men, we’re definitely not trying to downplay any of your efforts. We’re simply commenting on a very prevalent trend that keeps continuing to grow.)
We’re always monitoring what’s going on in the current business place to ensure we serve our clients best and this is a trend that evidently can’t be ignored!
A lot of our content already speaks to Women Entrepreneurs based on what we’ve heard from our clients, readers and team. (Our expert team includes a number of women entrepreneurs and mompreneurs).
We also know that women entrepreneurs and mompreneurs face unique issues…
What additional valuable information can we provide to women like you, either through our services, blog or ebooks? What unique business problems do you regularly experience?
Share your unique voice either by commenting on this post or via email to info@demgen.com. We may include you in our upcoming content!
We’ve made amazing transformations for our clients and want to do the same for you (even if you aren’t a client yet).
Categories : Women Entrepreneurs
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Comments Off on Women Owned Businesses on the Rise
Tuesday,
September
18th,
2012
With the quickly changing economy, we are also seeing a change in who owns a large percentage of new businesses. It comes as no surprise to many that these are owned by women. The infographic below charts the business growth of women in several sectors. You can read the article on Mashable and for the complete report, visit openforum.com/women.
Categories : Women Entrepreneurs
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Comments Off on 10 Tips for Women Entrepreneurs
Thursday,
August
16th,
2012
With the death of Helen Gurley Brown on Monday at the age of 90, the world lost one of its most recognized and influential female business icons as well as a role model for women everywhere. Editor of Cosmopolitan for over 30 years and with a background in business, she and her husband, David, went on to establish The David and Helen Gurley Brown Institute for Media Innovation.
While Helen’s ideas and business savvy led the way for generations of women entrepreneurs, her thoughts on what was most important when running a business are still true today.
Trust yourself. Don’t let someone else’s attitude make you second guess your ideas and your way of implementing them.
Focus on the important things. Do one thing at a time and do it to the best of your ability. That’s all you can ask of yourself and at the end of each day, you’ll know when the job has been well done.
Do your research. The best business strategies involve knowing everything you can about upcoming events and applying new ideas to your business. Don’t be afraid to take risks.
Hire quality help. As your business expands and you have less time for administrative duties, hire a top rate virtual team to take over additional tasks. Outsourcing has helped many small businesses grow into much larger companies.
Have confidence in your abilities. You’ll be meeting many people as your business grows and speaking with even more. Hold your head up high and don’t be afraid to look people in the eye when discussing your business ideas.
Never stop learning. Business practises are always changing. Keep up on the latest. Take classes and also look to a mentor to help you stay on track.
Be innovative. Improve on what you already provide. Make things happen by changing your attitude toward your business and your customers. Get to know and understand your customers by putting yourself in their place.
Combine your life with your job or vice versa. If at all possible, run your business from your home. Creating a routine that works for you will help with this. Stay flexible and organized while keeping things as simplified as possible.
Benefit from technology. Since your small business will be competing with those which are much larger, keep up on the newest tech news. Your response time will be much quicker than a business with many employees and you can use this to your advantage.
Look after yourself. Pay attention to areas where you feel there is something missing. Focus on your life as a whole and try not to let work time overcome play time.
“What you have to do is work with the raw material you have, namely you, and never let up.” ~ Helen Gurley Brown
© 2012 DemGen All Rights Reserved.
image courtesy of The New Yorker
Categories : Entrepreneurial News/Stories, Women Entrepreneurs
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Tuesday,
July
3rd,
2012
While all successful business people have qualities in common, the female entrepreneur needs to focus on several of those qualities more than the others.
An attitude
Becoming an entrepreneur will cause you to realize that you can’t just quit when things get tough. Having a tenacious attitude and welcoming challenges while knowing you can overcome them will be necessary in any venture you undertake. While we all fear failure, knowing that if you fall down you can always pick yourself up and start again means you believe in yourself and it will show in your business. Being optimistic is the best attitude when it comes to any business dealings you have with others. After all, how could you possibly fail?!
Personality
Don’t take everything personally. In order to run a successful business, flexibility is key and women who are in business realize they will need to grow a thicker skin. Accept criticism graciously and listen to other’s ideas and opinions. You don’t have to act on those ideas but sometimes they can be incorporated into your business plan.
A streak of independence is the most common personality trait of all entrepreneurs, whether female or male. Without it, they wouldn’t be able to come up with the original ideas that get their businesses noticed. A widespread knowledge of many issues is a large help in selling your products and services to an array of customers. Narrow mindedness won’t work when it comes to understanding just what others need or want from your company.
Networking ability
If you aren’t comfortable speaking with others or advertising yourself, you’ll definitely need someone else to work with you or on your behalf, otherwise your business will not grow. The best entrepreneurs love to speak with others, especially about their business! They are naturals when it comes to selling themselves and their ideas and while this doesn’t have to be in person, great conversational and writing skills will be necessary no matter which way you choose to build your network.
Promoting your business and advertising are at the top of the list for all entrepreneurs in order to attract the right customers. If you need help and find this challenging, ask other women entrepreneurs how they got started.
While there are other qualities needed if you want to succeed on your own, these top three will ensure that you are on your way to the business you dreamed of. Make your own rules, take your own risks and learn from your experience!
Chris Draper
© 2012 DemGen All Rights Reserved.
Categories : Women Entrepreneurs
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Tuesday,
June
26th,
2012
Choosing to be responsible for yourself and for a new or growing business, brings challenges to many women that are frustrating, time consuming and often not fully understood. Overcoming these challenges and the obstacles they put in your path can make or break your business.
Balance your work with your life.
Especially where there are children involved, women entrepreneurs who have their own business can find it especially difficult when starting out. Finding the time for family as well as the demands of a start-up can put pressure on everyone. Women’s natural ability to mulit-task steps in here and can be a huge help, however, knowing when to focus on just one task at a time is just as important when running your own business.
Being able to share the chores at home and diplomacy when discussing your new venture is very important when dealing with all of the members of your family. Explaining, especially to younger children, just how important this is to you will help. Trying to involve everyone in things such as advertising and networking ideas can help them feel that your time with them is more important than ever.
Funding: Get over your fear of debt.
One thing most women fear when running a business is how much debt they will need to take on. Balancing good and bad debt is an important factor that you need to consider. Bad debt includes purchases which are spur of the moment or unnecessary. Good debt is something that will improve your future and that of your family. It builds your credit rating and should be an amount that you know you will be able to repay.
Think big and pay yourself well.
This includes charging an appropriate amount for your products and/or services. Women have been well trained in the art of feeling that their contribution is not worth as much as something a man contributes. Assert yourself, compare what others are charging for similar services and charge accordingly. You deserve it!
Have a destination in mind at all times. It’s easier to work backward from where you want to be than to move forward without specific goals in mind. One step at a time will get you there.
Know yourself.
While you wouldn’t think this would be a challenge that is especially targeted at women, most women really don’t know themselves well and if you ask them what they want to do, many times they aren’t sure or have no idea at all.
Each of us knows our own personal strengths and unique abilities. Build on those and don’t listen to what others tell you. You should be doing what works for you, not for someone else! On the flip side, we also know our weaknesses. When needing help in your business, hire an assistant or outsource to a team that specializes in what you need. It will help grow your business! Remember, you don’t have to do it all yourself.
Have confidence and believe in yourself.
Leading the way in the corporate world is totally different than leading the way! Being an independent thinker and stepping outside of the usual role model can be scary. Carrying it off with confidence and knowing you can do this is a challenge that must be overcome in order to run a profitable and successful business. Don’t doubt YOUR talents or your ability to provide what others need and want. Negotiate the best deal for yourself and do it in such a way that your business grows. If you do have doubts, look to a mentor for advice and to help you with difficult decisions. Don’t let others belittle your efforts or think of your business as “just a hobby.”It’s your livelihood and your future you are building.
The most important thing to keep in mind is that you can meet your challenges head on, overcome them and be successful!
Chris Draper
© 2012 DemGen All Rights Reserved.
image courtesy of Blogspot
Categories : Entrepreneurial Lifestyle, Women Entrepreneurs, Work/Life Balance
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