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
Thanks so much Leigh, both for your feedback and the book/stats! Sorry for just responding now. (We realized there was a glitch in our comments settings…)
Thanks for participating in our webinar! I love the Leanin Book and glad you found the stats interesting too!