Women business owners are a powerful and growing force in this country. To celebrate the impact these women are having on our local economies, Women’s Initiative has launched its third annual Woman Entrepreneur of the Year Awards.
Recent census numbers show that:
• As of 2007, women owned 7.8 million businesses in the United States.
• These women-owned firms employ 7.6 million persons
• and generate $1.2 trillion in receipts.
But what’s more important is the impact these women entrepreneurs are having on how American businesses are run. A 2010 study by the Guardian Life Small Business Research Institute showed that by 2018 women entrepreneurs will be responsible for creating between 5 million and 5.5 million new jobs nationwide. That’s more than half of the 9.7 million new jobs the Bureau of Labor Statistics expects small businesses to create, and about one-third of the total new jobs the BLS projects will be created nationwide in that time frame.
According to the Guardian study, women are most likely to start businesses because they’re unhappy with corporate life. When they become their own bosses, they are more likely than male managers or entrepreneurs to be:
• diligently engaged in strategic and tactical facets of their business
• proactively customer-focused
• likely to incorporate community and environment into their business plans
• receptive to input and guidance from internal and external advisers
• committed to creating opportunities for others
Do you know a woman entrepreneur who has a successful business, is creating jobs, is innovative, and/or is having an impact on her community? Nominate her today for our Woman Entrepreneur of the Year Awards!
I can attest to this article. We opened the cafe with 0 employees 4 years ago and within the second year in business we created 4 jobs.
Posted by: Mi Oficina | June 30, 2011 at 11:46 AM
Thank you for the good news about job creation. Go women entrepreneurs! I know about ten amazing women entrepreneurs right in my neighborhood. I hope one of them will win the award this year!
Posted by: Elizabeth de Renzy | June 30, 2011 at 12:14 PM
I nominated this amazing woman entrepreneur in Contra Costa County. You can visit her boutique in Lafayette: http://www.yelp.com/biz/nonconformist-eco-boutique-lafayette
She's super nice and has a great eye (and amazing shoes)!
Posted by: Katietaylor09 | June 30, 2011 at 12:49 PM
Supporting these women entrepreneurs is smart on so many levels....they are and will continue to change the world! I am proud to be part of this process!
Posted by: Andrea Rothman | June 30, 2011 at 03:15 PM