“Show Her The Money” is a documentary that addresses the plight of women entrepreneurs who aren’t getting their share of venture capital. The film follows four visionary founders as they endure uphill battles to turn their ideas into reality. After an award-winning film festival run, the movie has embarked on a 50-city grassroots global tour. To learn more about how to catch a screening, see this link.
The Tory Burch Foundation, in collaboration with Bank of America, is intensifying its support for female entrepreneurs by launching a new virtual program offering webinars, business resources, and networking tools, while also celebrating a milestone of deploying over $100 million to more than 5,500 female founders through increased loan access, aiming to address the capital hurdle faced by women in business and emphasizing the economic impact of empowering female entrepreneurs. Read more about the initiative in this article in Inc.
In this brief segment on ASBN.com (America’s Small Business Network), intellectual Property Attorney, Ana Juneja shares that small businesses, especially those producing digital content, artworks, and photographs, need to utilize copyright laws to safeguard their creations, particularly in the digital and e-commerce spaces.
Recent legal adjustments, including simplification of the copyright process and removal of the mandatory use of the copyright symbol (©), indicate a shift towards making it easier for small businesses to claim protection, ensuring legal advantage and potential financial compensation in case of infringement, while also discussing the significance of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) in protecting online and digital content. See this link to learn more.
This article from CNET discusses common mistakes that attract IRS scrutiny and offers tips to avoid them, such as completing your return accurately and reporting income correctly, as failing to do so can lead to audits or delays. It also emphasizes the importance of meticulous record-keeping, especially for self-employed individuals claiming deductions, and being cautious with charitable deductions to avoid raising red flags with the IRS.
Funding is one of the biggest hurdles for small business owners. Financial planner Jovan Johnson highlights the importance of being financially prepared. In this piece in Business Insider, he recommends seven essential documents for small business owners, including a business credit report, profit and loss statement, balance sheet, bank statements, income tax returns, insurance documents, and financial forecasts, to enhance their chances of securing funding through avenues like credit cards, grants, or loans. Check out the post for more details!
This article posted to NASDAQ.com encourages entrepreneurs to pursue a debt-free approach to building their businesses by exploring alternative funding options. The piece introduces various funding alternatives, including crowdfunding, grants, bootstrapping techniques, strategic partnerships, pre-selling strategies, invoice financing, and angel investors. Case studies highlight successful businesses that thrived without accumulating debt. The article also provides a comparative analysis of funding sources, advising entrepreneurs to choose based on their business stage and needs. It emphasizes the importance of financial forecasting, diversifying income streams, and adapting to emerging trends for building a sustainable and debt-free future.
If you are a busy entrepreneur, you may think that dumping all your earnings and expenses into an existing account will save you time and hassle. According to this article from CNBC, for smoother tax filing and better money management, it’s smart for small business owners to keep personal and business finances separate by having different checking accounts. This not only makes tax time easier but also comes with perks like a business debit card, loan and grant opportunities, and extra benefits from business checking accounts, making it a good move for businesses of any size. See the link for more details!
Many entrepreneurs, especially women, face challenges in paying themselves fair salaries, contributing to a gender pay gap in entrepreneurship. Despite efforts to address this issue, a survey reveals that female entrepreneurs, on average, earn 28% less than their male counterparts, emphasizing the need for business owners to ensure profitability and strategic financial planning to afford fair compensation for their work.
To read more about this, see this post by Abigail Ingram, executive director of the Polsky Exchange, a 34,000-square-foot incubator space that leads the University of Chicago’s Polsky Center engagement with the South Side community through programs and initiatives that support local business owners and entrepreneurs.
According to this post on CNBC, the landscape for female entrepreneurs is evolving positively, with women accounting for nearly half of new business owners in recent years. Despite progress, a funding gap still exists, with only 2.1% of venture capital investments in the U.S. going to businesses founded solely by women in 2022. While the funding rate for women-owned businesses rose to 41% in 2022, challenges persist, including stereotypes and misconceptions. Founders emphasize the importance of confidence, saying no to opportunities that may have long-term costs, and valuing long-term goals over short-term gains. See the link to read more!
Each month, we send an email blast to students enrolled in the program with a list of funding opportunities and business resources. In between the monthly email blasts, we keep this spreadsheet updated daily with new opportunities that we find (the last column indicates the date when the item was added to the spreadsheet): https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1zU5SUCYBopz64FM4q_nqp2wvILmcdItq_PRWQRXFUB4/edit?usp=sharing