Category: Personal Skills

Female Founders See Change In Entrepreneurial Landscape

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!

Black Women Have Increased Their Presence in Microbusinesses

According to this post in Black Enterprise, Black women entrepreneurs have significantly grown their presence in the microbusiness sector, owning 68% of the 15% of U.S. microbusinesses owned by Black entrepreneurs in 2023. Challenges such as marketing and access to capital persist, but initiatives, including grants and business acquisitions, are helping address the funding gap and overcome racial biases for Black women in entrepreneurship.

Women Are Biggest Contributors to Rise in New Businesses Between 2019 and 2023

The pandemic saw a remarkable increase in women-led entrepreneurship, with half of the new businesses formed during this time started by women, a substantial rise from 29% in 2019. Dissatisfaction with traditional workplaces and a desire for more flexibility led women to create small businesses and side hustles. Harvard Professor Claudia Goldin’s research suggests that women sought entrepreneurship due to the clash between demanding jobs and family responsibilities, pushing them to seek more control over their work-life balance. The upheaval caused by the pandemic accelerated this trend, prompting women, especially those handling more domestic duties, to explore entrepreneurship. To read more about this trend and its ripple effects, see this article from Technical.ly

Women Business Owners Are More Focused on Driving Good Employee Experiences

The HerMoney Media and Principal Financial Group’s 2023 State of Women survey of small and midsized business owners revealed significant differences between men and women in their economic outlook, financial confidence, and attitudes towards risk.

Women business owners express more caution about the U.S. economy but are optimistic about their personal financial situations compared to men. In addition, female business owners prioritize employee outcomes, emphasizing a positive work environment, mental health, and opportunities for advancement. They are less likely than men to offer financial wellness programs, often due to the belief that their businesses are too small to justify such programs.

Best States for Women-Owned Businesses

A report issued by Merchant Maverick looked at the top ten states in the US for women-owned businesses. The top of the list included Colorado (ranking at the to of the list for the third year in a row), Texas, Florida, Washington, California, Virginia, Arizona, North Carolina, Wyoming, and Illinois. To evaluate the best states for women-led startups, Merchant Maverick considered items like total venture capital in the past five years invested in women-led startups, percent of employer firms led by women, percent of employees at women-led firms, percent of women self-employed in their own business, and the average income of women self-employed in their own business. To read more about the findings, click here.

Avoid These Pitfalls If You Are A Small Business Owner

This post from LegalZoom which was recently updated in September 2023 highlights the top ten mistakes made by new business owners. The list includes:

  1. Not having a business plan
  2. Not having a marketing plan
  3. Impatience
  4. Overspending
  5. Underpricing
  6. Not forming the right business entity
  7. Thinking you don’t need insurance
  8. Not having a written agreement with your business partners
  9. Failing to protect intellectual property
  10. Thinking you can do it all yourself

Check out the link to read more detail about what to do if you think you are falling short in that area as the post goes into depth on each item in the list.

Thinking About Your Company Footprint

Even if you are a small business, you can still be thinking about ways in which you can reduce your environmental impact. This article posted in Entrepreneur shares 8 items to consider when determining practical ways to reduce your company’s impact on the planet. From energy efficiency in the office to flex scheduling to rethinking the office supplies you purchase, every change we make helps to make a difference.

Balancing Entrepreneurship and Motherhood

In this recorded webinar from May 2023, Andrea Ippolito, founder and CEO of SimpliFed and Director of Women Entrepreneurs in STEM at Cornell University discusses the opportunities and challenges women entrepreneurs face when launching a business while raising young children. With two small children of her own, Ms. Ippolito is an expert on starting a company and watching it grow while concurrently ensuring that her children thrive.

Barbie’s Lessons on Resilience and Leadership

This article in Fast Company looks at the summer blockbuster “Barbie” movie and explores some of the film’s  inspirational messages of resilience and strength. Specifically, it lists the importance of never giving up, knowing that any goal is possible, dreaming big and embracing that you are enough. Check out the article to read more about how those themes are woven through the movie!

Remote Work Best Practices

Whether you run a small business that relies on remote and/or hybrid workers, you are part of a large organization navigating how the post-COVID workplace looks or you are a remote worker yourself, figuring out best practices to support this work arrangement is critical for corporate success.

This post on Business.com discusses critical best practices to consider to ensure that remote work is a success including technology adaptations, work scheduling and IT security concerns to name a few. The piece also discusses the important of outlining a remote work policy and provides tips on how to navigate that process.