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Hearing That Entrepreneurial Voice?
Women business owners are our only clients, so naturally we celebrate and support female entrepreneurship. Operating in this market gives us the good fortune to learn about some of the deeper themes in the lives of women business owners. It gives us insights into what really matters to women, and to what contributes not only to their success, but more importantly to their happiness and gratification in their professional lives. So what are some of the common denominators among women who on the surface appear very different and diverse? Female entrepreneurs got comfortable enough with the idea of risk to take action. Notice I did not just say "comfortable" I said, "comfortable enough." By being a risk-taker, I don't mean adopting a "ready, fire, aim" mentality. I also don't mean "ready, aim, do more research, aim again, talk it over with friends, aim again, do another market analysis, prepare to fire, ask more questions, aim again?" and never fire. Successful women entrepreneurs do not suffer from what we might call "analysis paralysis." And they would see this as a blessing. Most entrepreneurs would tell you that it's a good thing they didn't know what their future would look like and how many challenges they would face, or they would never have begun! To be an entrepreneur means having the courage which is best summed up by John Wayne when he said, "Courage is being scared to death and saddlin' up anyway." Many, perhaps most, women business owners simply "started" - they didn't found a company with a formal business plan and an SBA loan so much as they hung out a shingle and began doing what they knew they did well. They recognized they were good at what they did and thought, "I know as much (or more!) as the owner of this company does about how to run a good business. Why am I working for him (her)?" Or they were uncomfortable with something in their work environment (perhaps the values, the management style, the vision) and decided it was time to fly. Most women found something they loved to do and turned it into a business. They didn't buy a business based on market analysis or how much income they could generate. It wasn't a process based solely on logic, but more on love. Recently, more women have become entrepreneurs by accident, not by choice, when corporate downsizing eliminated their position. They became a consultant or bought a franchise or started a company. Women who began entrepreneurship through unemployment shared the attitude that they were the lucky recipients of a severance package that will help them start their own business, not victims of the corporate machine. While women entrepreneurs are a diverse group, they do share some important character traits. In general, we see women owners inclined to take initiative, to act; they are blessed with a high energy level. They are persevering, not daunted by problems, but facing them squarely they find a way through, around, or over to a solution. Women business owners honor the importance of making their work a reflection of who they are and what is important to them. They know who they are, what their values are, what brings them satisfaction and what gives their days meaning. This often has less to do with the content of their work than with the process. For example, one of our members owns a wholesale meat company. This doesn't mean that she has a lifelong love of cattle, (or worse, of cattle carcasses), but it does mean that she works in a business that is a perfect fit for her skills and talents. She loves the process of creating the vision, the systems, the structure and the teamwork to carry out the plan. She loves the process of improvement, the process of making something better. And last, but perhaps most important, the most successful female entrepreneurs we see are those who have a grounded sense of self-confidence. They are not arrogant by any means. In fact they are usually quite humble. But somewhere along the way they learned the importance of removing any self-imposed limitations or psychological glass ceilings. I know several successful women business owners who never graduated from college. If they let that get in their way, if they somehow saw themselves as less able, less capable than other women, they would never have built the successful businesses they have today. Are you hearing that entrepreneurial voice? If so, I hope you'll see yourself as competent and capable enough of accepting the full manifestation of the success you desire, see yourself as deserving. You don't need to know all there is to know, but please do hold in your mind your specific image of what success looks like for you. I wish you much success! FIVE FACTS ABOUT WOMEN BUSINESS OWNERS From the Center of Women's Business Research ? Nationwide, as of 2004, nearly half (48%) of all privately-held U.S. firms are 50% or more women-owned ? Between 1997 and 2004, the estimated growth rate in the number of women-owned firms nationwide was nearly twice that of all firms (17% vs. 9%), employment expanded at twice the rate of all firms ? In the U.S., women-owned firms employ 19.1 million people and generate $2.5 trillion in sales. © 2004 Darcie Harris Darcie Harris is co-founder of EWF International®, an Oklahoma based firm providing personal advisory boards for women business owners and executives. With 30 years experience in marketing, sales, management and entrepreneurship, she is achieving her dream by helping others achieve theirs. EWF International® franchises are available throughout the Southwest.
Latest News:Site: Yahoo! News Search Results for news Myanmar's Suu Kyi to get family letters, news mags (Reuters via Yahoo! News) Detained Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi has managed to wring small concessions from the ruling generals in the form of letters from her family and some international news magazines, her lawyer said on Friday. JCDecaux in talks for News Outdoor Group in Russia (AP via Yahoo! News) French outdoor advertising firm JCDecaux SA said Thursday it is negotiating to buy Russian rival News Outdoor Group from global media company News Corp. News Corp tightens grip on Premiere with new CEO (Reuters via Yahoo! News) Rupert Murdoch tightened his grip on German pay-TV broadcaster Premiere by appointing News Corp executive Mark Williams as CEO in a move to get the company back on track. SEC Looks Into UAL Stock Scare; Implications For Online News? (CBS News) A ton of digits have been devoted to this in other spots but the SEC's decision to investigate takes it to another level. The backstory: a six-year-old news story about UAL declaring bankruptcy made it into the Tribune-owned Sun-Sentinel 's current news flow, was picked up by a Google (NSDQ: GOOG) News bot and, via a reporter for a newsletter, made it onto Bloomberg News. After a lot of buck ... JCDecaux and News Corp. in talks to combine outdoor ad groups (International Herald Tribune) The News Corp. chief executive, Rupert Murdoch, has recently expressed nervousness about investments in Russia, where News Outdoor generated the bulk of its revenue last year. SEC Looks Into UAL Stock Scare; Implications For Online News? (paidContent.org via Yahoo! Finance) A ton of digits have been devoted to this in other spots but the SEC's decision to investigate takes it to another level. The backstory: a six-year-old news story about UAL declaring bankruptcy made it into the Tribune-owned Sun-Sentinel's current news flow, was picked up by a Google News bot and, via a reporter for a newsletter, made it onto Bloomberg News. JCDecaux in talks to buy News Corp. billboard unit (AP via Yahoo! Finance) In a deal that would create the world's largest outdoor advertising company, French conglomerate JCDecaux SA said Thursday that it is in talks to buy Russian rival News Outdoor Group from global media company News Corp. Phila. mayor to announce grim budget news (The Philadelphia Inquirer) The Nutter administration is expected to announce grim budget news today, which is all but certain to lead to significant spending cuts - perhaps as high as 10 percent - in some city departments, according to three sources familiar with the budget. News Corp says Mark Williams interim Premiere CEO (Reuters via Yahoo! News) News Corp. executive Mark Williams has taken over as chief executive of German pay-TV broadcaster Premiere in an interim capacity, News Corp. said after the move led to renewed takeover speculation. News Corp. says Mark Williams interim Premiere CEO (Reuters via Yahoo! News) Mark Williams, a News Corp. executive named late on Wednesday as chief executive of German pay-TV broadcaster Premiere, has taken over in an interim capacity, a News Corp. spokeswoman said on Thursday. Site: news - Google News Phil Schiller bringing the news at Macworld - San Francisco Chronicle
MORE RESOURCES: Site: Yahoo! News Search Results for entrepreneurialism Lone Star Library: Green Mountain founder shares entrepreneurial insights (Fort Worth Business Press) Rural Southerner Sam Wyly came by his self-made captain-of-industry status the hard way, developing a passion for business strategy by playing schoolboy football and observing his parents? natural gift for small-business operations and hard-bargain bartering. S.C.'s brightest complete Business Week (Columbia Star) Approximately 200 high school students from across S.C. have successfully graduated from South Carolina Business Week, presented by the South Carolina Cable Television Association, July 13- 18, at Presbyterian College in Clinton. Wellington West opens Montreal branch (CNW Group via Yahoo! Finance) Wellington West Holdings Inc., a privately held, employee-owned financial services firm, today announced the expansion of its national network with the opening of a Wellington West Capital Inc. full-service retail investment branch in Montreal, Quebec. Ctek Selects Kyocera 300 Module for Z4100 Wireless Router (Centre Daily Times) Kyocera Wireless Corp. (KWC), a leading global manufacturer of wireless handsets, devices and embedded machine-to-machine (M2M) modules, and Ctek, a leading manufacturer of specialized communications solutions for industrial and commercial applications, today announced the selection of the Kyocera 300 Module for Ctek's cost-effective Z4100 Router. The Kyocera 300 Module enables reliable, ... Memphis confident of growth campaign (Memphis Commercial Appeal) One year after the launch of a $64 million economic development campaign, city officials are increasingly optimistic about the impact of MemphisED on the Bluff City. Summer break project: JTCC student lives, learns nonprofit leadership with Pheonix Project (The Petersburg Progress-Index) CHESTER ? Jamie Poniatowski, a Class of 2008 human services major, spent her summer break in Petersburg, participating in the Phoenix Project?s 2008 Nonprofit Leadership and Social Entrepreneurship Program, which transforms committed undergraduate and graduate students into effective social entrepreneurs with the knowledge, skills and connections to succeed in Virginia?s nonprofit sector. Ctek Selects Kyocera 300 Module for Z4100 Wireless Router (Business Wire via Yahoo! Finance) SAN DIEGO & RANCHO PALOS VERDES, Calif.----Kyocera Wireless Corp. , a leading global manufacturer of wireless handsets, devices and embedded machine-to-machine modules, and Ctek, a leading manufacturer of specialized communications solutions for industrial and commercial applications, today announced the selection of the Kyocera 300 Module for Ctek?s cost-effective Z4100 Router. $1 Million Opus Prize Finalists Announced (PR Newswire via Yahoo! Finance) Seattle University and the Opus Prize Foundation today announced three finalists for the $1 million 2008 Opus Prize, one of the world's largest humanitarian service awards. Guided by faith and an entrepreneurial spirit, Marguerite "Maggy" Barankitse, Krishnammal Jagannathan and Michael Woodard are working throughout the world to give people the tools to transform their lives. Scotiabank Online Small Business Contest Last Call (CNW Group via Yahoo! Finance) The chance for Canadian small business owners to win $50,000 in cash prizes is coming to a close. As part of Scotiabank's 'Get Growing to a Million' Campaign, the online challenge has offered small business owners across Canada a chance to win one grand prize of $20,000 and six regional prizes of $5,000. In cinemas this weekend (Guardian Unlimited) RocknRolla | The Duchess | Bangkok Dangerous | Disaster Movie | Sweete Land | El Cantante | Never Apologise | Mera Pind My Home Site: entrepreneurialism - Google News Ohio House Speaker Budish touts regionalism in his first address - WKYC-TV
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