The Top Issues For Women Entrepreneurs
Patricia Greene from Babson College muses on the top ten issues for women entrepreneurs in 2006.
After completing this week’s interview with Jennifer Kushell of YSN.com and previously wondering why BusinessWeek’s profile of the top 25 young entrepreneurs only included 1 woman, I thought some of Patricia’s observations were worth nothing:
- More equity dollars for women entrepreneurs. It seems more women are getting involved in the equity business, and there’s more targeting of women entrepreneurs as well. Patricia mentions a few women in the equity game that she’ll be following in 2007, including Karen Kerr, Lisa Jordan and Lori Whitted.
- More education targeted to women entrepreneurship. Patricia notes that more is being done at the university level to craft courses and education tailored to women entrepreneurs (about women entrepreneurship.) There’s also more research taking place into women entrepreneurship. While I’ve always believed the best way to learn about entrepreneurship is to get out there and start a business, I definitely see the need to research women entrepreneurship, and continue to promote women entrepreneurship through educational institutions.
- The media doesn’t give enough play to women business owners. Specifically, Patricia’s talking about TV shows that could be used to show entrepreneurship in a new light as a career path. She (somewhat amusingly says), “The media. We’ve joked for years (in a rather sad way) that we needed an Allie McBeal (law) or ER (medicine) about women business owners to show entrepreneurship as a career choice in a different light.”
This is interesting. It’s not something I would have ever thought about, but maybe that’s in part because I don’t think of any TV characters as real role models, or representing much of anything except for a way to escape from work for a couple hours. Plus I watch a lot of hockey.
I have no doubt (without referencing any official statistics) that women will flock more and more towards entrepreneurship in 2007 and beyond. And I’m all for it.
Thanx (and yay) Ben for bringing this up. Was just this week having a discussion regarding the differences in how women and men process info/lessons when they are learning a new concept/task. I ‘ve witnessed this myself as an example when my husband dan and I were in a same class, we’d process the info quite differently; with certain aspects giving more of an “aha” to one than the other.
Also I think there’s still a little of the mentality of women entrepreneurs (small business) as “house mommies” doing something on the side.
I’ll go back to my innkeeping now :)
GP in Montana
GP – I think a lot of women entrepreneurs (more than men) are stay-at-home moms, who became entrepreneurs so they could balance home and work lives. I’m all for it. But I certainly wouldn’t use the term “house mommies.”
Stay-at-home moms work harder than all of us put together.
Nooooo that’s not what I meant… stay at homes do work harder than all of us… agreed What I meant is that there is still sometimes that stigma, albeit a wrong one.
Hope that clears me up
GP in Montana
GP – I knew that’s what you meant, I was reiterating your point…maybe poorly, but we’re on the same page! *chuckle*
Awesome post, Ben. I am grateful for all of the great references and your stance on supporting women entrepreneurs. :) Not a lot of men choose to blog about us. Thanks! I really appreciate it and so does the audience I represent at Start Up Princess.