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Posts Tagged ‘women entrepreneurs’


Web.com Small Business Toolkit: Eileen Fisher Business Grant Program (Grants for Women Entrepreneurs)

April 1st, 2013 ::

Eileen Fisher Business Grant Program

Designer Eileen Fisher started her business with just $350 in her savings account. Now she wants to help other women by inviting women-owned businesses to apply for her ninth annual Business Grant Program for Women Entrepreneurs. The program celebrates top women founders of innovative companies that foster environmental and economic health in their communities. Up to five grants of $12,500 each will be awarded to prospective applicants. Recipients will also attend a two-day conference in New York City, meeting with past beneficiaries and Eileen Fisher teams, in early 2014. Only for-profit businesses or for-profit/nonprofit hybrids (social enterprises) will be considered for this grant. The deadline is May 31, 2013.

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Posted in Capital Access, Entrepreneurs, Raising Capital, Resources, Small Business, small business | No Comments »

Are You a Victim of Nice Girl Syndrome?

February 15th, 2013 ::

By Rieva Lesonsky

Are you a nice girl? If you’re like many women business owners, you grew up getting rewarded for being nice. Teachers gave you good grades, you made your parents happy and you got more friends by being nice.

Fast forward to today when you’re a small business owner. While you may think that being nice brings some of the same rewards (and you’d be right), there are also times when being too nice can harm you and your business. Here are some warning signs you might be suffering from “nice girl syndrome”—and how to take control.

Too nice to employees: Are your employees walking roughshod over you? Do you stay late every night at the office while your team leaves at 5 on the dot? Do you regularly pick up the slack for staffers who aren’t pulling their own weight?

What to do: Being too nice is doing your employees no favors. If you always take on their work, they’ll never learn or grow. Many entrepreneurs (not just women) struggle to delegate, but it’s important to learn. Start setting new rules and holding employees accountable for their work.

Too nice to clients: Do clients and customers request tons of last-minute changes, or ask for more and more work—without paying you any extra? No, the customer is not always right. It’s important to know where to draw the line so your business and your employees aren’t getting shortchanged.

What to do: Avoid “scope creep” by being clear about costs and deliverables upfront. Use written contracts to clarify what’s included in the purchase and what costs extra. You may decide it’s OK to do extra work for key clients, but even so, keep track of what you do so that when you renegotiate your contract, you can point out the added value you’ve brought to the table and justify a higher cost next time.

Too nice to your family: Are you taking on all the housework at home in addition to working 18-hour days at the office? Don’t give in and become a martyr just because you’re afraid of making waves.

What to do: Ask for what you want and figure out a win-win way to get it. If both you and your spouse are exhausted after long days, outsourcing chores like cooking and cleaning may be worth the cost. Or consider just lowering your standards a bit and being easier on yourself. If you’re like most women business owners, the one person you’re not nice enough to is you.

Image by Flickr user amber de bruin (Creative Commons)

 

 

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Posted in Entrepreneurs, Small Business, small business, Workforce | 1 Comment »

Web.com Small Business Toolkit: Biz2Credit Women in Business (Financing for Women Entrepreneurs)

September 11th, 2012 ::

Biz2Credit Women in Business

Biz2Credit, which has been connecting small and midsized businesses with lenders and other business tools since 2007, has recently launched their Women in Business site. The site targets women business owners whose companies have been in operation for less than three years and have under $1 million in sales and fewer than 50 employees. Owners can take advantage of the small business financing package, which includes a business plan prepared by Biz2Credit’s small business experts; one month of financial consultation by a Biz2Credit case manager; access to a financial snapshot of your company; and recommendations for increasing credit scores, lowering interest rates and more.

 

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Posted in Accounting and Taxes, Capital Access, Compliance, Raising Capital, Resources, Small Business, small business | No Comments »

Count Me In: Urban Rebound-Los Angeles Conference and Competition: Small Business Resource

May 11th, 2012 ::

Count Me In’s Urban Rebound-Los Angeles Conference and Competition

Count Me In for Women’s Economic Independence, a leading provider of resources, business education, and community support for women entrepreneurs, will hold the Urban Rebound-Los Angeles Conference and Competition on May 10 and 11, 2012, at the Skirball Cultural Center in Downtown Los Angeles. The goal is to help women entrepreneurs in Los Angeles, Ventura, Orange and Riverside Counties grow their businesses, and specifically to help 100 women-owned businesses in the area to reach $250,000 in annual revenues within 12 to 18 months. Participants in the competition will pitch their businesses to a panel of experts for a chance to be part of the Count Me In Business Accelerator Program.

 

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Posted in Entrepreneurs, Resources, Small Business, small business | No Comments »

Small Biz Resource Tip

April 27th, 2011 ::

Springboard 2011

If you’re a women-led business in a high-growth industry looking for investment to propel your business to the next level, you’ll want to bookmark the Springboard: Venture Forum 2011. Springboard is a nonprofit organization whose platform is designed to help promote, showcase and connect investment-ready women-led business with investors, experts and other entrepreneurs. Right now through May 2, Springboard is looking for women-led companies at all stages of business growth to apply for the 2011 venture forum program. The program consists of a four-month relationship building and business assessment program including interviews, a business boot and investor presentment opportunity. Check the site for application qualifications.

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Posted in Capital Access, Raising Capital, Resources, small business, Technology, Venture Capital | No Comments »

Small Biz Resource Tip: NAWBO

December 9th, 2010 ::

NAWBO.org

There are more than 10 million women business owners across the nation, and NAWBO (National Association of Women Business Owners) acts as a voice for these entrepreneurs by celebrating and advocating for women in leadership roles. NAWBO has over 70 chapters across the country and more than 7,000 members. Its mission is to create innovative change, build strategic alliances and transform public policy, among other things. The organization hosts a number of events, seminars and conferences at the local level, and an annual national conference for all members. The 2011 Women’s Business Conference will be held August 31-September 1, 2011, in San Diego.

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Posted in Resources | 2 Comments »

Why Are Women-Owned Businesses’ Sales Slumping?

November 3rd, 2010 ::

For years, we have heard how women are starting more small businesses than men are. But a recent report from the U.S. Women’s Chamber of Commerce has some not-so-positive news: Although the number of women-owned businesses is growing in number, those businesses’ sales are actually declining.

Women’s Businesses Struggle for Market Share looked at data from the Census Bureau’s 2007 Survey of Business Owners. The report shows that, while the number of women-owned businesses increased 44 percent between 1997 and 2007, those companies’ share of total business revenue shrunk from 4.4 percent to 3.95 percent.

Why aren’t the companies growing? (Note that the data used were pre-recession, so that’s not a factor.) According to the report, continuing lack of access to capital and difficulties claiming their share of government contracts are key reasons for the dwindling sales. In addition, the report noted, competition from big business is pushing many women-owned firms out of private-sector contracting.

“The media hype about the growth of women’s businesses continues to emphasize the number of women-owned firms, rather than our grossly stunted financial success,” Chamber CEO Margot Dorfman said. “This report highlights the growth challenges women business owners face and the opportunity loss our country experiences as we fail to support women as entrepreneurs and business leaders.”

The recent release of the official Women Owned Small Business (WOSB) rule, which I’ve blogged about previously on Grow Smart Business, should help address some of the contracting issues. But with the country’s 7.8 million women-owned businesses accounting for almost 29 percent of all businesses in the U.S., it’s crucially important their sales rise so they can create new jobs and opportunities. As the report warns, “If women-owned firms do not achieve strong revenue growth, women’s financial condition may continue to falter impacting families, communities, the vitality and competitiveness of our marketplace, and society as a whole.”

Image by Flickr user Kevin Dooley (Creative Commons)

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Posted in Business Development | 3 Comments »