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No Glass Ceiling: Why Entrepreneurship is the Answer for Women
1. No Glass Ceiling
Why Entrepreneurship is
the Answer for Women
Jennifer Dye, SBDC BusinessAdvisor
2. Today we will be discussing:
• The state of the marketplace for women
• Qualifications that women possess that make them
leaders
• Benefits of entrepreneurship
• How to begin!
3. The statistics tell the sad truth…
• Women hold 52% of all
professional level jobs, yet only
• 14.6% are Executive Officers
• 8.1% are Top Earners
• 4.6% are Fortune 500 CEOs
4. According to Inc. Magazine,
Women make Better Business Owners than Men
Women are better at leading their teams
• They see employees as whole people, not just “worker bees”.
• They develop them with an intentional career path
Women are more willing to implement systems and controls in their companies
• They are more capable of enlisting team support
• They are 1.7 times more productive than male-owned firms
Women are better at building relationships
• They are more customer-centric
• This trend plays out with suppliers and vendors too
5. Further evidence…
• Women are better listeners and
therefore better communicators
• Women are better community
builders
• Women have stronger business
ethics
• Women are more patient
• Women are better at activating
passion
6. Compare this with theTraits that
all Successful Entrepreneurs Share
Entrepreneur Magazine’s
Five Key Characteristics
1. Passion
2. Perseverance
3. Resourcefulness
4. Open-Mindedness
5. Sponge-like nature
Women have always been
able to “Do it All”
7. Top 10 Reasons to be an Entrepreneur
1. Stick it to “The Man”
2. WorkYour Own Schedule
3. Work WhereYou Like
4. Work With PeopleYou Like
5. CreateYour Own Opportunities & Destiny
6. Develop and Sell Products & ServicesYou Love
7. Solve Problems and Make a Difference in the Process
8. Be the Boss
9. Stand Up forWhatYou Believe In
10. Affect Change in People’sThoughts & Actions
8. “I want to start my own business, where do I begin?”
9. No-cost Resources for Entrepreneurs
• Small Business Development Center
• SCORE
• Startup Seattle
• Local Colleges
• Meet-up Groups
• Business Incubators
• Business Accelerators
• Local Economic Development
• Conferences
10. Business Readiness Checklist
Is there a market for my product/service?
What type of entity should I form? LLC, S-Corp?
How can I obtain funding?
Can you help me write a business plan?
How do I forecast my sales for a loan?
Can I afford to hire someone to help me?
How do I find quality employees?
How do I KEEP quality employees?
How do I develop a marketing plan?
Can you help me negotiate a lease?
Can you help me find an
attorney/accountant/bookkeeper/etc.
Can you help me understand my financial
statements?
What taxes and licenses am I responsible for?
Can you help me when I’m ready to grow?
Can you help me when I’m ready to retire/sell?
Hi, my name is Jennifer Dye and I am a Business Advisor for the Small Business Development Center at Highline College.
Read slide
Although the number of women seeking business degrees is increasing, and women in the workforce overall make up 52% of professional jobs, we still are not equally represented in top leadership positions. Although progress is being made, the glass ceiling is still very much a reality in corporate America.
This is odd, because statistics show that women actually possess more of the skills that make a business successful.
In a study conducted by Zeneger Folkman, a company that studies leadership, found that women rated higher on 12 of 16 attributes tested. After analyzing 7,280 of their clients’ performance evaluations, they found two traits where women outscored men significantly: taking initiative and driving results. Here are five additional ways that women are more effective bosses than men.
Women are more discussion oriented
Women are “beta managers” and build more cooperative relationships
Women acknowledge and consider the rights of others
Women are less likely to jump to an immediate conclusion or take action too soon
According to Jay Forte, author of Fire Up! Your Employees and Smoke your Competition, women are more astute about knowing how to activate passion in their employees. Passion builds loyalty.
The photographs shown here are those of women who have become global phenomena in the realm of Women in Business: Mary Kay Ash, Indra Nooyi, Oprah Winfrey, Martha Stewart, and Tyra Banks to name just a few.
These women exhibit many of the traits thought to be vital to success. Of course, women have been holding down jobs while raising families, attending school, and volunteering in their communities so we are the queens of multi-tasking. Women have drive and are creative problem-solvers.
Source: Chris Ducker, Virtual CEO
So, maybe you are thinking it is time to stop working for “the man” and go into business for yourself. Where should you start?
There are many free resources available to women who are considering opening their own business.
Your SBDC or SCORE advisor can help you with everything from inception to expansion to succession planning