Million Signatures

Posts Tagged ‘Business’

Since women began to rise in the business world particularly after World War II, the number of associations for women in business has risen concommitantly. There are numerous national, international and local associations for women in business today.

In the US, the National Association of Business women offers assistance to women in business in terms of information, networking opportunities and directioning in obtaining financial support. The Women’s Leadership Exchange, another association for women in business, offers a number of annual all-day conferences for assistance and advice for business women who are established business owners.

One of the European associations for women in business is the London Business School’s Women in Business club which sponnsors annual conferences which are the leading conferences in Europe and through which this association for women in business provides continuing support.

In the US, the Women’s Business Enterprises National Council is an association for women in business which sponsors the largest annual conference of its kind. This association for women in business salutes and assists women’s business enterprises. This association for women in business offers major opportunities for networking among business women.

The Center for Women’s Businesses is another association for business women which provides research information for women in business in various areas. This association for women in business offers information and direction as well as networking opportunities.

For women who have higher education which equips them for climbing the corporate ladders or for establishing themselves as professionals, the National Association for Women with MBA’s is a special resource association for women in business. This organization is dedicated to empowering women in business to achieve leadership and high income.

Business women who are looking for associations for women in business will do well to check out local associations for women in business, including those in major cities or state associations. The local Small Business Association will be able to provide information on local and regional associations for women in business. Women who are struggling to establish themselves, as well as women well on the road to success, will do well to use the resources of associations for women in business to further their careers. There are many such associations for women in business who are anxious to support other women.

Until fairly recently there has not been much help available in terms of empowering women in business. They have largely had to empower themselves with little support from the business world. There are now a number of resources for empowering women in business and helping them achieve advancement in the world of business.

The National Association of Women in Business is a case of women helping women. Resources existing for empowering women in business through the National Association include opportunities for networking, resource information, and experienced advice and training from successful women in business, entrepreneurs and other professionals.

The practice of networking for empowering women in business has long been a process used by successful men…simply using the connections, the knowledge and the influence of others to climb the ladder of success. Women helping women through networking is a source of empowerment for women in business.

Part of empowering women in business is of course continuing education in the field chosen by a woman. This can be on a formal or informal basis. Full knowledge of the workings of an industry in which woman is working is essential to empowering a business woman. Empowering a woman in business is the drive to achieve, to improve, to learn every aspect of what she is involved in.

A sense of the availability of support of one kind or another is part of empowering a woman in business. Being aware of opportunities is a form of a business woman’s empowerment. The courage to accept a challenge is a form of empowerment for a business woman. The knowledge that others are slowly increasing achievement is part of the empowerment of business women.

Media support…the public acknowledgement and presentation of women’s achievements is a form of empowerment to women in business. For example, Fortune Magazine’s publication of the lists of powerful women in corporate or world positions is a source of empowerment to women in business; they realize they can go there as never before.

The availability of financial aid, sometimes through local banks or through the Small Business Association, can provide empowerment for business women aiming toward management positions or as entrepreneurs. Recognizing the recent advancement of women in business, financial institutions are more favorably inclined to grant financial empowerment to women in business.

As more and more women advance to positions of president and CEA of major corporations, this very fact grants empowerment to women in business at every level. The fact that the world is daily forced to recognize the progress of women in business and world affairs is itself empowerment to other business women.

There are literally millions of women business entrepreneurs and the numbers are growing daily. These women business entrepreneurs own and operate businesses of every kind, from sales to service to home-based businesses ranging from computer services to agricultural enterprises. In 2005, there were over 10 million women-owned businesses in the US. and women business entrepreneurs start new businesses at twice the rate of men.

Although more women business entrepreneurs are starting businesses than are their male counterparts, they have more difficulty in getting original financing. There are several sources of financing, however, for women business entrepreneurs. Some state and local development departments can offer some assistance if approached with a good plan. The National Association of Women in Business will also assist beginning women business entrepreneurs. Community banks are sometimes a source of initial funding for women
business entrepreneurs, but may require previous credit and a sound business plan to consider offering some financing for startups.

The existing 10 million plus women-owned businesses now in the US represent 28% of all businesses. In the years from 1997 to 2002, businesses operated by women business entrepreneurs grew well over 50%. An interesting statistic concerning women business entrepreneurs is the number of businesses owned and operated by Hispanic and Asian women business entrepreneurs. This is the fastest growing segment of such businesses, increasing during the cited period by around 65%.

Among small women-owned businesses, many receive initial funding from family and friends. This is possibly true among the Hispanic and Asian communities which could be accountable for the faster increase in women business entrepreneurs in these groups.

Not only in the US, but around the world, women are increasingly founding their own businesses. In developing and under-developed countries women often start a home-based business in agriculture, where these women business entrepreneurs may be able to start cultiating a garden or raising pigs with as little as $800 initial financing. There are organizations through which one can contribute to help women business entrepreneurs in struggling countries worldwide.