2. EMPLOYEES TURNED ENTREPRENEURS
Historically, Women Entrepreneurs
were divorced, widowed or
home makers who needed an
additional source of income.
Source: Bu*ner, E. H. "Female Entrepreneurs: How Far Have They Come?" Business
Horizons. 36(2), 59-65.
3. SARA BLAKELY
Inventor of Spanx
Saleswoman turned youngest self-made female
billionaire
Invested a savings of $5,000
2016 Net Worth: $1.04 Billion (Forbes)
Blakely owns 100% of the private company, has
zero debt, has never taken outside investment and
hasn’t spent a nickel on advertising
Source: Forbes, “How Sara Blakely of Spanx Turned $5,000 into
$1 billion”
4. OPRAH WINFREY
Talk Show Host
Philanthropist
2016 Net Worth $3.1 Billion (Forbes)
The first woman in history to own and
produce her own talk show
President Clinton signed the "Oprah Bill" into
law in 1993, establishing the national
database of convicted child abusers
Established the Oprah Winfrey Leadership
Academy for Girls in South Africa
6. ROOMINATE
Co-founders:
Alice Brooks and Bettina Chen
Roominate aims to inspire younger generations to
pursue fields with a lack of female presence
In the US, less than 15% of women pursue STEM (Science,
Technology, Engineering and Math) in college.
Many girls’ toys lag behind in the development of spatial skills,
hands-on problem solving skills and confidence with
technology.
Roominate’s blend of building, circuits, design and creativity
teaches kids while they play.
Source: http://www.roominatetoy.com
7. THE SKIMM
Co-Founders:
Danielle Weisberg and Carly Zakin
The Skimm is a go to source that enables you to
quickly and easily be briefed on current events and
breaking news
The Daily Skimm is the email newsletter that breaks down
what's going on in the world with fresh editorial content.
Raised $1.3 Million in funding last year with investors such as
Buzzfeed, Elite Daily and Chelsea Handler.
“TheSkimm solves all that and makes it easier to be smarter.”
Source: theskimm.com
8. Co-Founders:
Catalina Girald and Gina Rodriguez
Naja is changing the way women shop for lingerie
as well as changing the industry through the
company’s dedication to changing women’s lives.
Naja’s garment factory primarily employs single mothers
where they are paid above market wages with healthcare
benefits.
They strive to include fabrics made from recycled plastic
and constantly in search of new technologies that are
good for the earth and good for you.
Source: http://www.naja.com
NAJA
9. ACCESS AND
ASSUMPTIONS
Women fight internal and external conflicts
when pursuing entrepreneurship
Female entrepreneurs start companies with
50% less capital than male entrepreneurs
The stereotype that the high risk endeavors of
business ownership are the preserve of men
has prevented women from entering the
market.
Source: Forbes, “Why the Force will be with Women Entrepreneurs”, (2016)
10. Women are leveraging their own strengths to overcome discrimination
Filling Gaps in the Market
Women entrepreneurs are more
adept to seeing gaps in the market
and seizing the opportunity
Company Revenue
Companies ran by women
entrepreneurs had 13% higher
revenues than those run by men
Brand Loyalty
Women-friendly companies
benefit from increased brand
loyalty from women, who make
more than 80% of consumer
purchase decisions in the US.
Source: Forbes, “Why the Force will be with Women Entrepreneurs”,
(2016). Forbes, Women Entrepreneurs Are ‘More AmbiWous and
Successful’ Than Men (2016)
FIGHTING THE GENDER GAP
11. A SHIFT IN THE ACHIEVEMENT OF SUCCESS
Barriers to entry in a widespread range of fields
is coming down.
Technology enables entrepreneurs to test their
ideas fairly easily and cheaply.
There has been a cultural shift towards an
interest in cooperative efforts.
The definition of success now includes owning your start up versus the
traditional corporate title that was sought after.
Source: Forbes, Which Work Benefits Do Millennials Value Most? (2015)
12. Millennials want flexibility in how, when and with whom they do business.
“Rather than compromising those core ideals while I toil away at unpaid
internships or sit in a cubicle for the sake of insurance,I work to create my
own career reality that encompasses all of my ideals.”
MILLENNIALS IN THE WORK PLACE
Source: h*ps://stefanieoconnell.com/millennial-entrepreneurship-the-dream-vs-the-reality/
Women place greater emphasis on flexible working
opportunities and the ability to derive a sense of
meaning from their work.
Men, meanwhile, prioritize a number
of external factors linked to an organization’s
reputation.
13. OVERCOMING A LACK OF FINANCIAL AND
SOCIAL RESOURCES
Minority women at a disadvantage are
starting more businesses than white women
Black and Hispanic women are three to five times
more likely to start a business than their white
counterparts.
The impact of single parent households is a
significant impediment to many aspiring
entrepreneurial Black women.
Source: Forbes, “The fastest-growing group of entrepreneurs in America” (2015)
Forbes, “Minority Women Entrepreneurs: Go-Ge*ers Without Resources” (2013)
Source: American Express OPEN 2013 State of
Women-Owned Business Report
14. A PUSH TOWARDS ENTREPRENEURSHIP
of Immigrant Women
Entrepreneurs come from
Latin America and the
Caribbean
"Many immigrants start businesses
after a discouraging experience in
the traditional labor market,where
they confront language barriers,low
wages,racial or ethnic
discrimination and sometimes
exploitation.”
- Anonymous Foreign BornWoman
Entrepreneur
More women than men immigrate to the US every year
and Hispanics lead the way
41.6%
Source: “Today’s Immigrant Women Entrepreneur”, Susan C Pearce
15. “AM I A GAY ENTREPRENEUR OR
AN ENTREPRENEUR WHO IS GAY?”
“Identifiers”
-connect community with business practices
“Independents”
-tendency to believe that being gay does
not affect their day-to-day business
practices
Pulled, 48%
Pushed,
17%
Both, 35%
LGBT Community Motivation
for Starting Business
Felt pulled into
starting their own
business
Felt pushed into
starting their own
business
Felt both pushed
and pulled into
starting their won
business
Source: “Homosexuality and entrepreneurship: ImplicaWons of gay idenWty for the venture-creaWon
experience”,Minet Schindehu*e; Michael Morris; Jeffrey Allen
16. Here Comes
Generation Z
Millennials value a job with opportunities for growth
compared to Gen Z
One in two Gen Z-ers will be University educated,
versus 1 in 4 Millennials
“Gen Z has a clear advantage over GenY because they
appear to be more realistic instead of optimistic,are likely to
be more career-minded,and can quickly adapt to new
technology to work more effectively.”
Source: NY Times, “Move Over Millennials, Here comes GeneratinonZ.
Adecco “Generation Z vs. Millennials”.
17. Finance Options
Woman to Woman lending
options
“What is good for women is good for the economy”
The achievements of more Millennials are likely going to attract an even greater participation
level of women in the generations to come.
EQUAL REPRESENTATION IS NEAR
Recognition
“Lean In” campaign
Source: Forbes, “Why the Force will be with Women Entrepreneurs”, (2016)
