Entrepreneurial Women

Women are now leading companies and other enterprises in significant numbers—in developing countries as well as the Western world. This set examines the specific ways in which entrepreneurial women create success and considers how the growing prevalence of female entrepreneurs will change the world. This two-volume work provides balanced and thorough coverage of women entrepreneurs in multicultural and international contexts as well as in the Western world. Entrepreneurial Women: New Management and Leadership Models explores how women everywhere are empowering themselves socially and economically through entrepreneurship and business ownership. The contributors consider how discrimination against women in the workplace can contribute to the inspiration to become business owners in the first place and document the experiences of African American women entrepreneurs as well as women in distinct settings such as China, Africa, rural Jamaica, and Silicon Valley. The work draws on empirical studies, data sets, case studies, and descriptions of career trajectories to portray the realities of women entrepreneurs today. Readers will understand the distinctive challenges and opportunities involved with the entrepreneurship process for women-owned businesses, grasp how women have overcome their disadvantages in getting funding and accessing capital, and learn about the unique management and leadership style of women entrepreneurs.

The female entrepreneurship researchers community has to thank these women for their brilliant work in reviewing, revising and selecting the best papers from the second Diana International Conference that were finally edited for this volume. . . the book is a good compendium of female entrepreneurship circumstances in different countries that focuses specifically on the explanation as to why gender plays a role in the number of ventures started by women and why they are in general smaller and less growth-oriented. Manuela Pardo-del-Val, International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal . . . this edited text draws upon a range of international contributors to present a comparative overview of challenges facing female entrepreneurs seeking to grow their firms. . . this is an interesting book that makes a welcome contribution to contemporary debate. Susan Marlow, International Small Business Journal The data and information presented in this work will be of particular interest to students and scholars of entrepreneurship or labor and women s studies. Recommended. General readers; upper-division undergraduate through professional collections. E.P. Hoffman, Choice Enterprising new firms drive economic growth, and women around the world are important contributors to that growth. As entrepreneurs, they seize opportunities, develop and deliver new goods and services and, in the process, create wealth for themselves, their families, communities, and countries. This volume explores the role women entrepreneurs play in this economic progress, highlighting the challenges they encounter in launching and growing their businesses, and providing detailed studies of how their experiences vary from country to country. Statistics show that businesses owned by women tend to remain smaller than those owned by men, whether measured by the number of employees or by the size of revenues. Because women-led firms fail to grow as robustly, the opportunities to innovate and expand are limited, as are the rewards. Based on recent studies that examine the links between entrepreneurial supply and demand issues, this volume provides insights into how women around the world are addressing the challenges of entrepreneurial growth. The first set of chapters consists of country overviews and provides discussions of the state of women growing businesses. The second set of chapters describes research projects under way in different countries and explores more focused topics under the umbrella of women business owners and business growth. The volume concludes with an agenda and projects for future research. Academics and policymakers will gain a greater understanding of women s entrepreneurial behaviors and outcomes through this path-breaking volume. Those who support women through education and training, policymaking, or providing entrepreneurial resources will also find the volume of great practical interest.

WOMEN MEAN BUSINESS “...gives example after example of the price that we all pay for a situation in which ‘women may hold the keys but men still control the locks’.” The Times “What’s especially valuable is the authors’ analysis of where companies go wrong in managing women...that’s how it will help women in the workplace.” Harvard Business Review “Lays out the importance of retaining women in senior leadership positions.” Harpers Bazaar “Wittenberg-Cox and Maitland have opened new ground.” Management Today WOMEN MEAN BUSINESS They make up much of the market and most of the talent pool. Reaching women consumers and developing female talent is essential for sustainable economic growth in the 21st century. Studies show that better gender balance in business means better bottom line results and greater resistance to economic crises. So why are there still so few women in leadership roles in business? Why are companies struggling to respond to today’s female consumer? Why is there a persistent pay gap between men and women around the world? Why Women Mean Business takes the economic arguments for change to the heart of the corporate world. Fully updated in paperback, the book shows why getting gender right matters – as much when the economy’s bust as when it’s booming. A must-read, packed with ideas from companies that have made it work, views from top business leaders and step-by-step guides to how we can all become gender bilingual.

There has been an increase in women entrepreneurs participating in the growth of local, regional, national, and global economies. While these women showcase crucial skills for strategic leadership and strategy that can advance companies, they face cultural, educational, social, and political barriers that impede their development and participation within the global economy. Women Entrepreneurs and Strategic Decision Making in the Global Economy is a pivotal reference source that provides vital research on understanding the value of women entrepreneurs and the strategies they can use on the economy and examines gender impact on strategic management and entrepreneurship. While highlighting topics such as emotional intelligence, global economy, and strategic leadership, this book is ideally designed for managers, entrepreneurs, policymakers, academicians, and students.

Outlines six principles and best practices for hiring and retaining women with challenging backgrounds Recently, business leaders have shifted their focus from a profit-only mindset to considering the impact of their businesses on all stakeholders. At the same time, the United Nations set aggressive Sustainable Development Goals (SGDs) to improve our world by 2030. These SDGs address all major needs facing our world today, such as: eradication of poverty and hunger, access to clean water, gender equality, and decent work and economic growth. These are significant problems facing the world that have in the past largely been left to nonprofit organizations and governments to solve. Investors and customers have higher expectations for companies to make a positive social and environmental impact. They want to know business can do good. Following suit, today’s business leaders are starting to recognize we will never fill the gap between where we are and where we want to be if businesses do not also do their part to contribute sustainable solutions to these enormous social problems. This book provides a guide for businesses to make a significant positive impact while also benefiting their businesses. Business Doing Good outlines six principles business leaders can implement to effectively hire women who have experienced incarceration, poverty, addiction, and/or engagement in the sex trade. While making a difference to both these women and communities, businesses benefit from the women’s resourcefulness, resilience, ability to motivate, and other unique skills and perspectives only available to someone who has overcome difficulties. Investments in women, in general, are exponential as they are more likely to return that investment to future generations. The impact is endless. If we are going to end poverty and create economic development, women who have overcome challenging pasts cannot be excluded.

Adopting an intersectional lens, this book comparatively examines the multiple processes and systems of power that frame the experiences of female entrepreneurs in the Caribbean and the fluid ways in which they respond to these. Specifically, it challenges entrepreneurial scholars who are concerned with the experiences of women within that sector to critically interrogate interlocking structures of power (e.g. gender, race, class, age, industry-based hierarchies) that operate within that space, the marginalizing effects of related processes, and the extent to which these affect their thinking and practices of female entrepreneurs within the region. Through comparative lenses, the book highlights the structural and relational realities and complexities that undergird the entrepreneurial landscape within the region, the effects of these on the entrepreneurial identities, positionalities, and practices of female entrepreneurs. It underscores the many ways in which they navigate that terrain. In so doing, the book offers critical insights into the historical, socio-cultural and economic parameters within which female entrepreneurs in the region engage, the lived realities associated with these, the prospects or possibilities for re-presenting or re-framing such contextual and discursive spaces. It also provides necessary understandings of the motivations, positions, prospects, possibilities and constrains of entrepreneurial women in the region and the policy implications of these realities. This book offers insights for scholars and policymakers that are important for (i) understanding the current gaps in entrepreneurial research and policy, (ii) the tools, methods, and strategies that are needed to address these contextual and discursive realities, and ultimately, (iii) the ways in which policy makers and local governments can promote the authentic empowerment of female entrepreneurs in the region, while giving considerations to precarious realities of women.

The Emerald Handbook of Women and Entrepreneurship in Developing Economies examines women's role in entrepreneurial practices in a range of developing countries and applies unique strategic contextual frameworks to analyse, interpret and understand individual processes, themes and issues.

The renowned group of international contributors to this book provide analysis of where and how gender plays a role in the entrepreneurial ecosystem. 11 essays examine how ecosystems influence women entrepreneurs and how women entrepreneurs influence their local ecosystems, both cross-nationally and through in-depth country studies.

This innovative book traces women’s entrepreneurial journeys in Sub-Saharan Africa, examining the linkages between entrepreneurship, gender and development context. With extensive case studies of women’s experiences across the enterprise life-cycle, it gives new insight into how to support and empower Sub-Saharan African female entrepreneurs.

Are you ready to turn your ideas into reality and build a wildly successful business? There has never been a better time to say yes! With a computer and an Internet connection you can get your ideas, messages, and business out there like never before and create so much success. In this book, Carrie Green shows you how. Carrie started her first online business at the age of 20—she knows what it’s like to be an ambitious and creative woman with big dreams and huge determination . . . but she also knows the challenges of starting and running a business, including the fears, overwhelm, confusion, and blocks that entrepreneurs face. Based on her personal, tried-and-tested experience, she offers valuable guidance and powerful exercises to help you: • Get clear on your business vision • Move past the fears and doubts that can get in the way • Understand your audience, so you can truly connect with them • Create your brand and build a tribe of raving fans, subscribers, and customers • Manage your time, maintain focus, and keep going in the right direction • Condition yourself for success . . . and so much more! If you’re a creative and ambitious female entrepreneur, or are contemplating the entrepreneurial path, this book will provide the honest, realistic, and practical tools you need to follow your heart and bring your vision to life.