Talkin'
'Bout My Generation Womenable has launched a blog, entitled, appropriately enough, The Womenabler Blog. Here's a recent post: "Why don't you all f-fade away (talkin' 'bout my generation) And don't try to dig what we all s-s-say (talkin' 'bout my generation) I'm not trying to cause a big s-s-sensation (talkin' 'bout my generation) I'm just talkin' 'bout my g-g-generation (talkin' 'bout my generation)" Those of us of a certain age can probably all sing along with this 1965 song from The Who. It points out the feelings that every generation has about the one that preceded it. (Note: check out the interesting Wikipedia page about this song.) Contrast this song with the 2000 song of the same name (but a different tune - in more ways than one) by Limp Bizkit: (read on) | |
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"What we suffragettes aspire to be when we are enfranchised is ambassadors of freedom to women in other parts of the world, who are not so free as we are."
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E3nabling News
It is our goal, in this quarterly newsletter, to provide a concise digest of news, information and links to 1: educate, 2: enlighten and 3: empower your work on behalf of nascent, new, established and growing women-owned enterprises around the world.
Our subscribers come from all walks of life - businesses large and small, NGOs and MLOs, associations, the public sector and educational institutions - yet all share a common interest in supporting women's enterprise development in their communities and around the world. We hope you find this information of interest. In this issue: - a brief review and commentary on the state of women's enterprise as we celebrate Women's History Month,
- the value of shining a light on the accomplishments of entrepreneurial women, and
- following Womenable into Web 2.0 social media.
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Taking Stock of Women's Enterprise
Is the glass half empty ... or half full?
March is Women's History Month, which is a good time to take stock of where we stand in women's enterprise development today. In this time of economic recession and political change, are things heading in the right direction, or has progress been sidetracked? - The headline from a recent Kauffman Foundation report reads "Women-owned Entrepreneurial Start-Ups Underperform Men-owned Firms." The analysis, based on a sample of 5,000 businesses launched in 2004, says that women-owned firms are undercapitalized compared to men, and that men start their enterprises with more business experience under their belts and spend more time managing their business. But is the headline from the report correct? Click on the link above to download the report, and click here to read Womenable's commentary about it.
- The 10th annual Global Entrepreneurship Monitor report, published in January, again reports that women continue to lag men in business start-ups and, in a new investigation of entrepreneurship education and training, are less likely than men to have received pre start-up business education. Click here to learn more.
- The World Bank's Doing Business team, having launched a "genderizing" effort in late 2007, has recently launched a Gender Law Library, a searchable database of laws and regulations in 181 countries that can affect the ease with which women can start and grow their enterprises. Visit the Doing Business gender page to learn more.
- Finally, The Microcredit Summit Campaign, in a new report on "The State of the Campaign," finds that over 150 million clients - 83% of them women - have been reached over the past 11 years by the 200 largest microfinance institutions (MFIs). The Campaign has now set a goal to reach over 175 million clients with enterprise-focused credit and to help 100 million families rise above the $1 USD/day world poverty threshold by 2015.
So, is the glass half empty or half full for women's enterprise in 2009? Progress has certainly been made in awareness-raising and policy/programmatic attention, but has it yet made a significant difference? The jury's still out, but - as for Womenable - give us the "glass half full" perspective anytime.
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Shining a Light
The value of WBO awards programs
For the most part, business owners go about growing their enterprises with little recognition or prais e - and this may be especially true of enterprising women. Yet, there is great value in "shining a light" on the accomplishments of entrepreneurial women. Such recognition can increase public awareness, provide inspirational role models for women who are thinking about starting or growing a business, and help women business owners everywhere to be taken more seriously. Here is a short compilation of some new and ongoing recognition programs for women business owners (and their enablers):
- Australia: Since 1995, leading women business owners in Australia have been honored by the Telstra Business Women's Awards. This year's honoree: Leanne Wesche, owner of the Pacco Group, one of the country's largest packagers of fruits and vegetables.
- Canada: The RBC Canadian Woman Entrepreneur Awards program has highlighted the accomplishments of women business owners in this country since 1992. This year's winners were feted in five categories: start-up, impact, momentum, trailblazer, and excellence in entrepreneurship.
- South Korea: Last year, Citibank and the Korean Small Business Institute (KOSBI) joined forces on an educational effort to increase the rate of business ownership among women. The inaugural year included a recognition/awards program in four areas: entrepreneurial excellence, eco-friendly business practices, best practices in human respources, and corporate social responsbility. The partnership will continue in 2009.
- UK - Prowess Flagship Awards: Womenable is just back from the UK, attending the annual Prowess conference. This organization honors the enablers of women's enterprise with annual awards, ranging from business support professional of the year to women's enterprise researcher of the year (one of our favorites). Visit the Prowess website to learn more.
- US - Enterprising Women: Enterprising Women magazine (upon whose advisory board Womenable serves) has honored women business owners across the US with annual awards since 2003. This year's event - being held March 12 - will celebrate the accomplishments of no fewer than 39 women business owners in five revenue categories. Click here to learn more.
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Womenable 2.0
 Womenable is moving into social media channels, with a new blog, Twitter posts, and profiles and regular updates on Facebook, LinkedIn and Plaxo. Click on the links below to add us to your social media accounts and RSS feeds. After all, mutual linking and sharing ideas quickly and virtually is what Web 2.0 is all about!
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We encourage your feedback and comments, as well as your help in spreading our "womenabling" news. Feel free to click below to forward this e-mail to others you feel would be interested in any or all of the articles above. And let us know if there are any aspects of women's enterprise development that you feel we should investigate and share more broadly.
Sincerely,
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