This issue of our quarterly e-newsletter, coming out during Women's History Month, focuses on how women business owners are making history today ... by stepping up and being counted, raising their voices, and innovating for the future.

How do we know that women are the biggest emerging market in this history of the planet? With statistics such as those that have just been released in the 2012 State of Women-Owned Businesses Report, commissioned by American Express OPEN. Based on an analysis of data from the US Census Bureau, conducted by Womenable, the report reveals that:

• As of 2012, it is estimated that there are over 8.3 million women-owned businesses in the United States, generating nearly $1.3 trillion in revenues and employing 7.7 million people;
• Comparing trends in the number and revenue accomplishments of women-owned and all firms by industries finds that women-owned firms are exceeding overall sector growth in seven of the 13 most populous industries, and there are several industries in which women business owners are standing toe to toe with their competitors in terms of revenue accomplishments;  
• How women-owned firms are faring depends on whether the point of comparison is all firms or all privately-held firms. Women-owned firms are holding their own, meeting or exceeding average revenue and employment growth, when compared to all privately-held firms - falling short only when their growth is compared to the very largest publicly-traded firms; and finally
• While we learned last year that the growth of women-owned firms falters as they reach the 100-employee threshold and the million-dollar mark, a new analysis shows that the relative strength of million-dollar women-owned firms is greater now than it was a decade ago. Further, we may be losing a full accounting of the economic clout of women-led firms as they "outgrow" the 51%+ definition of being women-owned.

The 73-page report also contains state-level data as well as information on the 25 most populous metropolitan areas in the country. Learn more about this new must-have report, and download a copy for your womenabling reference shelf, at the link above. More blogposts will soon be available on OPENforum.com. You may also wish to read the study news release on BusinessWire, and read the lead article covering the study which appeared today in the Wall Street Journal.

At en event held to kick off Women's History Month, the National Women's Business Council released a fascinating new study showing that the participation of women in trademarking activity has more than doubled between 1980 to 2010, from 16.5% to just over 33%. Further, the number of patents awarded to women increased by 35% between 2009 to 2010. As of 2010, 18% of patents awarded were granted to women, while 33% of trademarks were granted to women.

To learn more about this study, read this news release, and click on the following link to download a copy of the report, Intellectual Property and Women Entrepreneurs.
 

Also on the innovation front, keep an eye out for an upcoming report from the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) (penned by Womenable), analyzing the results of a six-country survey of innovative motivations, practices and barriers. Women and men business owners from a variety of industries were interviewed, and the results are fascinating. Stay tuned! 

One reason there's a greater awareness of the contributions of women in business and innovation may not only be because the pace is picking up, but because more voices are being raised drawing attention to these important issues. Here are a few of those voices: