Sharon Hadary of the Center for Women’s Business Research has an article in the Wall Street Journal on “Why Are Women-Owned Firms Smaller Than Men-Owned Ones?”

Based on her research, she believes that women are limited in business by their self-perceptions and the stereotypes others impose upon them. The challenges are related to the goals that women set, as well as their access to capital, markets, and networks. Hadary offers several recommendations, beginning with changing mindsets and the way women learn.

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An entrepreneur is someone determined to remain independent, an innovator with the ability to identify and define creative market opportunities, a calculated risk taker,  and someone apt at applying resources to their full potential.  The guidebook, How to Start a Business: A Guide for Women, published last year by CIPE-Pakistan is a vital resource for budding entrepreneurs in Pakistan.  Though it’s focus is on women, the guide covers the general process of entrepreneurship and is applicable to both male and female entrepreneurs.  The guide outlines important preparations for becoming an entrepreneur and maintaining a profitable business, along with case studies of successful business strategies developed by women in Pakistan.

Download the guidebook How to Start a Business:  A Guide for Women.

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The Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE) invites young people to share their ideas on how to create opportunities for youth to strengthen democracy and the private sector in their countries. Students and young professionals aged 18-30 are welcome to participate by writing an essay on one of the three topics: Democracy that delivers, Entrepreneurship and society, or Women and participation. Winning articles will be published by CIPE and receive a $1,000 honorarium.

Please visit the 2010 International Youth Essay Contest website at www.cipe.org/essay for further information and details about the contest.

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SMEs owned by women create the bulk of formal employment in most economies around the world. Women’s business associations can provide support for women-owned SMEs, and thereby assume the role of influential community change-makers and stakeholders. However, business leaders in developing countries, in particular women business leaders, face challenges that entrepreneurs in developed countries may never encounter. These barriers fall into two key categories: instability and infrastructure.

Closely tied to cultural, social, economic, and political country conditions, instability involves the struggles of women dealing with patriarchal restraints, corruption, and sometimes organized crime and war. Infrastructure barriers deal with weak or lacking institutions that inhibit women’s ability to conduct business. These include: property rights, recognition of women’s rights as human rights, accounting, taxation, and banking rules, and civil law. Overcoming the challenges posed by instability and infrastructure calls for an engagement of women’s NGOs and business associations as agents of change, as they advocate, support, and amplify necessary reforms

Read the full article: Empowering Women through Non-governmental Organizations and Women’s Business Associations.

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As we celebrate International Women’s Day, I am thinking of one of our earlier advocates for women’s rights here in the U.S. Susan B. Anthony was a suffragette in the days when that word carried a lot of opprobrium, but she stood fast for her principles and improved life for us all. Today is a different world and there is a lot more information and support available for women seeking to make a difference.

Where can women in your country access such information and support? Is there data available? Who is at the vanguard of representing women’s political enfranchisement and economic empowerment?

I’m interested in knowing more about the resources out there!

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“Few companies make social investments specifically aimed at empowering women in developing economies, but we believe that supporting this goal is good business and good practice for all companies. In the course of our work, we’ve uncovered a startlingly wide range of ways in which private-sector companies can offer sizable economic benefits not only to women and their societies but also to the companies themselves. The benefits to businesses come from enlarging their markets, improving the quality or size of their current and potential workforce (for instance, by attracting talent globally), and maintaining or improving their reputations…”

Read more about how helping women helps business and share some of your own experiences here.

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For the Facebook lovers, we have a created a new community page. You can use it to get the community news and start conversations on expanding entrepreneurship. There’s no other page like it.

Visit the page and become a fan now! 

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Kim Bettcher
CIPE

After completing her studies in hotel and tourism management from Japan and Singapore, Qurat-ul-Ain had a thought one morning: “why not own a business?” The idea became the guiding star that led her to seek new horizons in the city of Lahore, Pakistan.

Starting up a business is highly demanding, yet enticing because the consolation prizes to be won are splendid. Qurat-ul-Ain says: “the biggest challenge starting out for me pertained to financial support and competition […] I had experienced all the difficulties that women face in the prestart up stage of their business. This is a time when women require very specific input and the right and proper guidance to ensure that they skim their ideas and do not give up.”

You can read more about Qurat-ul-Ain and other women entrepreneurs in Pakistan in the Sarsabz Foundation’s inspiring compilation, “Telling their Stories.”

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Here’s a story of persistence and personal improvement about a former cattle-herd in Zimbabwe. Thanks to Catalin and Melinda in Romania for sharing.

New York Times:
“Triumph of a Dreamer”

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The Community of Women Entrepreneurs is now one year old! Thank you all for your participation this past year. This is a good moment to reflect on the value this community offers and to see how we can improve it for the next year. Whether you use this forum a lot or a little, please take a moment to complete a simple survey:

Complete the survey here.

Your responses will help us improve the international environment for women’s entrepreneurship. Thanks!

Kim Bettcher
Center for International Private Enterprise

To share an item with the Community of Women Entrepreneurs, send it to partners@cipe.org.