Building a Women's Enterprise Movement That Will Stand the Test of Time
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Building a Women’s Enterprise Movement That Will Stand the Test of Time: Lessons From the US Julie R. Weeks President & CEO Womenable
description
An exploration of the history of the women's business movement in the United States, on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the passage of the Women's Business Ownership Act of 1988. Three waves of the movement are discussed: information, formation, and transformation. The presentation ends with four key elements of a sustainable ecosystem and a depiction of what a healthy ecosystem might look like.
Transcript of Building a Women's Enterprise Movement That Will Stand the Test of Time
Building a Women’s Enterprise Movement That Will Stand the Test of Time:
Lessons From the US
Julie R. WeeksPresident & CEO
Womenable
Mary Katherine Goddard (1738-1816)Newspaper publisher, Printer of the Declaration of Independence
Polly Bemis(born Lalu Nathoy)
(1853-1933)From indentured servitude
to successful rancher
Madam CJ Walker(born Sarah Breedlove)(1867-1919)Daughter of slaves, first African-American millionairess
The Three Waves of Women’s Enterprise Development in the US
1. INFORMATION: Dawning Awareness
2. FORMATION: Finding Our Voice
3. TRANSFORMATION: Shaping Our Future Ourselves
Wave II: The Formation of a Women’s Business “Movement”
▲1974: Equal Credit Opportunity Act
▲1975: NAWBO founded
▲1978: President’s Interagency Task Force on Women’s Entrepreneurship
▲1986: White House Conference on Small Business
WBO Act of 1988: The “Big Bang” of Women’s Entrepreneurship
H.R 5050
Economic Clout of WOBs Boosted By Expansion of Census
Source: US Census Bureau
Women’s Business Center Program Established
• Number of WBCs has grown from 4 “demon-stration sites” in 1989 to over 100 today
• Served 190,000+ clients in FY2012 w/ budget of $14 M
• Evaluations show significant ROI, client satisfaction
ECOA Expanded to Include Business Credit
• Prior to HR5050 women could not get business credit in their own name
• % of WBOs with bank loan or line of credit*• 26% in 1992• 58% in 1998• 57% in 2002
*Source: NAWBO membership surveys
WBOs Get Seat at Federal Policy Table Via NWBC
• Bi-partisan
• 15 members: mixture of individual WBOs and WBO associations
• Submits annual report to SBA, Congress, President on state of women’s enterprise, policy recommendations
• Research, roundtables, bully pulpit
1990’s: A Proliferation of Women’s Business Organizations
Wave III: Taking the Future Into Our Own Hands
▲Data, Data, Data
▲Messages Matter: What we say, how we say it
▲Champions
▲Schumpeter at Work: Succession & Spinoffs
Data, Data, Data
▲Highlight gaps
▲Chart progress
▲Bust myths
▲Tell stories
Messages Matter: The Value of Soundbites
“Women-owned firms are just as financially sound and creditworthy as the average US firm.” ~ NFWBO, Breaking the Boundaries report, 1995
The Importance of “Champions”
▲Early support: a leap of faith
▲Often ephemeral
▲Pack mentality
▲Symbiosis
Succession & Spin-offs
NAWBO
NFWBO CWBR
NWBOC
WIPP
WLE
AWED
WBCs From 4 to 110
WPO Now in UK
WBENC WE Connect Int’l
BPW
BPW Fdn BPW Int’l
Developing a Women’s Enterprise Ecosystem
Fact-based data
Policies
ProgrammesLegal parity
EE&T
Capital
Networks
Markets
Building a Women’s Enterprise Movement That Will Stand the Test of Time:
Lessons From the US
Julie R. WeeksPresident & CEO
Womenable
