Check us out! There are so many reasons to join NAWBO.
If you have trouble viewing the video on this page, please visit us on YouTube.
The Power of Women Business Owners
Visionary Awards Address by Andrea Nameche
July 15, 2010
Once again, NAWBO Columbus celebrates the extraordinary visions of women who have been leaders in their businesses, in their industries, and in their communities. These four women that we honor today have met all of these criteria and more. As you listen to their stories , you will hear the stories of women who have consistently found ways to achieve success and growth for their businesses through many changes in the economy, in their industries, and in their personal lives. They also have inspired us with their commitment to the wellbeing of their employees and their dedication to the betterment of their communities. Marcia, Merry, Teresa, and Martha . . .you are an inspiration to us all, and we salute you.
Today as we learn more about our honorees, I am reminded that there is no shortage of vision here in this room or across our country. It is an act of faith in today’s economic climate to start a new business or take the helm of an existing one. But each day, four hundred women across America take that leap of faith to begin a brand new business. Others are stepping forward in established businesses to take responsibility for the future economic success of the business and the employees who depend on them. In the midst of an economic recession, this is not a responsibility to be taken lightly. There are 45,000 women business owners right here in central Ohio. Each of our businesses, no matter the size or the form, represents a vision – for our own financial security, for control of our careers and our destinies, and for the good we can do for our families, our employees, and our communities.
We have reached a watershed moment in history. Women in 2005 were responsible for one third of all entrepreneurial activity. Today, women in the United States are starting businesses at twice the rate of men, and show no signs of slowing down. Between 1997 and 2007, women-owned firms had a compound annual growth rate of 20% - compared to a 7% for firms as a whole. The implications for our economy are significant. Economists expect 80% or more of net job growth in the recovery to come from small businesses established less then five years ago. Many of these firms are led by women, and economists, politicians and the world are finally beginning to take notice of this important demographic shift. Across America, there are 10 million woman-owned firms, employing more than 13 million people, and generating 1.9 trillion dollars in sales. Starting a business right now is no longer just a matter of individual dreams – it is an act of patriotism!
For many of us, whether we are first-time business owners, serial entrepreneurs, or established business leaders, NAWBO has been a critical component in our success. NAWBO is a place where we can learn from each other’s successes, draw on each other’s strength, and find answers to our questions. For all the rewards that come with being a business owner, it can also be a lonely place to be, especially for women business owners. For our members, NAWBO has become that trusted group of peers and colleagues that we lost when we stepped out of corporate America to forge our own paths, or answered the call to lead the companies where we have worked. As one of our members here at NAWBO Columbus says: “I am in business for myself, but I am not in business alone.”
At NAWBO, we as an organization also have a vision: to clear the path for business success for our members, and ensure that they never lack the resources to fulfill their dreams. Because for all the progress we have made and all the growth that economists are praising, we recognize that there are still many barriers to be broken. Only fifteen Fortune Five Hundred companies have female CEOs, and only 15 percent of senior executive and board members in these companies are women. And even though well over half of all new businesses started in 2008 were founded by women, these women received only 6.8 percent of venture capital that year. Here in Central Ohio, only 5,000 of the 45,000 women-owned businesses currently have employees.
Now, many of us have left the traditional executive ladder voluntarily, and have chosen to create our own, alternative paths through entrepreneurship. NAWBO salutes each woman who is taking charge of her own destiny and defining success on her own terms.
My hope and vision for NAWBO Columbus is that this will be an organization that gives women the tools and the confidence to create the businesses that they truly want, without feeling limited by lack of capital, lack of expertise, or lack of support. For some of us, that will always mean being a solopreneur, with the freedom to balance our work and families while providing for our own economic independence. This is not a small dream. But NAWBO is also a place to come for those who want to take the next step into becoming an employer, going after venture capital opportunities, and growing their businesses to a million dollars and beyond. Of those 10 million women-owned businesses in America, only 3 percent are at the million-plus level. But nationally among NAWBO members, 26 percent have annual revenues exceeding a million dollars – in some cases, vastly exceeding.
As women, our dreams for ourselves and our businesses will change over our lifetimes as our own visions evolve. But whatever our dreams are, NAWBO Columbus is a place where we can all come to find the inspiration, the resources, and the opportunities that will help us get there.
NAWBO offers inspiration from dynamic women business owners who come to events to connect with other women and get recharged by each other’s success stories. One NAWBO Columbus member and past Visionary honoree told us that after 25 years in business, her enthusiasm and passion were just not there anymore – but her involvement in NAWBO has relit that fire and enabled her to take her renewed passion back into her business.
NAWBO offers resources for solving the business issues you are facing now though our corporate partners and the connections that are made at our meetings. I guarantee you that if you reach out at one of our meetings with a question or a business need, someone there will know someone who will know how to help. One member shared the story of sitting next to a banking corporate partner who overheard her talking about financing for her start up, and gave her the very good advice to apply for a business line of credit before she came to the point where she really needed it. She applied for and got her loan approved that week, and it gave her young company the breathing room that it needed to continue to grow.
Finally, NAWBO offers opportunity to challenge your thinking, fuel your growth, and learn to dream big. In June, I had the very great pleasure of attending NAWBO’s national conference in Washington DC, and came away truly inspired by what these women have achieved. Annette Tadeo-Goldstein from Florida is a business owner and founder of LanguageSpeak, a translation services company. In 2008, she was able to raise 1.8 million dollars in eight months to run for the U.S. Senate. Another NAWBO member, Jane Wurwand, is the founder and CEO of Dermalogica, now an 100 million dollar company selling skin care products in 48 countries. Not bad for a beauty school graduate! And finally Anousha Ansari, founder of Telecom Technologies, is teaching us how to literally reach for the stars. She sold her company in 2002 and realized her dream of becoming the first woman to purchase a paid, private trip to the International Space Station. Since then, she has started a foundation to help bring space travel to the private sector, and is now working on growing her second company, Prodea Business. These women, and many like them, are teaching us that we do not have to limit our visions to what we think we can do. The size of our dreams and the success of our businesses are limited only by what we decide we want to do.
Perhaps a visionary, most of all, is one who comes to a brick wall and sees only the opportunity to climb. The women we honor today, and many others in this room, have put all their energy into that climb. These four women you will meet this morning are an inspiration to all of us to hold on to our own visions, to keep the faith, and to keep on climbing.
|
|