Author Archive
Research Identifies Green Ceiling for Women Seeking IPO Investors
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In a study conducted by the David Eccles School of Business, a male and female research team found that investors are less likely to back an IPO from a company led by a woman than a company led by a male. This is being referred to as the “Green Ceiling” in the investment world.
In Skirting the Issues: Evidence of Gender Bias in IPO Prospectus Evaluators, the report authors concluded that the “lack of female-led IPOs suggests a potentially larger problem — a gender-based capital gap for new ventures.” Despite the fact that nearly half of all privately held businesses in the United States are owned or led by women, the report explains that there is still a reluctance to invest in IPOs spearheaded by women. The team wrote:
“Despite identical personal qualifications and firm financials, female founders/CEOs were perceived as less capable than their male counterparts, and IPOs led by female founders/CEOs were considered less attractive. Like the glass ceiling of corporate America that has limited the advancement of female managers, female entrepreneurs face a ‘green ceiling’ when it comes to financing. Taken as a whole, our results suggest that gender stereotypes are alive and well and moreover, that such stereotypes impact investment decisions.”
1 in 2 Independent Consultants are Women [Infographic]
Posted by: | CommentsStatistics show women are joining the growing independent consulting sector at a rapid pace. Women make up less than half (47%) of the traditional workforce, but they make up 53% (8.5 million) of the independent workforce.
A new study from MBO Partners reports that 77% these women are satisfied and 74% plan on remaining in independent work. The top reasons women cite for taking the independent route are: more flexibility (65%), control of their own schedules (64%), and being their own boss (59%).
MBO Partners released an infographic that highlights all of the key findings about women independent consultants from the survey, which you can see below (click the image to view it at full size).
The American Entrepreneurs Landscape Infographic
Posted by: | CommentsIn the United States, over half a million businesses are launched every month. America is the land of entrepreneurs, but where are entrepreneurs opening businesses and what kinds of businesses are they creating?
Doc Stoc and Visual.ly put together an infographic that examines where entrepreneurs are staking claims in the United States. The infographic identifies the fastest growing industries, the best and worst states to be an entrepreneur, and how many businesses are created in the US each month.
Key findings from the infographic include:
President Obama Weighs in on Women’s Issues at Women’s Leadership Forum
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I was invited to listen to President Obama speak at the Women’s Leadership Forum in Washington, D.C. today on behalf of Women on Business. Unfortunately, I couldn’t make it to watch listen in person, but I do have some excerpts from the President’s speech to share.
It’s an election year, and women’s issues are drawing a lot of attention in a variety of ways from both political parties. President Obama’s message for women leaders as expressed in today’s speech included the following highlights:
“As a father, the highlight of my day is asking my daughters about theirs. Their hopes and their futures are what drive me every day I step into the Oval Office. Every decision I make is all about making sure they and all our daughters and all our sons grow up in a country that gives them the chance to be anything they set their minds to; a country where more doors are open to them than were ever open to us.”
Women on Business Welcomes Gayla Baer as Assistant Editor
Posted by: | CommentsThe Women on Business team is growing again, and I’m thrilled to announce that seasoned blogger, veteran writer, small business owner, and professional online editor and community manager Gayla Baer is our new Assistant Editor!
Yes, you read that description correctly — Gayla has worn many hats throughout her career and brings a wealth of experience, insight, and personality to Women on Business! I first worked with Gayla 5 years ago for b5media. She’s fantastic to work with and I’m so happy that she agreed to join us here on Women on Business. You can learn more about her below.
Gayla Baer has a long, impressive career in the world of online writing, social media and community building. Since she began working online in 1999, she has learned to infiltrate several niche categories with authority. Twice she grew a blog into a community, the community into a business and then sold both yielding six figure profits! She worked as channel editor for the #1 blog network managing 80+ global writers and served as community manager to one of the most influential bloggers.
Learn more about Gayla and her extensive portfolio of accomplishments and small business services at GaylaBaer.com. You can also connect with her on Twitter (@gayla) and Facebook.
Bethany Wood Joins the Women on Business Writing Team
Posted by: | CommentsPlease join me in welcoming another new contributor to the Women on Business writing team, Bethany Wood. Learn more about Bethany below and keep an eye out for her articles which are coming soon!
Bethany Wood is a serial entrepreneur and has started several successful companies in a variety of fields including manufacturing, distribution, consumer goods, financial services, marketing and consulting. She is currently the President of SEI International and has business interest in the US, India and China.
As an entrepreneur Bethany is constantly finding opportunities to expand SEI’s holdings and as a business owner she is continually learning new ways to improve business performance. As a writer Bethany contributed to and edited the Back to Basics management book.
To receive additional business tips from Bethany follow her on Twitter @BethanysTips or read her blog www.BethanysTips.wordpress.com.
Enter to Win an OFM High Back Leather Chair for Your Office
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I’m happy to announce that ComputerChairs.com is hosting a great contest for Women On Business readers where one lucky winner could win a gorgeous OFM Promotional High Back Leather Chair 500-L, which retails for $381.00.
The chair that one randomly selected winner will receive features a gas-lift seat height adjustment, black leather upholstery, built-in lumbar support, polyurethane arms, and a warranty. You can follow the link above to get more details about the chair.
To enter to win this leather office chair, follow the rules below:
- To enter, leave a comment on this post before 11:59pm on Monday, April 23, 2012 (Eastern Time). One comment per email address please. Contest open to entrants with continental U.S. mailing addresses only.
- Each comment will be entered into a drawing, and one winner will be selected randomly from those entries.
- The winner will be contacted via email, so please be sure you leave a valid email address in your comment.
- The winner will be notified on or about April 24, 2012. If a winner does not respond with his or her mailing address within 72 hours of the notification email being sent, he or she forfeits the prize and an alternate winner will be selected (same guidelines apply).
Jessica Baxter Joins the Women on Business Writing Team
Posted by: | CommentsPlease join me in welcoming a new contributor to the Women on Business writing team, Jessica Baxter. You can learn more about Jessica below.
Jessica Baxter describes herself as a creative chameleon and entrepreneur. At 20 her mission was to start her own label and business, embarking from to New York from Australia to learn first from contemporary jewelry label Fenton Fallon. A love for writing landed her at the glass doors at Vogue Magazine, giving her the background to pursue her goal of one day, developing her own magazine.
Returning to Australia, Jessica continues to write and design; igniting several of her own ventures in both jewelry and a swimwear, the next few years seeing the evolution of a hub and overall brand; synonymous with Jessica’s eclectic aesthetic, hunger for quality and constant desire to innovate.
Jessica can be reached via email, through her website, her blog, or on Twitter @_jessicabaxter.
Don’t believe that the gender wage gap exists? Don’t believe it really matters? New statistics provide some startling proof and perspective.
Today is Equal Pay Day, so let’s take a look at some statistics that really put the gender wage gap into perspective from a recent report by the National Partnership for Women & Wage Families.
Nationally, women are paid 77 cents for every dollar paid to men, which amounts to a yearly wage gap of $10,784 between full-time working men and women. The size of the wage gap varies from its lowest in Vermont where women make 84 cents for every dollar that men make to its highest in Wyoming where women make just 64 cents for every dollar that men make. You can see the full chart to the right.
The gender wage gap for a woman working full-time and year-round equates to:
- 92 weeks of food (that’s 1.8 years)
- 7 months of mortgage and utilities payments
- 13 months of rent
- 35 months of family health insurance premiums (that’s 2.9 years)
- 2,751 gallons of gas
Work Smarter – Not Harder [Infographic]
Posted by: | CommentsWant to learn how to work smarter, not harder? A new infographic shares some useful information and mental tricks that can improve both your efficiency and the quality of your work while reducing job stress. It also helps you learn ways to be more productive so you can leave the office at a reasonable time. If Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg can leave work at 5:30 every day, then so can you!
From: Best Masters Degrees
What do you think? Is leaving the office at a reasonable time realistic for you? Leave a comment and share your thoughts.
