Five dollars can go a lot further than you think. Access to credit is the No. 1 issue for women entrepreneurs of all incomes and backgrounds, according to Kay Koplovitz, who chairs the National Women's Business Council.
Banks often consider women bad credit risks.
Many women leave full-time paying jobs to care for family, and frequently their assets are in their husbands' names. In for Women's Economic Independence, P.O. Box 96064, Washington, DC 20090-6064.