Women Entrepreneurs Women business owners are attracting considerable attention, and many opportunities are available to this fast-growing group. Women business owners are a driving force in our economy and owned 35 percent of all firms in 1996. Between 1987 and 1996 the number of women-owned businesses grew 78 percent. Despite their increasing numbers, women business owners do experience both more problems and different kinds of problems than men.
Women entrepreneurs are more likely to fail than men.
Typical barriers include lack of access to capital and a lack of basic business skills, entrepreneurial training and marketing expertise. Studies indicate that women business owners use less formal and more participative management styles than men. They define their business goals more broadly to include customer satisfaction as well as profit and growth. They start their ventures with less than half as much capital as men. The center is devoted to research, education and information about women entrepreneurs, who are often overlooked in academic and business circles.