Women's entrepreneurship

Miami-based entrepreneur Vivian Machado is blowing by the competition with her popular performance modification services for Ford, Chevy and Dodge trucks.

Small business owner Lynn Meyers is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week to ensure critical packages are delivered on time.

“In this business, it’s important to be able to sleep standing up,” said Lynn.

Lynn is the owner of Cincinnati, Ohio-based United Courier Inc.—a delivery service that attends to the time-sensitive needs of its clients. A self-proclaimed “chronic entrepreneur,” Lynn has been in the business of creating small firms since 1986 and settled into her current role in 2006.

Ramona Thomas, a trained mathematician with a Ph.D. in education, gave up an 18-year career and position as vice president of a venture philanthropy firm to strike out on her own and open what is now Chicago’s premiere artisan chocolate boutique—My Chocolate Soul.

In today’s political climate, a lot of political leaders talk about wanting to help small business, but oftentimes don’t take their actual comments and concerns into consideration when working on key policy issues, like tax reform and healthcare. That’s why we tackled this challenge head on at Small Business Majority’s 2017 Policy Forum, which brought 50 small business leaders from around the country to our nation’s capital to discuss how to promote policy reforms that will help small businesses thrive.

Starting a business and starting a family at the same time is no easy feat. Just ask Chanceé Lundy, a new mom who is also co-owner of Nspiregreen LLC in Washington, D.C.

“The cost of child care can be incredibly burdensome for small businesses, especially in large cities,” Chanceé said. “Since I had a child, I’ve had to be very disciplined in juggling my time–particularly because child care facilities where I live are very expensive and typically have a waiting list of one year or more. This can be crippling to a new business owner who did not foresee these issues.”

Women-led small businesses have a tremendously positive impact not only within their own communities, but across the small business landscape nationwide.

Even so, many obstacles remain, particularly in the area of financing. Because adequate capitalization is vital in operating and growing a company, this is a challenge which must be faced head-on for the business to succeed.

Fortunately, there are a number of steps women entrepreneurs can take to address this issue and help ensure that it doesn't become a stumbling block.

246 hours. For eight months, Kristine de la Cruz spent one hour each day working on a business plan. After 246 hours, Crème Caramel LA was ready to sell.

Crème Caramel LA, a custard and confection dessert bakeshop in Sherman Oaks, CA, may have only taken 246 hours to conceive, but the notion of owning her own business had been with Cruz for far longer.

As a tool, digital media’s ability to appeal to niche audiences is unparalleled. Susana Baumann is an entrepreneur who capitalized on its power to help an underserved group she herself is a part of: Latina businesswomen.

LatinasInBusiness.us, or LIBizus, is an initiative of LCS Worldwide Language and Multicultural Marketing Communications, a small business Baumann started nearly 20 years ago.