Center Publication
Fact of the Week, June 25, 2001
January - June 2001
Latina entrepreneurs in the U.S. acquired capital from a variety of sources in order to become business owners. Thirty-four percent (34%) used their personal savings, 15% had commercial bank loans, and 31% relied on other lending sources. Only 6% of Latina business owners did not use any start-up capital.
From The Spirit of Enterprise: Latina Entrepreneurs in the United States, © NFWBO 2000, underwritten by Wells Fargo
Fact of the Week, June 18, 2001
A clear majority of women in the United Kingdom (59%), but only 38% of the men are sole owners of their businesses. More than half of the male business owners (51%) but only 34% of the women own firms with one or two other owners.
From On the Move: Women and Men Business Owners in the United Kingdom, authored by Dr. Sara Carter and Ms. Susan Anderson, University of Strathclyde in collaboration with NFWBO, underwritten by IBM, 2001.
Fact of the Week, June 11, 2001
Access to capital is a more important issue for women business owners than for men. Fifty-seven percent (57%) of women who own fast-growing firms and 50% of other women business owners indicate that access to capital for current business needs is either a very or extremely important current business issue. In contrast, less than half of the men business owners (46% of the men who own fast-growing firms and 44% of other men business owners) responded similarly.
From Entrepreneurial Vision in Action: Exploring Growth Among Women- and Men-Owned Firms, © NFWBO 2001, underwritten by FleetBoston Financial, Edward Lowe Foundation, and Kauffman Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership
Fact of the Week, June 4, 2001
Institutional equity investors report that two-thirds (64%) of the proposals that they seriously consider come from referral networks, and that only one-third (36%) are unsolicited. Referred proposals come primarily from attorneys (45%), accountants and CPAs (33%), other equity investment firms (29%), and word of mouth (27%).
From Women Entrepreneurs in the Equity Capital Markets: The New Frontier, © NFWBO 2000, underwritten by Wells Fargo
Fact of the Week, May 28, 2001
Nearly half (48%) of women business owners surveyed who currently volunteer began their voluntarism at a young age, either in their youth (40%) or adolescence (8%). In contrast, the majority of men business owners (52%) began volunteering for charitable causes as an adult, while 40% began before adulthood (33% as a youth and 7% as an adolescent).
From Leaders in Business and Community: The Philanthropic Contributions of Women and Men Business Owners, © NFWBO 2000, underwritten by Merrill Lynch
Fact of the Week, May 21, 2001
Women owners of fast-growing businesses are more likely than other owners to consult with accountants regularly on business management and growth issues. Sixty percent (60%) of fast-growth women owners compared to 40% of other women owners consult with accountants; likewise, 44% of fast-growth men owners compared to 33% of other men owners consult with accountants.
Fact of the Week, May 14, 2001
The number of women-owned firms with employees grew six times faster than the national average from 1992 to 1997 (37% compared to 6%). Payroll in women-owned firms grew at almost twice the rate for all firms (46% compared to 25%).
From Women-Owned Businesses, 1997 Economic Census, Survey of Women-Owned Business Enterprises, U.S. Census Bureau, 2001
Fact of the Week, May 7, 2001
Women business owners in the United Kingdom make more regular use of the Internet for business activities than do men entrepreneurs. Among computer users, 60% of women business owners and 52% of men business owners regularly use the Internet to communicate or send e-mail. Forty-one percent (41%) of women and 33% of men regularly use the Internet for downloading information or files.
From On the Move: Women and Men Business Owners in the United Kingdom, authored by Dr. Sara Carter and Ms. Susan Anderson, University of Strathclyde in collaboration with NFWBO, underwritten by IBM, 2001
Fact of the Week, April 30, 2001
The owners of fast-growing firms are younger than the owners of other firms. Forty-four percent (44%) of the women owners of fast-growing businesses are under 45 years of age compared to only one-quarter (26%) of women owners of other firms.
Fact of the Week, April 23, 2001
Between 1992 and 1997, the number of women-owned firms increased two-and-a-half times faster than all U.S. businesses (16% compared to 6%). Employment in women-owned firms grew more than three times the rate for all firms (28% compared to 8%).
Fact of the Week, April 16, 2001
Women-owned businesses are growing in number and economic clout. Between 1992 and 1997, the number of women-owned firms increased 16%, employment expanded 28%, and revenues grew 33%.
Fact of the Week, April 2, 2001
Fast-growing businesses are not necessarily high-tech firms; among fast-growing firms surveyed, less than 20% are found in a high technology industry (IT, telecommunications, biotechnology, or life sciences). Furthermore, high-tech firms are not necessarily fast growth. However, women-owned high-tech firms are more likely to be fast-growing than men-owned high-tech firms; 48% of women-owned high-tech firms are fast growth, compared to 28% of men-owned high-tech firms.
Fact of the Week, March 26, 2001
Employment in women-owned firms in the United Kingdom has grown substantially in the past three years, and at a faster rate than in men-owned firms. In 1998, 28% of women-owned firms had no employees; by 2000, this number had dropped to 20%. During the same period, there was an increase in the number of women-owned firms in the 1 to 9 and 10 to 49 employment size categories. Employment in men-owned firms also increased in the past three years, but at a much lesser rate than in women-owned firms.
Fact of the Week, March 19, 2001
Women and men owners of fast-growing firms are more likely than other business owners to use certain types of credit and loans for business capital. While 56% of the women owners and 52% of the men owners of fast-growing firms utilize business credit cards, only 40% of women who own slower-growing firms and 39% of men who own slower-growing firms do so.
Fact of the Week, March 12, 2001
Women-owned firms are making an important contribution to the economy in the United Kingdom. It is estimated that there are more than 950,000 women-owned firms, representing 26% of all firms in the country. Women own firms in the traditional services and retail sectors, as well as the less traditional construction and manufacturing industries.
Fact of the Week, March 5, 2001
Women owners of fast-growing businesses are significantly more likely to use personal credit cards to meet their capital needs than are men owners of fast-growing firms (32% compared to 21%). Also, significantly fewer fast-growth women business owners have a commercial bank loan compared to men business owners (39% compared to 52%).
Fact of the Week, February 26, 2001
Women who own fast-growing businesses are more likely than women who own slower-growing firms to access a wide range of credit sources and to borrow to finance their firms. On average, women owners of fast-growing firms obtain capital from 4.2 different sources, while women who own slower-growing firms obtain capital from 3.4 various sources.
Fact of the Week, February 19, 2001
Almost half (45%) of women business owners with equity capital say they are using it to make capital improvements or purchase equipment for their businesses. One-third (33%) are using it to start their businesses, 30% are putting the money to use in research and development, and 28% are using it to expand their staff.
Fact of the Week, February 12, 2001
Access to capital has improved for women business owners. From 1992 to 1998, their use of credit cards dropped from 52% to 36%, and their use of business earnings to finance growth nearly doubled to 65%. Over half of women (52%) and men (59%) business owners had bank credit as of 1998.
From Capital, Credit and Financing: An Update Comparing Women and Men Business Owners’ Sources and Uses of Capital, © NFWBO 1998, sponsored by Wells Fargo
Fact of the Week, February 5, 2001
Most Latina entrepreneurs are proud of their cultural heritage and consider it an asset. Two-thirds (64%) of Latina business owners consider their cultural heritage and background an asset in the business community, just 16% say it is mostly a challenge, and 7% say it is both.
Fact of the Week, January 29, 2001
Women are playing an important role in creating new companies in Argentina, as 49% of the companies owned by women are less than 5 years old and 22% are 6 to 10 years old. Among men-owned companies, 24% are less than 5 years old and 29% are 6 to 10 years old.
From Women Business Owners in Argentina: A Source of Economic Growth, 2000, prepared by Instituto APOYO in collaboration with CIPE, IBM, and NFWBO
Fact of the Week, January 22, 2001
Women business owners with equity capital are most likely to receive it from informal investors and individual angel investors. Nearly three-quarters (73%) of women entrepreneurs with equity capital received an investment from informal investors, such as family members and friends. Likewise, 73% received equity capital from individual investors, such as angel investors, 25% report that corporate investors made investments in their firms, and 15% received funding from venture capital firms.
Fact of the Week, January 15, 2001
Women and men business owners are more likely to make philanthropic contributions when they believe in the cause, when the solicitor is polite, and when the solicitor demonstrates a need. At the top of the list of discouragements to giving is pushy solicitors; 42% of women and 32% of men entrepreneurs are discouraged by pushy behavior.
Fact of the Week, January 8, 2001
Regardless of the size of their businesses, women consistently employ a more gender-balanced workforce. Women-owned firms with under $250,000, $250,000 to $999,999, and $1 million or more in revenues all employ just over half women. Men-owned firms with under $250,000 in revenues employ 44% women, while employment of women declines to 37% for firms with $250,000 to $999,999 in revenues and 35% for firms with $1 or more in revenues.
From Business Owners and Gender Equity in the Workplace, © NFWBO 2000
Fact of the Week, January 1, 2001
Women business owners who have obtained equity investments in their firms are more likely than those still seeking equity investments (50% compared to 39%) to work with outside consultants when putting together their proposals. Women entrepreneurs with equity investments are more likely to seek assistance from accountants, attorneys, and fellow business owners.
Citation
Center for Women’s Business Research. “Fact of the Week, June 25, 2001.” Washington, DC.