Center Publication
Fact of the Week, June 30, 1997
Copyright Notice
Women Business Owners.
January - June 1997
Of the 50 leading women entrepreneurs identified through the National Foundation for Women Business Owners research, just over half (51%) started their large enterprises 34% started it themselves, 17% started it with others. Just under half (46%) of these women inherited their businesses, and 3% purchased their business.
From Leading Women Entrepreneurs of the World 1997, NFWBO and the STAR Group 1997.
Fact of the Week, June 23, 1997
Although most women-owned firms in developed nations are in the service and retail trade sectors, the growth rate of these firms into less traditional fields of business endeavor is increasing. In the U.S., the fastest growing sectors for women are in construction, wholesale trade, transportation, and agribusiness. A similar trend in industry diversification is seen in Canada.
From NFWBO news advisory issued in honor of International Women s Day (March 8) and Women s History Month (March).
Fact of the Week, June 16, 1997
Of the 50 leading women entrepreneurs identified through the National Foundation for Women Business Owners research, fully three-quarters (73%) are college educated; and half (50%) are married, 25% are widowed, 19% are divorced, and 6% have never been married.
Fact of the Week, June 9, 1997
The metropolitan areas where the growth in the number of women-owned firms exceeds the area average by the widest margins are: 1) New Orleans, LA and Oklahoma City, OK (both 2.2:1); 3) Riverside-San Bernardino, CA and Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL (both 1.9:1); 5) Phoenix-Mesa, AZ (1.8:1); 6) Sacramento, CA; Salt Lake City-Ogden, UT; Los Angeles-Long Beach, CA; Nassau-Suffolk, NY; San Diego, CA, and San Antonio, TX (all 1.7:1).
From 1996 Facts on Women-Owned Businesses: Trends in the Top 50 Metropolitan Areas, NFWBO 1997.
Fact of the Week, June 2, 1997
Two-thirds of the companies owned by the 50 leading women entrepreneurs identified by the National Foundation for Women Business Owners in 1997 are involved in international trade, and over one-third are listed on their country’s stock exchange.
From Leading Women Entrepreneurs of the World 1997, NFWBO and The STAR Group 1997.
Fact of the Week, May 26, 1997
Collectively, women-owned firms in the top 50 metropolitan areas in the U.S. number nearly 4 million, employ 9.8 million people, and generate $1.3 trillion in sales meaning that over half of the number, employment and sales of women-owned firms in the U.S. are located in the top 50 metropolitan areas.
From 1996 Facts on Women-Owned Businesses: Trends in the Top 50 Metropolitan Areas, NFWBO 1997
Fact of the Week, May 19, 1997
Women are starting businesses faster than their male counterparts in a number of countries. In the U.S., the number of women-owned firms has increased at nearly twice the national average between 1987 and 1996. In Canada, the number of women-led firms has increased at over twice the national rate between 1991 and 1994.
From NFWBO news advisory issued in honor of International Women’s Day (March 8) and Women’s History Month (March).
Fact of the Week, May 12, 1997
In each of the top 50 metropolitan areas in the United States, women-owned firms are growing much faster than all businesses in the area. The growth in the number of women-owned firms between 1987 and 1996 exceeds that of all firms in the area, by ratios of 1.2 to 1 to 2.2 to 1.
Fact of the Week, May 5, 1997
One in five of the companies owned by the 50 leading women entrepreneurs identified by the National Foundation for Women Business Owners in 1997 have revenues in excess of $1 billion U.S. dollars. They are in virtually every industry; 27% are in manufacturing, 25% in retail trade, 10% in real estate, and 18% own multi-industry conglomerates.
Fact of the Week, April 28, 1997
The 50 leading women entrepreneurs identified through the National Foundation for Women Business Owners’ research and profiled in a new publication represent 22 countries: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Norway, Philippines, Portugal, Scotland, Singapore, Sweden, South Africa, Taiwan, Thailand, the United Kingdom and the United States. The 10 women to watch profiled in the report represent 9 countries Brazil, Canada, Greece, Japan, Malaysia, Poland, Scotland, South Africa, and the United Kingdom.
Fact of the Week, April 21, 1997
A new report released on April 14 provides further evidence of the global impact of women’s entrepreneurship. Fifty leading women entrepreneurs of the world and ten women to watch are profiled in the report. The businesses owned by the leading women entrepreneurs generate revenues ranging from $50 million to over $5 billion US dollars, and employ over 150,000 people.
Fact of the Week, April 14, 1997
The five metropolitan areas with the greatest share of women-owned firms in 1996 are: Phoenix-Mesa, AZ (40.6%); Seattle-Bellevue-Everett, WA (40%); Oakland, CA (39.8%); Denver, CO (39.8); and Portland-Vancouver, OR-WA (39.8%).
From 1996 Facts on Women-Owned Businesses in the U.S.: The Top 50 Metropolitan Areas, NFWBO 1997.
Fact of the Week, April 7, 1997
The five fastest growing metropolitan areas for women-owned firms, ranked on percent increase in number of women-owned firms, sales and employment between 1987 and 1996, are: Portland-Vancouver, OR-WA; Seattle-Bellevue-Everett, WA; Phoenix-Mesa, AZ; Houston, TX; and Nashville, TN.
Fact of the Week, March 31, 1997
The top five metropolitan areas for women-owned firms in the United States, ranked on a combination of number of firms, sales and employment, are: New York, NY; Los Angeles- Long Beach, CA; Chicago, IL; Philadelphia, PA; and Washington, DC.
Fact of the Week, March 24, 1997
Women business owners are as likely as men business owners to recognize the potential of the Internet and World Wide Web. About one-third of all businesses (31%) already subscribe to an online service and 56% expect to become a regular user within five years.
From Entering the Information Age: Comparing the Role of Computers and Information Technology in Women- and Men-Owned Businesses, NFWBO 1996.
Fact of the Week, March 17, 1997
The issues faced by women business owners around the world are similar in many respects, but there are also some important differences. Women business owners surveyed in Africa, Russia and the U.S. all agree that maintaining profitability and cash flow are key business issues. However, inflation is a very important business issue in Russia and some African countries, as is access to technology and maintenance of infrastructure. These issues are not even on the radar screen of most women business owners in the U.S.
Fact of the Week, March 10,
1997
On a personal level, women business owners internationally share much in common. Surveys conducted by NFWBO in the U.S., Russia, and Africa show that most women business owners are highly educated. Further, most (around two-thirds) are between the ages of 35 and 54, half to two-thirds are married, and most have between 1 and 3 children.
Fact of the Week, March 3, 1997
Entrepreneurship is a growing trend for women across the world. Based on published sources, it appears that between one-quarter and one-third of all businesses worldwide are owned and operated by women.
Fact of the Week, February 24, 1997
Women business owners use the credit they have available to them for different purposes than men business owners. Women-owned firms are significantly more likely to be using their bank credit for business expansion (41% vs. 28%). Men-owned firms are more likely to be using credit for operating expenses, such as consolidating debt and evening out cash flow (30% vs. 20%).
From Capital, Credit and Financing: Comparing Women and Men Business Owners Sources and Uses of Capital, NFWBO 1994.
Fact of the Week, February 17, 1997
Nearly half (48%) of business owners, both male and female, currently have bank credit. However, women business owners have lower levels of credit. Forty-three percent (43%) of women business owners have less than $25,000 in bank credit, compared to 37% of men business owners, and only 10% of women business owners have $100,000 or more in bank credit, compared to 17% of men business owners.
Fact of the Week, February 10, 1997
Relationships with banks, reported by a majority of women entrepreneurs as a problem in the past, are improving. The percent of women business owners reporting one or more difficulties in their banking relationship has dropped by 15% from 1992 to 1996. Currently, 50% of women business owners point to one or more difficulties in dealing with their banks, the same level as men.
Fact of the Week, February 3, 1997
Women-owned firms in Canada are diversifying into non-traditional industries. Between 1991 and 1994, the share of women-led firms increased most strongly in: finance/insurance/real estate (+12.3%), agribusiness (+9%), mining (+5.6%) and wholesale trade (+5.1%), while the share of women-led firms declined in retail trade and personal services (-4.9% in each sector).
From Myths & Realities: The Economic Power of Women-Led Firms in Canada, (c)Bank of Montreal Institute for Small Business 1996, with consulting assistance from NFWBO.
Fact of the Week, January 27, 1997
The number of women-owned firms in Canada is growing at twice the rate of all firms in Canada -- 19.7% vs. 8.7% from 1991 to 1994 (also see Facts of the Week, August 26 & September 3, 1996). The growth in the number of women-owned firms is highest in Alberta (31.7%), Quebec (23.7%) and Ontario (20.8%), and is lowest in Manitoba (2.7%), Newfoundland (8.4%) and Prince Edward Island (9%). In every province, however, the growth in the number of women-owned firms exceeds the provincial average.
Fact of the Week, January 20, 1997
Even in the states with the slowest growth rates in the number of women-owned firms over the past nine years, growth was strong: North Dakota (38% increase between 1987 and 1996), Kansas (43%), Oklahoma (54%), Connecticut (56%), and Massachusetts, Iowa and the District of Columbia (all 59%).
From Women-Owned Businesses in the U.S.: A Fact Sheet, NFWBO 1996.
Fact of the Week, January 13, 1997
The five states with the fastest growth rates in the number of women-owned firms over the past nine years are: Nevada (130% increase between 1987 and 1996), Georgia (112%), New Mexico (108%), Florida (106%) and Idaho (104%).
Fact of the Week, January 6, 1997
Women-owned businesses in the U.S. employ one out of every four company workers in the country. (Also see June 10, 1996)
Citation
Center for Women’s Business Research. “Fact of the Week, June 30, 1997.” Washington, DC.