Female Entrepreneurs

"This volume challenges those who see gender inequalities invariably defining and constraining the lives of women. But it also broadens the conversation about the degree to which business is a gender-blind institution, owned and managed by entrepreneurs whose gender identities shape and reflect economic and cultural change." – Mary A. Yeager, Professor Emerita, University of California, Los Angeles This is the first book to consider nineteenth-century businesswomen from a global perspective, moving beyond European and trans-Atlantic frameworks to include many other corners of the world. The women in these pages, who made money and business decisions for themselves rather than as employees, ran a wide variety of enterprises, from micro-businesses in the ‘grey market’ to large factories with international reach. They included publicans and farmers, midwives and property developers, milliners and plumbers, pirates and shopkeepers. Female Entrepreneurs in the Long Nineteenth Century: A Global Perspective rejects the notion that nineteenth-century women were restricted to the home. Despite a variety of legal and structural restrictions, they found ways to make important but largely unrecognised contributions to economies around the world - many in business. Their impact on the economy and the economy’s impact on them challenge gender historians to think more about business and business historians to think more about gender and create a global history that is inclusive of multiple perspectives. Chapter one of this book is available open access under a CC BY 4.0 license at link.springer.com.

Are you ready to turn your ideas into reality and build a wildly successful business? There has never been a better time to say yes! With a computer and an Internet connection you can get your ideas, messages, and business out there like never before and create so much success. In this book, Carrie Green shows you how. Carrie started her first online business at the age of 20—she knows what it’s like to be an ambitious and creative woman with big dreams and huge determination . . . but she also knows the challenges of starting and running a business, including the fears, overwhelm, confusion, and blocks that entrepreneurs face. Based on her personal, tried-and-tested experience, she offers valuable guidance and powerful exercises to help you: • Get clear on your business vision • Move past the fears and doubts that can get in the way • Understand your audience, so you can truly connect with them • Create your brand and build a tribe of raving fans, subscribers, and customers • Manage your time, maintain focus, and keep going in the right direction • Condition yourself for success . . . and so much more! If you’re a creative and ambitious female entrepreneur, or are contemplating the entrepreneurial path, this book will provide the honest, realistic, and practical tools you need to follow your heart and bring your vision to life.

The comparative numbers between male- and female-led start-ups are stark. Ninety-one per cent of venture capital money continues to fund businesses founded solely by men, with only one per cent of venture capital money invested in businesses founded solely by women. Yet being a female entrepreneur is not the preserve of Wonder Woman. It’s for every woman who wants to make it happen. Female Entrepreneurs: The Secrets of Their Success encourages every woman who has dreamt of being an entrepreneur but hasn’t yet taken the leap to take the first steps towards realising her dreams – as well as encouraging every woman who has not yet thought about running her own business to consider it. Additionally, it encourages governments and the corporate world to recognise and embrace the huge value that female entrepreneurs bring to society and the economy. John Smythe and Ruth Saunders reveal the secrets of the success of fifty-two female entrepreneurs. They outline wisdom and insights to inspire budding entrepreneurs to take the leap and offer practical advice on what to think about when setting your business up for success as well as when considering whether to scale. They also provide top tips on how to play to women’s inherent strengths and avoid the weaknesses women face – as well as how to stay sane and enjoy the journey. This practical, unique guide provides the encouragement, support and motivation any aspiring female entrepreneur could need to make those first steps towards the realisation of their ambitions. John Smythe and Ruth Saunders are both entrepreneurs themselves and regularly advise start-ups on how to launch and scale up for growth.

Why do women start their own businesses? Is it solely because they are searching for financial success, or for other reasons? On the basis of detailed interviews with a number of women who have started their own businesses, this book, first published in 1985, reveals the significance of factors that are directly related to women’s experiences at home, at work, and in the wider society. The author’s analysis shows how business start-up enables many women, but not all, to achieve forms of economic and social independence that they would not otherwise enjoy. Further, they illustrate ways in which business proprietorship has a wide variety of effects upon individuals, and upon their personal relationships and life styles. They refute the notion of a single entrepreneurial experience and argue that the causes and consequences of business start-up are highly conditioned by the extent to which women are committed to traditionally prescribed roles and to profitability. The findings of this book will have important implications for the formulation of small business policies. It will also be of particular value to those interested in women’s studies and small business management.

Women represent the fastest growing group of entrepreneurs today. Tracing women's journey along the venture creation process, Kariv's book highlights the creatively different ways in which women approach the entrepreneurial enterprise.

This pioneering work comprehensively examines the history of female entrepreneurship in the Russian Empire during nineteenth-century industrial development.

This book examines the ways in which formal and non-formal education can contribute to women’s successful design, development and operation of small businesses in rural settings. Calling on varied, pertinent social theories, the book examines profitable businesses operated by Dongxiang Muslim women in the southern Gansu province of northwestern China. The author explains the multifaceted formula for women's challenges and successes in their business endeavours and goal for financial security. It argues that informal learning is the most important type of education to employ knowledge and skills to earn a living in general, and design and operate small businesses by women in rural areas in particular. The book concludes with an original, timely and necessary model for education that could be utilized by the women in this work; one that positions informal education as the primary conduit for successful entrepreneurial work and combines elements of both formal and non-formal educational principles and practices, thus offering support for the successful operation of women's businesses.

Drawing on the entrepreneurial ecosystem as a frame of reference, this new edition of Female Entrepreneurship – Women’s Entrepreneurship – continues to challenge contemporary assumptions regarding who or what is an entrepreneur. It draws upon relevant literature and research to enable research-led teaching delivery and provides students with a comprehensive understanding of women’s entrepreneurship and a solid foundation from which they can pursue further studies. Informative but concise, Women’s Entrepreneurship covers key concepts, issues, themes and approaches and provides useful suggested topics for debate. Updates include a revised chapter on Emerging Technologies and Women’s Entrepreneurship, which explores digital entrepreneurship and cyberfeminism. Contextualisation of Women’s Entrepreneurship acknowledges the broader contextual influences on women’s entrepreneurship. Finally, two new chapters have been added looking at The Entrepreneurial Ecosystem and Women’s Entrepreneurship Policy. International case studies explore the socio-economic context for women’s entrepreneurship in regional, national and international economies. Pedagogy to aid learning is incorporated throughout, including learning outcomes, boxes to highlight key research insights and best practice as well as discussion points and activities. This book is important supplementary reading on entrepreneurship, small business management and women's and gender studies courses – it will prove particularly useful to women moving towards starting their own business as well as postgraduate students researching the topic for the first time.