Thursday, December 30, 2004
RE: Trendspotting for Women: Giving Circles
According to a recent survey by Barna Research Group, Americans donated less money in 2004 than they have in 25 years and one-quarter of all respondents say they've lost faith in nonprofits. But there is an positive emerging trend in philanthropy: "giving circles."
The Forum of Regional Associations of Grantmakers (FRAG) reports that the number of "giving circles" in the U.S. has increased to 300 in the past year, and these "giving circles" have donated a cumulative $44 million. A redux on investment clubs, knitting circles, or book groups, "giving circle" members gather informally with a minimum "gift" per member and vote annually on what charities will receive a cut of their fund.
The typical "giving circle" member? According to the FRAG report: a woman. In case you were unaware, female entrepreneurs give 5.2% of their income to charity, compared to the 1.3% that large corporations typically donate, according to the Women's Funding Network. And in a 2003 Chronicle of Philanthropy study, single mothers with incomes over $50,000 gave about 5X as much to charities as did men of similar incomes.
For more on "giving circles," visit The Women's Philanthropy Institute.
File it under trends, women!
Reference: The Christian Science Monitor
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Wednesday, December 29, 2004
RE: End of Year Trendspotting for Women Continues...Trendspotting Resources for Wise Women
More 2005 Trendspotting Resources for Wise Women as we head into the New Year...
My Top 10 List of Trendspotting Resources - resources that also include links to multiple other trend forecasts:
1.
Alex Barnett's Blog2.
Small Business Trends3.
Just Foods' 2005 Food Trends4.
PSFK 2005 Trend Forecasts5.
Agenda Breaking News6.
Trend Central7.
Reveries/Cool News8.
Herman Group Trend Forecasts9.
Trendwatching.com10.
Yahoo's Buzz IndexFile it under trends, women!
Tuesday, December 28, 2004
RE: Marketing FOR WOMEN Not TO WOMEN: Trendspotting for Women Continues.
Over the past few years, there has been a proliferation of women consultants who specialize in "marketing to women." Wonderbranding, Just Ask A Woman, Aurora, Trendsight. These consultants and companies have done a fine job helping major corporations build their sales and profits by improving their communications with women and helping them secure their fair share of the rapidly-growing women's market.
In 2005 and beyond, expect a wave of MARKETING FOR WOMEN. Women business owners are fueling economic growth and sit at the helm of 50% of all small businesses, employing 19 million employees and offering $1/2 trillion in employee compensation. Yet women receive only 2.98% of government contracts.... secure only 4% of venture funding.... own only 10% of the nation's franchises.... generate less revenues operating only as a sole business owner than those businesses co-owned with a man....and still only earn 70 cents on the dollar versus wages paid to men. Only 3% of all women-led businesses gross $1 million or more annually. As any good woman can tell you, it gets lonely being an only.
The new trend will be for smaller niche companies to serve women business owners - traditionally under-funded, under-resourced, and operating without a clear visibility and promotion strategy. Women business owners aren't building "built to flip" companies. Most - not ALL but MOST - women entrepreneurs fall into two categories: (1) those who are passing time and (2) those who are passionate about their businesses - they groom their business as they would their child's hair - equally driven by a desire for life balance. Although their fiscal belts are tight, women business owners need dedicated support. They demand a partner who will listen, not a mogul agency who preaches false pretense and big budget spending. They are hungry for knowledge, using online and offline resources to learn more about market terminology, financial sophistication, and business promotion. Women business owners need "a woman's agent" - someone who will open doors, introduce them to partners, link them with money, identify and execute against profitable marketing opportunities, and aggressively promote their efforts and achievements.
Those companies that can dedicate themselves to this growing and increasingly profitable niche, while still preserving the integrity of their own operations budgets, will succeed in this new era of Marketing for Women. Speaking from experience (www.reinventioninc.com), it can be done.
Marketing for women, not to women. It's a new megatrend.
File it under trends, women. Again, please do note, I am not a trendspotter. I fancy myself a resource gatherer and "insight giver." Infinitely better than an "indian giver." And I still think Uggs are comfy and cool.
RE: re:invention's top 24 posts of 2004
In support of The Top 24 Bandwagon Project, we're sharing re:invention's top 24 posts of 2004. We've grouped our favorites into five categories: Media Relations, Money, Mentoring & Boards, Miscellaneous Musings and Megatrends. Yes - each category starts with an "M" - for men! Women need to appreciate men. Men need to appreciate women. Enuf' said.
Media Relations
1. Ten Good Rules of Thumb When It Comes to Ink-Raising
2. PR Rule #1 - Consider Consistency
3. Seven Hardfast PR Crisis Management Rules
Money
4. Finance for the Company You Want to Become
5. Butterfly Herders, Forbes, and VCs
6. Seeing and Running in the Red
7. The Dearth of Women VCs Explains Funding Disadvantages???
Mentoring, Sistering, & Boards
8. Men "Mentor," Women "Sister"
9. WSJ Advises Women "Get On With Self-Promotion!"
10. Woe to the Woman Entrepreneur Who Doesn't Have Multiple Mentors
11. Board, Board, Board
12. Why Large Companies Need Women Entrepreneurs On Their Boards
Miscellaneous Musings
13. She Started Her Business With One Little Chicken
14. What To Do When Fast Company "Borrows" Your Emerging Company Name
15. Buyers Don't Network
16. Quitting Is Not An Option. Sometimes You Have No Choice At All.
17. Apparently the Woman In Me Needs The Man In You
18. My Take On Fortune's Top 10 Most Powerful Women
19. We Can Talk About Shoes, Sex, Business Plans, MROI, Pantyliners...Why Not Failure?
MegaTrends
20. Trend for Wise Women - #1
21. Trend for Wise Women - #2
22. Trend for Wise Women - #3
23. Trend for Wise Women - #4
24. Trend for Wise Women - #5
Note: I was forced to leave the Google Ad Wars off this list. Too bad. Be in the know; click HERE.
Monday, December 27, 2004
RE: Trendspotting for Wise Women Continues: The 2004 Newsmaker Brands ImagePower Survey Predicts Britney Spears Will Sag and Blackberry Will Remain Busty in 2005.
Our ongoing end of year "trendspotting for wise women" series continues...
Hot off the presses today: The 2004 Newsmaker Brands ImagePower survey, conducted by Landor Associates and Penn, Schoen & Berland in early December. The survey reviews brand winners and losers and offers predictions about brand images in 2005.
Survey headlines:
- The study predicts big things in 2005 for Blackberry and Oprah and tough times ahead for Britney Spears and the Atkins Diet.
- 2004 was earmarked by strong "Challenger Brands;" Blackberry, NASCAR, Google, iPod, JetBlue.
- Two "Category-Making Brands" (Blackberry and Google) appear both on the list of 2004 winners and 2005 predicted winners.
- Celebrity "Founder Brands" floundered in 2004; 12 of the 20 brands that declined most in 2004 were brands/media closely tied to celebrities including Britney Spears and Paris Hilton. Among the 20 brands predicted to decline most in 2005, the number of celebrity brands jumps to 15.
- A battleground among "Professional Sports Brands" raged in 2004 and will continue into 2005. THe National Basketball Association (NBA) and National Hockey League (NHL) took serious image hits in 2004. The Boston Red Sox scored as the #1 "Winning Brand" overall in 2004. Major League Baseball (MLB) brand momentum remained stagnant. The survey predicts professional sports teams will face continuing branding challenges next year.
Read MORE.
File it under trends, women!
Sunday, December 26, 2004
RE: Trendspotting for Wise Women Continues: 2004 Annual GOOGLE Zeitgeist List and Inc.'s "5 Trends That Will Define 2005."
More end of year "trendspotting for wise women..."
Google Zeitgeist 2004 is up. Google Zeitgeist offers a snapshot of interesting queries people are asking -- and can serve as a predictive indicator. A sampling of the most popular Google searches in 2004?
Cuisine - pizza
Professional service - real estate
Retail chain - Walmart
Consumer electronic - iPOD
Clothing - bikini
Male celebrity - Orlando Bloom (ed. note: Orlando Bloom???? Really????)
Country query - France
And the most popular overall query: Britney Spears. Conspicuously absent search terms? "blog," "trump," and "outsourcing."
Elsewhere, Inc. Magazine has posted its "5 Trends That Will Define 2005." The 5?
1. High prices on raw materials
2. Logistical problems resulting in long lead times.
3. Benefits driving up labor costs.
4. Struggling state economies.
5. The return of early-stage deals...."VCs have been out raising money and they need to put that capital to work," says Mr. Tracy Lefteroff, global managing partner of venture capital at PricewaterhouseCoopers in San Jose, Calif. There are some caveats. More than ever, investors want to be geographically close to their investment, according to Babson College Entrepreneur Professor Stephen Spinelli.
File it under trends, women!
Saturday, December 25, 2004
RE: Merry Christmas.
Dear Editor--I am 8 years old.
Some of my little friends say there is no Santa Claus.
Papa says, "If you see it in The Sun, it's so."
Please tell me the truth, is there a Santa Claus?
- Virginia O'Hanlon, 115 West Ninety-fifth Street
Virginia, your little friends are wrong. They have been affected by the scepticism of a sceptical age. They do not believe except they see. They think that nothing can be which is not comprehensible by their little minds. All minds, Virginia, whether they be men's or children's are little. In this great universe of ours man is a mere insect, an ant, in his intellect, as compared with the boundless world about him, as measured by the intelligence capable of grasping the whole of truth and knowledge.
Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! how dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus! It would be as dreary as if there were no Virginias. There would be no child-like faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this existence. We should have no enjoyment, except in sense and sight. The eternal light with which childhood fills the world would be extinguished.
Not believe in Santa Claus! You might as well not believe in fairies! You might get your papa to hire men to watch in all the chimneys on Christmas eve to catch Santa Claus, but even if you did not see Santa Claus coming down, what would that prove? Nobody sees Santa Claus, but that is no sign that there is no Santa Claus. The most real things in the world are those that neither children nor men can see. Did you ever see fairies dancing on the lawn? Of course not, but that's no proof that they are not there. Nobody can conceive or imagine all the wonders there are unseen and unseeable in the world.
You tear apart the baby's rattle and see what makes the noise inside, but there is a veil covering the unseen world which not the strongest man, nor even the united strength of all the strongest men that ever lived, could tear apart. Only faith, fancy, poetry, love, romance, can push aside that curtain and view and picture the supernal beauty and glory beyond. Is it all real? Ah, Virginia, in all this world there is nothing else real and abiding.
No Santa Claus! Thank God! he lives, and he lives forever. A thousand years from now, Virginia, nay, ten times ten thousand years from now, he will continue to make glad the heart of childhood.
The New York Sun, 1897.
Thursday, December 23, 2004
RE: Trendspotting for Wise Women Continues: DataMonitor's 'Year End' MegaTrend Report Razored by BBC. Trend #2 'Lifted' from Ancient Greece.
Continuing our end of the year "trendspotting for wise women" series...
Yesterday Guy Roberts over at BBC News expertly razored Datamonitor's MegaTrend Report, declaring the new trends to be old news. Really old news.
Datamonitor's 10 Megatrends Report (age complexity, gender complexity, lifestage complexity, income complexity, convenience, health, sensory, individualism, homing and connectivity) was actually published in July, but the report fits neatly in year end 2005 Trendspotting stories.
Datamonitor's Mega Trend #2? "Gender complexity." The study concludes that traditional distinctions between men and women have become blurred and therefore marketers will begin -- or have already begun -- to morph them into one being.
According to the report:
- Men have become more "feminine" -- taking an active role in parenting, fashion and beauty products.
- Women have become more "masculine" -- building earning power, marrying later in life or staying single, and catching up with men in the boozing stakes.
- There has been a rise of egalitarian values towards women and homosexuals.
A few thoughts:
1. LOL - "gender complexity" as a new trend? "Gender complexity" was a trend as far back as ancient Greek civilization. Has Datamonitor seen the movie Alexander?
2. Did Datamonitor not consider the effectiveness of specifically targeted women's marketing programs and outreach - ALA Just Ask a Woman, Don't Think Pink, Wonderbranding, Trendsight's Marti Barletta, Tom Peters, and others? Dear, dear Datamonitor. We women do not want to be treated AS a man. We want to be treated as an equal.
Thoughts and opinions? Generally speaking, this is why I prefer to be "an info-rich resource" not a trendspotter.
File it under trends, women!
kindly,
kirsten
RE: December is run by women
Leslie is a little ticked off at her husband.
"December is run by women," I told him. "It doesn't matter if it's Hannukah, Kwanzaa or Christmas, women do it all. Without women, holiday cookies wouldn't be baked, Christmas cards wouldn't be sent, and kids wouldn't see Santa at the mall."
I paused for a moment while the waitress took our order, then continued to rant.
"If women didn't do the shopping, kids really would get coal for Christmas. Actually, coal is too hard to find. If it were left up to men, kids would just get sticks gathered from around the yard. And I guarantee, the sticks wouldn't be picked up until the day before Christmas, and then only if they were on sale!"
via Leslie Snow at Knox News
Wednesday, December 22, 2004
RE: Trendspotting for Wise Women: News You Can Use About Internet Advertising to Women.
This continues our end of the year "trendspotting for wise women" series.
According to a 2005 Investment Outlook article in the Dec. 27 ed. of BusinessWeek, advertising on the web could top $9 billion this year. The trick, analysts say, is finding sites that reach a well-defined demographic. Hmm. A well defined demographic, they say. Like women entrepreneurs? ;)
BusinessWeek suggests women are far harder than men to find online and calls out iVillage Inc. (IVIL ), the top-rated women's site, as a smart investment. iVillage receives 15 million unique monthly visitors, nearly all women, according to comScore Media Metrix.
If you are looking to reach women online, I suggest you think beyond iVillage. Earlier this year, a Yahoo! and Starcom MediaVest Group study found that the Internet is the leading media choice among women, proposing a 8-category Female Internet User Profile System (Cassandra, Cowgirl, Debutante, Detective, Diva, Shopkeeper, Socialite and Voyeur). While men may be spending more online than women, women are "surchers," doing a mix of surfing and searching on favorite sites. In addition to shopping, home/family and health/beauty sites, the study found that news, financial services and games also top the list of online destinations for women. The study found a higher percent of women visit sports sites than astrology sites.
And you might supplement your online website advertising buys with blog advertising. Although men and women blog in roughly equal numbers, according to last week's Chicago Tribune article titled Turning to Blogs for Financial Tips, "women in particular are trolling online blogs to learn market terminology and gain a deeper level of financial sophistication." Women also report that blogs make complicated material far more approachable.
For more info on iVillage:
Marketing Sherpa's Case Study on iVillage.
kindly,
kirsten
Post Script Note: Thanks to Jonathan for catching the typo in this post. Internet advertising estimates, originally mistyped as $9 million, should have read $9 billion. $9 million is what President Bush and Senator Kerry spent each day during the month of October on the campaign trail. The post is now updated.
Tuesday, December 21, 2004
RE: Employed Women and Women Entrepreneurs. We Shop Differently.
Ahh. Tis the season to shop. A study released this month by the National Institutes of Health found that on the list of enjoyable activities, American women rated watching TV and shopping high on the list, far ahead of other activities, including taking care of children.
"Millions of Americans use consuming as a way to fight the blues, to savor a happy moment, to reward themselves, to enhance self-esteem or to escape from boredom," observed Juliet Schor, director of women's studies at Harvard and an astute chronicler of consumer conduct. " 'Retail therapy' is a response to just about any mood, state or psychological problem."
via SFGate.com
But according to the
Center for Women's Business Research (CWBR), only 27% of women business owners say that they "love going shopping." The CWBR Study also found that women business owners are less likely to shop at malls, more likely to shop from catalogs, and more likely to say they want to get in and out of stores quickly than non-entrepreneurial women.
Wonder what we women entrepreneurs rank high on our list of "enjoyable activities."
Monday, December 20, 2004
RE: Trendspotting for Wise Women: Entrepreneur Magazine's Trends for 2005.
And so begins our end of the year "trendspotting for wise women" series.
As a new Entrepreneur Magazine column writer (a tiny, tiny column debuting in February 2005), I'd be remiss for not mentioning Entrepreneur Magazine's 8 Trends for 2005:
1. Authenticity (keep it real)
2. Age 35 (I, myself, am sticking with age 29)
3. Multi-tasking and memory loss (aging into Alzheimer's anyone?)
4. Obesity (seems we can't lighten up)
5. The Third Place (as in "destination" - after No. 1 "home" and No. 2 "work")
6. Snobization (the middle class as "premium label whores")
7. Uniqueness (preserving a sense of quirkiness for your business)
8. Life caching (scrapbooking, memory making, and life event storage)
Alas, I am neither trendy nor a trend-spotter. I still think Collin Raye is cool.
File it under trends, women!
Saturday, December 18, 2004
RE: A Special Saturday Message - FOR WOMEN ONLY.
As a woman entrepreneur - headstrong and emotional - I've found it is unhealthy for me to date entrepreneurs (particularly serial entrepreneurs). They like me alright. I'm a kinda cute blonde. But in the end they can't control me - think: Kate in "Taming of the Shrew." Most male entrepreneurs are impossibly alpha males - they like their cake, they like eating it too. They also like creme brulee, ice cream, twinkies, krispy kreme donuts, strawberry rhubarb pie, peach cobbler, chocolate souffle, hot fudge pudding.... oh! they are exciting. they'll play with my hair and tell a pretty story but they have limited long term potential. I'm bored of hanging out in their cold. And I am plumb tired of being someone's wry amusement and pit stop. I want someone real and someone new.
Pardon my candor, but I'm taking a cue from Halley Suitt. She is a business woman extraordinare...and she fearlessly shares her emotions with you.
So I ask this - women entrepreneurs lend me your ears and your kindness. Tell me about your special someone. What drew you to them? What made it work? Do they "understand and support you?" And what profession do they practice? Teach me. Help me learn from you. At this point, I am willing to offer a year's PR services to someone who can introduce me to someone worthwhile.
Thursday, December 16, 2004
RE: Small Biz Gift Giving - No Ebeneezer. No Grinch.
Will you be giving a gift this holiday to your employees and clients?
Gift giving graces the headlines. According to the AmEx Open Small Business Network's Semi-Annual Monitor, 69% of all small businesses plan to buy gifts for employees and customers this year. Popular gifts? Cards or calendars (41%), followed by gift certificates for retail or restaurant purchases (24%) and food/fruit baskets (20%). Last week - Fast Company was razored by Business 2.0 for their gift giving expectations (tis the season to be amusing). Inc.'s Miss Management tackled "gift giving grab bags and gift swaps" on December 7th. And according to Joyce Rosenberg's AP article, small businesses that give workers gifts raise employee loyalty and retention rates.
Yesterday, Maritz announced their annual poll about office gift giving:
- 70% of employed Americans describe their boss as a Santa; 30% say they work for a Grinch.
- Women are feeling more generous than men. More women (60%) than men (40%) will bestow holiday office gifts to co-workers. 34% of women (vs. only 23% of men) plan to buy a gift for their boss with an average spend of $45. When it comes to co-workers, however, male "gifters" expect to spend more - an average of $100, $30 more than the average amount women plan to spend. Bosses apparently get short-changed when it comes to gifts.
Only 8 more shopping days to go!
Wednesday, December 15, 2004
RE: Crisis Computer Tips for Super Chicks.
You can only keep a good woman down so long. I've been without computer for a week (the motherboard crashed JUST 1 MONTH AFTER THE WARRANTY EXPIRED ON MY SONY VAIO). According to a 1994 study conducted by the Center for Women's Business Research, 92% of women-owned businesses use at least 1 computer in their business. The most important factors cited by women business owners as having a significant impact on computer purchasing decisions are (1) reliability and (2) service. Price is only a contributing factor.
I finally scraped enough money together to buy the Sony VGN-S260 (one of Oprah's 2004 Favorite Things, although I did not know that at the time of purchase).
Some lingering thoughts I'll share with you:
1. Buy an external CD or ZipDrive - and back that baby up. Often.
2. Always buy the extended warranty. Always.
3. Even small businesses need disaster recovery planning, services and software - a good resource to get you started: Disaster-Recovery-Guide
4. If you are forced to deal with a crash, avoid crisis computing and try to remain calm. Not unlike a man, computers periodically fail or cut you off just when you've grown comfortable with your "established network connection." Go figure.
5. The Tech Support Forum and Open Tech Support sites are good for a quick fix (and a laugh).
6. When all else fails, call Best Buy's Geek Squad. 1-800-Geek-Squad. They are on duty 24/7 ("they don't date"). Contrary to popular belief, there are female agents in the Geek Squad. The Geek Squad Gals have to wear - ewww - leggings. Just in time for XMas - the Geek Squad is selling house-call gift cards. Now that's one non-gender specific gift I can stand behind.
Wednesday, December 08, 2004
RE: LexisNexis AlaCarte! Launches - A Good Tool For Women Entrepreneurs.
LexisNexis has launched LexisNexis AlaCarte!, a service designed to meet the needs of micro- to mid-sized businesses and freelancers. LexisNexis AlaCarte!, like LexisNexis, provides access to more than 20,000 sources of business news, business public records, and government information -- newspapers, magazines, transcripts, company and industry reports, deed records, liens, zip demographics, state and federal legislation, and intellectual property archives dating back to 1968. You can use the service to keep your promotion efforts up-to-date and track stories written about your company and the competition. There are no subscription or registration fees (and the average cost per document is only $3).
via Information Week.
Monday, December 06, 2004
RE: Growth Spurts For Entrepreneurs Under 30 or It Still Helps to Have a Rich Dad.
AP News reports that more "socialite twentysomethings" are finding their way to being their own boss. Sarah didn't like the tedious, arduous hours required of a restaurant pastry chef. Or all that yelling (those mean restaurant chefs). Now she gets to live at home, run her own company out of her parents' gourmet kitchen, and hang out with her friends! Influential Dad (or Mom, or Godparent) helps her get good media coverage.
Since the SBA doesn't keep stats on age, it's tough to estimate the number of entrepreneurs under age 35. A stand-in approximation: The National Association for the Self-Employed reports that 15% of its members are younger than 35.
Fathers be good to your daughters.
kindly,
kirsten
Friday, December 03, 2004
RE: Why A Woman Would Make A Good President. Hint: U.S. Women Vote for Entrepreneur and Media Mogul, Oprah Winfrey.
I admit it. I'm not all about business. In fact, my guilty pleasure is perusing Cosmo, Harper's Bazaar and GQ during flights and monthly pedicures. This month's Bazaar includes a political statement/fashion spread, titled "Why a Woman Should Be President," starring Ellen DeGeneres as Commander-in-Chief. I laughed so hard I nearly wet myself during my pedicure.
A Few Of Ellen's Soundbytes About How A Woman Would Change The Oval Office:
* Her cabinet would be cedar-lined.
* Camp David would be renamed the Camp Denise Spa and Yoga Retreat.
* The antidrug slogan would be "You Kids, Get Off the Grass!"
* Her road map to peace would actually work because she wouldn't be afraid to ask for directions.
* She'd know better than to have a contract with America. She'd get herself a prenup.
* Foreign relations would improve because a woman president would just keep calling back saying: "we need to talk."
Harper's Bazaar readers polled online picked entrepreneur and media mogul Oprah Winfrey as the woman they'd most like to see sitting in the Oval Office. The magazine issue goes on to feature Democrat and Republican women leaders with the greatest potential to rise to the Office of President. Interesting to note: 5 of the 9 Democrats profiled hail from California.
Thursday, December 02, 2004
RE: Young Men Trade Up for Computers, Divorced Women Trade Up For Cars.
Harris Interactive (recently named to Deloitte Technology's Fast 500) and The Boston Consulting Group just announced findings from their new consumer purchasing survey. The headline? Though the retailer holiday season has started poorly, consumers continue to trade up to luxury brands and trade down to lower-cost value brands.
The Top 10 "Trading Up" categories:
1. Personal computers: 52.1%
2. Meat: 51.3%
3. My home or apartment itself: 50.7%
4. Furniture: 49.4%
5. Sit-down restaurants: 48.1%
6. Cars: 48.0%
7. Bedding: 47.6%
8. Kitchen appliances: 46.7%
9. Home entertainment products: 46.6%
10. Travel/Vacations: 46.3%
We all know women play a greater role in buying and consuming. 85% of new luxury goods are purchased by women - we are feeding our emotional and empowerment needs. No surprise, there are demographic differences when it comes to "trading up." Divorced women, for instance, named cars and their own homes/apartments as preferred "trading up" categories. To afford luxury, women still need to make tradeoffs. And 8 of the top 10 "trading down" categories this year are grocery and incidental household items.
Something to keep in mind: according to the Center for Women's Business Research, 86% of women entrepreneurs say they use the same products and services in their business as they do at home.
Wednesday, December 01, 2004
RE: SBA Reports Record Website Business Training In '04. Mouse On, Mama.
According to BizJournals, the SBA has conducted record amounts of online business training this year.
Nearly 1 million people received free online business training through the Small Business Administration's Web site in fiscal 2004. The SBA now offers 80 online courses for emerging businesses.
That's good news, because women entrepreneurs are more likely than their male counterparts to place a premium value on the Internet. According to a 2001 Center for Women's Business Research study, 40% of women business owners (compared to 27% of men) believe the Internet opens up a wider range of business opportunities and 39% of women (versus 27% of men) value the flexibility of time and schedule the Internet affords them. And while non-entrepreneurial female office workers initiated 11% fewer online visits and viewed 13% less web pages than their male counterparts, women and male entrepreneurs self-report equal Internet usage.
Ironically, diagnosis of carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) has also reached a record high this year - 2 million cases and counting. According to the National Institute of Health, women are 3 times more likely than men to experience CTS. Mouse on, mamas. But watch those wrists!
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