1.9% Isn't a Ceiling. It's a Gap.

More women are planning to start businesses this year than ever before. According to an “Entrepreneurship in 2026” survey by QuickBooks, one in four women plan to launch a new business this year. Another 58 percent say they would consider it. 

Only 1.9% of women-owned businesses ever reach $1 million in annual revenue. Not because women aren’t capable, but because the system – and often our own beliefs about money – have held us back.

Imagine if 10% of women-owned businesses hit $1M.  The Women Presidents Organization (WPO) would be fortunate to serve them all!  

That 1.9% isn't a ceiling. It's a gap – and gaps are where organizations like WPO do their best work. Every woman who joins a peer advisory group, finds a mentor, or simply decides her business deserves to be a $1M business is closing that gap, one decision at a time.

The women starting businesses this year don't need permission. They need community, capital, and a peer group that expects them to think bigger. That's what WPO and WPO Chicago is here for.

So here's the real question: What would it take for your business to be one of the 10%?

A Simple Five-Question Audit Before Scaling with AI

Most leaders assume AI success comes down to technology. After helping organizations navigate digital transformation for years, Matt Domo can tell you that is rarely the deciding factor. He has worked with companies that invested millions in data platforms, machine learning models and AI tools only to see minimal business impact.

Before he helps any company scale AI, he runs a simple five-question audit.  The first question is always the most important because everything else depends on the answer.

Learn more about the five-question audit.

Technology may power transformation. Leadership determines whether transformation actually happens.

Don't Guess How You Are Perceived

Most leaders spend a lot of time guessing how they are perceived. Some don't even care.

For example, I was on a pretty contentious Zoom call recently with two business women and when I got off, one of the women later said to me, "she's not self-aware," and sadly I knew exactly what she meant.

According to coaching and leadership guru Marshall Goldsmith, he says, "The truth is simple. You cannot read your own label. You are too close to the problem."

If you want to know what is written on your jar, you have to do the one thing that many leaders avoid doing:  Ask.

Goldsmith says that is the foundation for real growth.

Unicorn Female Founders

Ilya Strebulaev, Professor at Stanford GSB says, "6.5% of US unicorn founders are women. Out of 4,545."  He goes on to say.

Companies with at least one female founder have a 35% lower probability of reaching unicorn status than all-male teams — that's the actual regression result, controlling for the VC-backed comparison group.  When I did the same analysis several years ago, the probability was 40%. So it is moving, but very slowly. 

Read his entire LinkedIn post here. 

Female Founders Are On the Rise

Female founders are on the rise. According to a 2025 Gusto New Business Formation Report, 49% of startups in 2024 were women-led. It’s a milestone to celebrate, but the numbers don’t tell the whole story about the challenges faced by female founders.

For example, women are less likely than men to get backing for their companies. As an academic piece from the Journal of Small Business Strategy notes, the reasons are complicated: limited access to investors, assumptions of being higher credit risks, and a generally biased perception. These barriers mean more women may have to take the bootstrapping route to launch their ideas into the marketplace. 

To their credit, plenty of female entrepreneurs overcome initial funding difficulties and wind up running successful businesses.  WPO members are a great example.

Five Pieces of Advice From Successful Women Business Owners

Women business leaders are blazing a trail to success. Along the way, these women – many are Women Presidents Organization members – are demonstrating powerful tactics and traits essential to growing a sustainable business.

Let’s look at five pieces of advice from women who have risen to the top.

Four Lessons On Building a $1.75 Trillion Company

On May 20, 2026, SpaceX filed its S-1 with the Securities and Exchange Commission, the formal opening move toward what is projected to become the largest IPO in history, targeting a valuation of up to $1.75 trillion. 

Most headlines focused on the rockets, the Mars obsession and Elon Musk’s ironclad voting control. But if you’re a founder (which many WPO members are), an executive scaling a team or anyone building something intended to last, this 270-page document is a startup strategy masterclass hiding in plain sight.

Here's what SpaceX can teach you.