News of Interest: Enterprising Women of the Year Awards

And two of the winners are Chicago members! Congratulations to Linda and Shelly! Read more about the winners here.

Event of Interest: Affiliates Reception

Please join us at the National Association of Women Business Owners Chicago Area for their Affiliates Reception, February 22, 2007 from 5:30-8:00 p.m.


Details as follows:

Maggiano's Little Italy
516 N. Clark Street
Chicago

Participating Organization Members: $40
General Public: $55

Register online here or call 312-609-1300.

See you there and look for the Women Presidents' Organization (WPO) table!

Speech of Interest: Women on the World Symposium

Today, women are uniquely positioned to benefit from the strength of our country's economy, which is the envy of the world.

We are contributing to our nation's economy in so many ways. Women-owned businesses are growing at twice the rate of businesses owned by men. And small businesses are very important to workers and to the U.S. economy. Two-thirds of the new jobs created in this country in the last decade have been created by small businesses.

And women are playing an increasingly important role in public life. Over the past six years, President George W. Bush has appointed a record number of women to high level positions in his Administration, including five women to his current Cabinet. Today, the U.S. Senate has 16 women and the U.S. House of Representatives has 71 women. And to date, women have been elected statewide to executive offices in 49 out of our nation's 50 states. And there are 1,734 women state legislators.

This Administration supports many initiatives to help women succeed and balance work and family life. All of us have something in common, regardless of which position we hold. In any survey of working women, one of the most sought-after benefits is time: time to care for a child, or a loved one, or other important family matters.

Read more of this speech given by Secretary Elaine L. Chao, here.

Blog Post of Interest: Love Thine Enemy?

Do you want your competitors to thrive? Do you welcome their presence at industry trade shows, social situations or even in the reception area calling on the same customer? Read this provocative blog entry posted by Tom Peters. See what 56 other people had to say about it. While you're there, add your own opinion. Maybe you will reconsider the power of love, especially with your competitors.

Illustration courtesy of GapingVoid.

Event of Interest: Linking Professionals to Nonprofit Boards (3/8)

Join The University of Chicago Women's Business Group -- a WPO partner -- for an evening of networking on March 8 with representatives of Chicago-area and national nonprofit organizations and other Chicago professionals. Explore how your skills and interests will satisfy the needs of these organizations.

The speaker this year is Deborah R. Card, President of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.

In the past they’ve had over 300 participants at this event and dozens of nonprofit organizations represented.

UCWBG Members: $60, Non-Members $80

For more information and to register, go here.

Article of Interest: Cross-Cultural Study of Entrepreneurs Has Surprising Findings

Do you think gender affects the revenues, growth, and profits of new ventures?

Find out here. Surprise. Surprise.

And I emailed the author, Corydon Ireland, to let him know about the Women Presidents' Organization. I also don't agree with all his findings. See what you think and let us know.

Article of Interest: The Best Boss For These Women? Themselves!

Ambitious young women (such as Emily Fitzgerald pictured) today are striking out on their own by starting their own businesses (and eventually joining WPO I might add!), and each day, a few more join their ranks.

They make up a good portion of the economic pie that embodies young, energetic entrepreneurs in this 21st century. In fact, according to the U.S. Small Business Administration, 10.6 million businesses across the United States are women-owned. These small businesses employ a large number of workers and contribute $2.3 trillion dollars in sales annually.

According to a study by UCLA's Graduate School of Education and Information Studies, one out of every 11 women in the nation is a business owner, and they account for almost half of all privately held firms.

While women-owned businesses have become a major economic force, their creation and growth can be bittersweet to the women running them. Passion and hard work are just two elements necessary for a business' success, but there are myriad other reasons some women-owned businesses succeed and others fail.

The Midwest (that's us!) is no stranger to women-owned businesses.

Read more, here.

IdeaCast: Brought To You By Harvard Business School

Harvard Business School Publishing’s online editorial director Paul Michelman sits down with Chris Trimble, co-author, with Vijay Govindarajan, of Ten Rules for Strategic Innovators: From Idea to Execution. As Trimble explains, even world-class companies, with powerful and proven business models, eventually discover limits to their growth. That’s what makes the ongoing process of strategic innovation so important.

But constructing tomorrow’s businesses while simultaneously sustaining excellence in today’s competitive environment demands a delicate balance. Trimble helps us understand the barriers faced by strategic innovators and how to get around them.

Listen here.