2026 WPO Entrepreneurial Excellence Forum (EEF) May 7-8

Are you attending?  I will be along with a dozen WPO Chicago members and hundreds more of WPO members spanning globally.

WPO's signature annual event – 2026 WPO EEF – brings together hundreds of extraordinary women business leaders from around the world for two days of inspiration, collaboration, and growth.

Designed to give women entrepreneurs a transformative experience away from daily operations, the 2026 Forum will feature inspiring keynote speakers, interactive breakout sessions, peer-to-peer learning, and unmatched networking opportunities. Attendees will leave with actionable insights, renewed energy, and strategies to elevate their businesses.

The Forum will also celebrate the remarkable achievements of women-led enterprises, including the annual recognition of the 50 Fastest Growing Women-Owned/Led Companies, honoring the innovators driving business growth and industry transformation.

Join us for this unparalleled gathering of women entrepreneurs shaping the future of business. Click here to register.

How Do You Know When You've Made It As a Business Owner?

While more and more women have been opening their own businesses, women entrepreneurs still face challenges when branching out on their own and moving up in professional settings.

Fast Company spoke with six women entrepreneurs who have created thriving small businesses. Some of these businesses add a dash of beauty to the world through flowers or jewelry, some offer joy with artisanal treats, and still others make life easier for new moms through the cutest kids PJs or functional breast pumps.

But they all have commonalities that began when the women first turned their passion projects into viable incomes. 

Here, they share the stories of founding their businesses—and the moments they knew they’d made it.  It boils down to:  What does success as an entrepreneur look like? 

Passion. Collaboration. Community.

Passion, collaboration and community are key to running a successful business. That’s according to a recent survey of women business leaders as part of PNC’s bi-annual Economic Outlook Survey.

“Women entrepreneurs are leading with passion for their business, confidence, and optimism for the future,” Peterson-Sheptak, head of Business Banking at PNC, said. “We need to make sure we have the resources and people to support their success.”

Why the World Needs Women Entrepreneurs

Women entrepreneurship needs to be addressed – because the preconditions might be different depending on the person’s gender – and for two main reasons, clearly identified by the OECD in its work about entrepreneurship promotion. 

The first reason is that, despite lower participation rates in entrepreneurship than men, women entrepreneurs are an important untapped source of economic growth. They create new jobs for themselves and others. And by being different they also provide society with different solutions to management, organization and business problems as well as to the exploitation of entrepreneurial opportunities. 

The second reason is that the topic of women entrepreneurship has been largely neglected both in society in general and in the social sciences. 

Women are faced with specific obstacles that have to be overcome in order to give them access to the same opportunities as men.

Women Entrepreneurs Are At the Cutting Edge of Change and Development

This year has been a testament to the remarkable resilience and innovative spirit of entrepreneurs, especially women, who are at the cutting edge of change and development across various industries.  Why just look at all the amazing Women Presidents Organization members!  

Female entrepreneurs stand as beacons of progress, seamlessly blending technological innovation with impactful social change and economic growth. 

They come from a myriad of backgrounds, each bringing their unique perspectives and bold ideas to the forefront. Their unwavering dedication and visionary approaches are not just shaping their respective fields but are also paving the way for the future of entrepreneurship.  

Here are a few to watch in 2024.

U.S. Women Entrepreneurs Are Fueling Business Growth

In the United States, many women are fueling this newfound growth in entrepreneurship, creating around half of all new businesses in 2022.

They are the future of work.  Learn why.

Women Supporting Women

Starting out with just about 70 women-owned businesses featured on The WMarketplace, the Seattle-based e-commerce site has grown to more than 500 women-owned businesses.

Co-founder and CEO Kate Isler said it was crucial for women business owners to find a place to sell their products and services in order to survive the pandemic and thrive going forward.

Just like the Women Presidents Organization, "Women supporting women" is also a core part of The WMarketplace, according to Isler, who said that mindset is how women entrepreneurs succeed.

Read on to learn more about the backstory on The WMarketplace.

Own Your Power

Want to fully honor your ambitions and reach your business goals?  The author states:

As women entrepreneurs, don't we at least want to be successful? Don't we also want to achieve our goals? Having some power sounds good, too. Isn't that why we became entrepreneurs — to have success, be empowered and achieve our goals — just like our male counterparts?

Here's some powerful advice for new women entrepreneurs desire to become multimillion dollar business owners.

25th Annual WPO Conference May 4-6, 2022 in Montreal

We are celebrating the Women Presidents Organization’s Silver Anniversary by honoring the values that make the women entrepreneurs in our network unique: curiosity, tenacity, and community.

Experience the understanding, support, and counsel of entrepreneurial equals and benefit from their collective wisdom as well as the wisdom of renowned speakers and thought leaders.

The WPO Annual Conference is the premier gathering of women entrepreneurs who lead multi-million-dollar businesses. Over three days, attendees build relationships, foster connections and learn new ways to grow and thrive both as an individual and as a leader.

Join us May 4-6 in Montreal, Québec at Fairmont The Queen Elizabeth.

The New Normal: Social Distancing

As social distancing becomes the new normal, some famous women business owners are offering encouragement to social media followers.

What are they saying about the novel coronavirus and its effects on our everyday lives?

Learn more from women entrepreneurs who offer levity and lessons during covid-19.

Great Success in Business Starts with One Tiny Seed

There’s no “magic pill” that effortlessly launches you out of your cubicle confinement and into the free world of entrepreneurship. For some, the dream to be your own boss grows for a long time, even years, before it finally comes to fruition.

The truth is, great success in business grows from just one, tiny seed.

The folks at CreativeLive Blog asked some of their favorite women entrepreneurs to share how they got their start in business. Their answers revealed the deep motivators and personal qualities that drove them to make their big idea a reality.

Read more about how successful women entrepreneurs got started.

How to Support Women Entrepreneurs

There is much discussion and debate about how to support female entrepreneurs — and rightly so.

Currently, women-led businesses are less likely to survive, despite evidence that their startups are often highly successful. New analysis by Boston Consulting Group (BCG) shows that if women and men around the world participated equally as entrepreneurs, global GDP could ultimately rise by approximately 3% to 6%, boosting the global economy by $2.5 trillion to $5 trillion.

So how do we support women entrepreneurs?  Three areas:  improve access to credit (financial capital) or provide training to help women build new skills (human capital) and give them access to networks.

Read more about the trillion-dollar opportunity in supporting female entrepreneurs.

Standing Out From a Sea of Dudes

Nicole Kendrot turned a problem into a business opportunity. In her case, the problem was student loans–not just the amount of debt, but managing the payments. Her solution: to design a mobile app to track multiple loans and gamify the payback process so users can earn cash incentives. And like many startup founders before her, Kendrot came up against two more hurdles: time and money.

Here are a few ways women entrepreneurs, like Ms. Kendrot, say they’ve tackled the particular challenges they face in the startup world.

Women Entrepreneurs Who Dominate the World

A look at a whole new era of businesswomen from around the world.

Today, women are sitting side by side and establishing their businesses as household names in a variety of industries, including publishing, technology, fashion, broadcasting and beauty.

Here are 15 women business owners worth noting and to be inspired by.

What Women Entrepreneurs Can Do to be More Successful

Kerry Hannon, contributor for Forbes, interviews Carla Harris (pictured), chair of the National Women’s Business Council (NWBC), a 30-year-old, nonpartisan federal group that serves as an independent source of advice and counsel to the President, Congress and the U.S. Small Business Administration on economic issues of importance to women business owners.

One key question:  What can women entrepreneurs do to be more successful?  Harris says:

Women entrepreneurs should leverage the resources already in place, as there are a plethora of supports across the country specific to women business owners. In a thriving ecosystem, there are in-person and virtual incubators and accelerators, SBA resource partners such as SCORE, Women Business Centers and Small Business Development Centers, as well as online educational resources that provide powerful knowledge throughout the business lifecycle.

And of course the Women Presidents' Organization powers prosperity for women business owners too.

Read the entire interview here.

Find Finance. Find Mentors. Find Balance.

Women entrepreneurs face many challenges when they start companies.  That said, to make it easier on women, all companies should be supporting the move towards more diverse perspectives and inclusive attitudes at every level of the business world.

As the article below, states, "understanding and quantifying the challenges faced when starting a woman-centric business may help to break down the systematic prejudices and level the playing field for women in the entrepreneurial sector."

Read more about finding finance, finding mentors and finding balance as you build a business.  And of course joining WPO can help you overcome all of these challenges.

A Few Good Winning Strategies for Women Entrepreneurs

Who isn't always looking for a good winning strategy that brings success to a business that much faster?

Here are eight (8) winning strategies from a book, Think Bigger, that will help you enlarge your thought processes on what it takes to run a successful business.

Read:  Winning Strategies for Women Entrepreneurs

The Ultimate Secret to Success That Women Must Share

What do you get when you problem solve with a group of women entrepreneurs? Well I know just the organization that has the answer.  Keep reading.

Geri Stengel, contributor at Forbes, gives us a bird's eye view into what members of the Women Presidents’ Organization (WPO) found.

• 77% of members do business with each other.
• 67% of members’ businesses have grown since joining the group.
• With growing businesses, 75% pay themselves over six figures annually.

“Entrepreneurs learn best from each other,” said Marsha Firestone, Ph.D., President of our WPO.  And that’s why you join a peer advisory group.

Learn more ...

Unlocking Entrepreneurial Potential in Women

Women entrepreneurs face significant obstacles to growing and scaling their businesses, especially with accessing capital, education and resources.  They don't always have the same opportunities as men.  This is why Tory Burch started the Tory Burch Foundation, which empowers women entrepreneurs and provides programming designed to level the playing field.

Read more:  TB's Top Business Advice for Women

Screenshot courtesy:  Tory Burch Foundation

Dr. Marsha Firestone Helps You Get to the Next Level in Business

How do you reinvent yourself?  Keep your team motivated?  Get to the next level with your business?  Dr. Marsha Firestone, founder and President of the Women Presidents' Organization has your back.

Dr. Firestone [as we know her] is a visionary who works tirelessly to bring together the best minds to inspire the members. She is very passionate about the quality of the organization and what it delivers.

Read:  Women Entrepreneurs Find Their Place Thanks to Dr. Marsha Firestone