Par Excellence Demo

The survey also found that businesses owned by women experienced revenue growth in 2001 – despite the economic downturn – with average pre-tax revenues of $9.9 million compared with $9.8 million in 2000. During the same period, however, women presidents cut their average bonus compensation almost in half from $92,993 to $44,267. Overall, the survey showed that entrepreneurship is the great equalizer for women in the economy. No other avenue in business gives you the opportunity to level the playing field and to pay yourself what you are really worth to the company. It is the one place where I see women coming out on equal terms with men. What is particularly encouraging is that the success of these women is having a direct impact on the plans of younger women coming out of college. I saw another recent survey which said more than half of businessoriented women graduating from college had a goal of one day owning their own business. To me it’s no surprise that WPO members, who are among the most successful businesswomen in the country, are far more likely to own their companies than male executives earning the same amount of money. Of the respondents to the SSI survey, 41 per cent were sole owners of their companies. Only 24 per cent of Inc 500 CEOs were sole owners. The median equity stake of women in the SSI survey was 84 per cent; that of Inc 500 CEOs was 51 per cent. Only 16 per cent of WPO members owned less than half of their companies compared with 35 per cent of Inc 500 CEOs. Why do women business owners have more at stake than their male counterparts? The survey shows that nearly all of the women – 84 per cent – started the businesses themselves. In general, too, the women are older and more experienced than their Inc 500 counterparts. Their median age was 48 compared with 41 for the Inc 500. Median number of years in business was 17 versus eight and median number of employees was 15 versus 64. More than half of WPO member companies – 58 per cent – are in business and professional services and 11 per cent in manufacturing. Thus the profile of the average business owner, as presented by the survey, is that of an experienced, serviceoriented businesswoman in the prime of her career leading a relatively small team of employees toward sustained growth in a down economy and who, even while paying herself the same as her counterpart CEO in the Inc 500, will voluntarily slash her bonus for the overall health of her company. In my opinion, that’s the kind of business person this country could use a lot more of. If the present trend continues, and if younger women pick up on the success of WPO members around the country, I’m confident that entrepreneurship will become an ever more popular choice for women everywhere because, as this survey shows, it is indeed the great equalizer for women.

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Par Excellence Demo

Par Excellence Demo Contents Why I am Optimistic about Women in Business All the Presidents, Women Maverick Who Took on a Start-Up-and Learned a Valuable Lesson Golf Advice to Women Golfers (And it's Not How to Hit a Ball) Lifestyle You Shall go to the Ball, Cinderella (But First you Have to Get Real...) Travel Health

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