Facts About Women-Owned Businesses

Here are some interesting key facts about women-owned businesses published by the Center for Women’s Business Research:

• Nearly 10.4 million firms are owned by women (50% or more), employing more than 12.8 million people, and generating $1.9 trillion in sales.
• Three quarters of all women-owned businesses are majority owned by women (51% or more), for a total of 7.7 million firms, employing more than 7.1 million people, and generating $1.1 trillion in sales.
• For the past two decades, majority women-owned firms have continued to grow at around two times the rate of all firms (42% vs. 24%).
• Women-owned firms, 50% or more owned by women, account for 41% of all privately held firms.

And when it comes to Technology and Business growth….

• The vast majority (83%) of women business owners are personally involved in selecting and purchasing technology for their businesses.
• Women business owners’ top concerns about technology are the protection and security of data.
  • Security of internet purchase:  82%
  • Computer viruses:  81%
  • Protecting business data: 77%
  • General system failure:  73%
• Contrary to common perception, women business owners are as likely as men business owners to be willing to adopt new technology and more likely (24% vs. 18%) than women in general.
• Women business owners value technology as a means to create workplace flexibility:
  • 61% use technology to integrate the responsibilities of work and home.
  • 44% use technology to enable employees to work offsite or to have flexible work schedules.

These numbers should be a great motivator for any woman who wants to be a woman entrepreneur.  So what are you waiting for???

Related posts:

1. Solving the Tech pay gap between men and women
2. 100 Grants, Loans & Scholarships for Women
3. Tech Republic’s Women in IT series: Esther Dyson
4. Women in business – setting your risk tolerance
5. O’Reilly’s Women in Technology series