Some women find biggest rewards as entrepreneurs

Published by the Alaska Journal of Commerce, here's a look at what women had to say:

• "As time went on, I knew that if I chose a career track at a big company, I was going to run out of time," Shukla said. "Generally, I find that women have yet to make a sizable foray into corporate America as managers. That's cause enough to go out on your own."

• "Men have entrenched networks and tend to network better, I think," she added. "Historically, they've been able to climb the corporate ladder better. But I believe women share a higher responsibility when placed at the top of the company. You have to be twice as good, and if you have a family, you have to balance that in a way that a man does not."

• "We bring a different set of skills to the table," said McClain-Hill. "We are no strangers to obstacles, no strangers to the diplomacy it takes to navigate the corporate environment and society in general as gender perceptions still do exist."

• "There were 400 sales reps there and I was the only woman," she recalls. "You can imagine how fun that was. The atmosphere pretty much is what it is. You deal with the differences and the double standards, and you don't let it bother you."

• "Being a black woman, you have an added step on the climb up the ladder. Your credibility is called into question sometimes simply because you're not a white man," Woods explains. "And for me it became all about doing what I call my heart work -- the work I'm passionate about -- without being beholden to anyone."

• "Sexism wasn't the only reason, but it was one of the main reasons I started my own business," Fraser said. "I got tired of the 'honey this,' 'sweetie that' sensibility that you get sometimes in corporate America. I wanted to create my own workplace."

And here is one more interesting fact to remember from this great article: " ... a large reason for the growth of entrepreneurship among women is tied to the state of corporate America."

Sound all too familiar?

To read the full article, visit here:
http://www.alaskajournal.com/stories/071204/foc_20040712017.shtml