Happy Holidays From Escape From Corporate America: Indulge and Enjoy

Wishing you all the happiest of holidays and joy (success) throughout the new year.

Photo credit:  Laurel Delaney, downtown Chicago, retail window dressing

Posted by:  Laurel Delaney, Escape From Corporate America

Are you a Chic CEO?

There's a new website in town:  CHIC CEO.  It is designed give female entrepreneurs the how-to information they need to get started in launching a business.

Chic CEO (http://www.chic-ceo.com) believes that women should have the business knowledge and support they need right at their polished fingertips. They need easy-to-understand, easy-to-implement instruction in its most basic form. By providing this valuable information, Chic CEO hopes to eliminate the guesswork for women trying to start businesses.

Learn more here.

Illustration credit here.

Posted by:  Escape From Corporate America blog (established 2004)

Start a Business Part-Time or Full-Time?

Starting a business can be awfully scary from the standpoint of answering these two critical questions:  How will I make money?  What happens if I don't?

Oftentimes, to minimize risks, people start a business gradually -- with one foot in the new business and the other in a full time job that offers a steady stream of income.

Yet, the part-time path also comes with its own set of challenges.  Here's a look at why.

Starting a Part-Time Vs. Full-Time Business

Where Is The Highest Percentage of Women-Owned Businesses in the Nation?

Maryland and the District of Columbia have the highest percentages of women-owned businesses in the nation.

Women in D.C. own more than 34 percent of businesses, ranking first, according to newly released 2007 Census Bureau figures. Following the District, Maryland women own more than 32 percent of businesses, placing second, according to the 2002 census. Virginia came in 10th, at 30 percent, with the entire region trumping the nation's 29 percent rate.

Read more here to learn why this is happening.

Start Small, Work Hard

Two Westport female entrepreneurs are celebrating their thirty-second anniversary at the locations where they started, Top Drawer on the Post Road and Pathfinders Travel on Riverside Avenue.

Two local women, Janet Bangser at Pathfinders and Joan Rotman at Top Drawer, find themselves in this happy position.  Conversations with both tend to indicate three fundamental ingredients to success.  There is always the so-called X factor but basically for these women it came down to a familiarity with the business going in, an affinity for detail, a pretty good idea of their customer base, and service, service, service.

Read the entire article here.

Illustration credit:  Pathfinders Travel

Next Step In Life: Launch a Business

The president of the Women’s National Basketball Association, Donna Orender (pictured), resigned to launch an independent marketing company named Orender Unlimited.

After five years ...

“It was simply time for me to take this step in my life,” Orender said in the statement. “My work on behalf of women and girls around the world will only deepen as will my ongoing engagement in sports.” 

Learn more here.

Photo credit here.

Quit Working For Someone Else and Start a Business

Two women in Sand Springs, Oklahoma, U.S.A. are sharing their experiences after starting their own small businesses.

For both Stephany Christensen (photographer) and Kelli Fry (massage therapy business), they are not only the owners and boss, they are the only employees.  The two women are just some of the millions of Americans who own their own business.

Read more about this here.

Happy Thanksgiving 2010

Enjoy the day and be grateful for the abundance in your life.  Get inspired ... check out "I'm thankful for ..." -- hat tip to Bob Marovich at The Black Gospel Blog for turning me on to the piece.

And thank you for your readership!  It means the world to me.

Charming Bellabeads 925

Dina Amico- Kriescher, is the founder and CEO of Bellabeads 925, a stylish new line of customized charm bracelets (pictured) that sells through home parties.

Bellabeads 925 now has over 2,000 consultants throughout the country and is growing rapidly. Bellabeads 925 Charm Consultants are business women who strive to be their own bosses, and many are moms realizing the dream of a happy work/life balance- thanks to the direct sales industry.

Bellabeads Charming Story

While traveling through Europe with her family, founder Dina Amico-Kriescher was looking for a way to bring a touch of the old world charm home. Inspired by the beauty of the Italian glass, and high quality jewelry she found in quaint seaside villages throughout Italy, she instantly fell in love with the custom charm jewelry and brought back a unique collection to share with family and friends. Her intrigue for the concept and natural entrepreneurial spirit soon gave birth to Bellabeads 925, making jewelry design a party!

Bellabeads 925 is part of the Noah’s Ark Animal Workshop Corporation founded by Amico-Kriescher in 2004, and is a family-owned, US-based company headquartered in the Chicago suburbs with distribution globally. Bellabeads 925 jewelry is sold through independent Charm Consultants within the direct-sales format throughout the US and Canada.

Learn more here.

How Cloud Computing Works

As you contemplate starting a business or if you currently run one, cloud computing will be a serious consideration to grow your business.

Here you can learn everything there is to know about cloud computing in one clean swoop.

Why Cloud Computing Will Change the Way We Work

Photo credit: Laurel Delaney, for the Escape From Corporate America blog

Want Access to Capital? Get a Male Partner.

Natalie Macneil writes "Women Entrepreneurs:  Does Your Business Need a Man?" for Forbes.

Read it and let me know what you think.

Why Laurie Johnson Quit Her Corporate Gig to Tap Dance

Laurie Johnson (above tap dancing in video -- love the shoes and adore her talent) had it all:

A six figure income, a flashy new car, full health benefits, company travel and dining expenses and many other perks. I was good at my job, got along well with colleagues and knew I could move up in the company. Everything was picture perfect on the outside, but on the inside I was dying a slow, miserable death.

Read her story here.

See all her wonderful tap-dancing videos here.

Keep on dancing Laurie!

Posted by:  Laurel Delaney for the Escape From Corporate America blog

More Tools for Your Entrepreneurship Toolbox

From business tools to expert insights, find simple ways to manage your cash flow and streamline everyday operations.  It's all brought to you by Yahoo! Small Business and sponsored by OPEN from American Express.

Go here to get your Business Solution tool.

Note:  The interview featuring Richard Branson cracks me up because I never hear the interviewer, Seth Godin, say one word or ask one question!  Branson discusses -- all in one long breath -- how there is no difference between an artist and an entrepreneur (totally agree).  

Pictured:  Diane Von Furstenberg who is featured on the Business Solution site.

Photo credit here.

A World Where Women Are the Dominant Force

Lots of good things cooking over at Intuit on the topic we are so passionate about:  women.  When you have time, be sure to check out the following:

1. Read the press release:  Intuit Empowers the 'She-conomy' at The Women's Conference 2010 
2. Visit She-conomy for tips on starting and running your own business.
3. Join the conversation at Intuit's Women's Resource Center
4. Review the latest research report:  The Intuit 2020 Report

Bottom line:  You matter ladies! 

Illustration credit:  Intuit Small Business Blog

Ms. Burch Supports Women Entrepreneurs

We wrote about Tory Burch September 28, 2009 and her great sense of entrepreneurial style here.  Now she's launched the Tory Burch Foundation with the goal of economically empowering women.

With Accion USA, our microlending partner, we provide women with the financial support they need to start and grow businesses through microfinance. The average loan is $8,000 and creates or saves 2.4 jobs.

Read all about it here.

Illustration credit here.

Glass Ceiling Not An Obstacle?

According to "Glass ceiling not the obstacle it was" by Joyce Lobeck, provided you operate with resourcefulness, perseverance and downright stubbornness, there is less of a barrier in the workplace.  She goes on further to state:

Over the last several years, the number of women business owners in the U.S. has increased significantly, doubling from 5 million to 10 million between 1992 and 2006, she said.

“Without a doubt, women have been very courageous and entrepreneurial in charting their own destiny,” Davis said.

The question is:  If there is less of a barrier in Corporate America for women, why are so many turning to business ownership?

Read the article here.

Climb Your Way to the Top

Laura Schwartz (pictured) has written a nifty little book, "Eat, Drink and Succeed."

Background:

Laura Schwartz was 19 when she arrived at the White House in January of 1993.  With no political connections, she landed a volunteer position answering phones in the press office.  But that was just the beginning.  She climbed her way up the ranks of the Clinton Administration, as the Midwest Press Secretary, Director of Television and ultimately, Director of Events, where she produced the President's event on the world stage.

And that's just the tip of the iceberg.  She's now running her own business:  White House Strategies.

If you wish to kick up your business and your life a notch, this is a must-read book.  Congrats to Laura on her achievements.  We are very proud of her.

Wake Up, World! Change Your Attitude About Women Entrepreneurs

As it applies to Bangladesh or anywhere in the world for that matter:

Social attitude towards the operation of women entrepreneurs needs to be changed. Sometimes rigid social norms, values and attitude act as a barrier to rural women entrepreneurship development. 

Read more here.

Related resource:

Building Women in Business:
A Situation Analysis of Women Entrepreneurs in Bangladesh

Photo credit here.

Learn to Be a Calculated Risk Taker

Women business owners need additional support and it's essential for the economy to give them that support. Why?

Quick snippet before we get to the meat of the post:

According to the report entitled "Women Owned Businesses in the 21st Century," put together by the Department of Commerce, while women own about 30 percent of privately-held businesses, they account for only 11 percent of sales and 13 percent of employment, but the numbers of women striking out on their own are increasing and could well be the key to turning our country's economy around if women can get the kind of financial support that men-owned businesses typically have.

Learn more here.

Photo (pictured, Valerie Jarrett) credit here.   Visit Council on Women and Girls | The White House as mentioned in article.

5 Ways to Increase Your Web Traffic

Hello ladies! Here are five (5) SEO tips that will help you increase your Web traffic:

5 SEO Tips

And while we've got your attention, there's more. We've added a "Share" button at the bottom of each post. Now you can forward our entries to your Facebook and Twitter accounts with a mere click of a button. Be the first to hit the Buzz button or email a post to someone you know who might benefit from the information.

Many thanks for your readership!

Posted by: the Official Escape From Corporate America Blog

Women Need Higher Levels of Capital at Startup

Women own more than 7.8 million businesses, or nearly 29 percent of the total in the U.S. But their firms generate only 3.95 percent of all revenue. This disparity in number of firms versus revenue speaks to a profound opportunity loss and unrewarded risk.

Further, newly released data from the U.S. Census Bureau shows that, even though the number of women-owned businesses grew 44 percent between 1997 and 2007, our already small market share, as measured by revenue, declined more than 10 percent, dropping from 4.41 percent in 1997 to 3.95 percent in 2007.

What's the solution?

One key to improved performance by women-owned firms is starting with higher levels of capital. A Kauffman Foundation study this year found that women-owned firms typically start with less capital and therefore underperform in terms of revenue, assets, and profitability. The banking community can be particularly helpful in overcoming this shortfall. By providing greater energy and engagement with current and potential women business owners, and assisting them to establish better business models, plans, and resources so as to secure larger pools of capital and credit, bankers can help push the growth, market position, opportunities, and revenue of women-owned firms more quickly. Business revenue will rise, and everyone will win.

Read the entire article here.

How to Meter and Increase Your ROSE

Here's my latest contribution over at Verio, a world-class web-hosting company for SMBs around the globe.

How to Calculate and Increase Your ROSE

Introduction here:

What does Return on Social Effort (ROSE) online mean? It is a new performance measure (we just coined it!) used to evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of an online social effort based on achieving desired results over a specified time period. The idea is to monitor and measure the profitability of that effort, so there’s really no right or wrong way of calculating it. What’s crucial is to first determine what you want to get out of your social media effort before analyzing or measuring it. The reason for this exercise is to justify your company’s social media marketing or listening (after all, it all starts with listening!) program.

I hope you find the article useful to effectively growing your business.

Posted by: Laurel Delaney, Escape From Corporate America blog

Fix the Women?

The real question becomes: Does hiring and promoting women make your company diverse?

Find out here.

P.A.M.F. = Power, Ambition, Money and Failure

What does P.A.M.F. mean to women? According to Barnard College, these four areas -- power, ambition, money, and failure -- represent a stunt to climb into leadership positions, whether it be through Corporate America or launching a business (as I see it).

To treat this impediment to reaching one's potential, Barnard College has launched the Athena Leadership Lab that will teach women the practical elements of leadership.

What makes the Athena Leadership Lab so unique?

It marks the first time that a college or university anywhere in the country will make practical skills-based leadership training available to individuals of all ages, experiences and skill sets, throughout the year – without having to enroll as a full-time student. Anyone in the area – including men – can enroll and take workshops and classes on the Barnard campus.

Learn more about this wonderful development here. Course catalog can be found here.

Posted by: Laurel Delaney for the official Escape From Corporate America blog

Unleash Your Creativity

True Female Leadership

While in Border's this past weekend, I discovered the July/August 2010 edition of Ode Magazine and caught, "The Female Way of Leadership" (shown below).
Really interesting commentary and it's based on the book (as featured at the top), "Female Leadership," by the same author: Karin Jironet. For me, I always think of female leadership as a bent for entrepreneurship.

Karin is a theologian and Jungian psychoanalyst working with executive leadership development, both individually and in groups. She offers psycho-spiritual retreats in The Hague, Rome, Zurich and New Delhi.

Unfortunately, it doesn't look like Ode magazine is making Karin's excellent contribution available to everybody. You have to subscribe to the magazine first to read it (or go out and pick up a copy at your local bookstore). You might also consider ordering her book and paying a visit to the Jung Arena that features her work.

Women Business Owners Spend BIG Bucks

The 2010 Buying Behavior Survey from the Women Presidents’ Organization -- a global peer advisory organization connecting top women entrepreneurs who own multimillion dollar companies -- show women business owners will spend more than half a million U.S. dollars each on business expenses this year.

The survey reflects the power of women-owned businesses through their buying behavior. The majority of respondents obtained all of the credit they wanted last year and indicated that the amount of credit currently available to them is about the same as was available before the recession.

Read more here.

Full disclosure: I serve as the Chicago Chapter Chair for the Women Presidents' Organization.

Stand Up For Female Entrepreneurs

Always something ...

After defending women entrepreneurs and their math abilities, Michelle Greer (pictured) was called illogical, idiotic, arrogant, angry, a troll, and the ...

Read the entire piece here:

Woman Defends Female Entrepreneurs on TechCrunch and Gets Called ...

Women Step It Up in Hi-Tech Entrepreneurship

Are things getting better for women versus a decade ago, especially in the tech industry? Some think so.

A new whitepaper published by Illuminate Ventures and entitled, "High Performance Entrepreneurs: Women in High Tech - Summary," states:

... that many more women are starting companies, taking them public and providing investors with bigger returns on smaller investments.

... Growing Influence in Tech: Women-owned or led firms are the fastest growing sector of new venture creation in the U.S., growing at five times the rate of all new firms between 1997 and 2006 – now representing nearly 50% of all privately held businesses.

... Fewer Failures: Despite often being capital-constrained, women-owned businesses are more likely to survive the transition from raw start-up to established company than the average.

To receive the complete whitepaper (you must register first), go here.

Related resource: An interview with Cindy Padnos, founding Managing Director of Illuminate Ventures.

Unstoppable Women Entrepreneurs

Check out these gutsy women entrepreneur innovators on what it took to put them in the driver's seat to success.

Tips From Unstoppable Women Entrepreneurs

Some great pearls of wisdom:

“You don’t stop moving because things are slow, and if they’re not slow, you create some down time to prepare your playing field.”

“Key in going out on my own was doing it for the right reasons. Being angry or disgusted at something is not reason to make a change,” she said. Being an entrepreneur “is about the love of something, not hate.”

“Take a risk early on because there are a lot of opportunities to learn—even if you fail initially,” Peitler said. “Failure isn’t the end game, but another learning opportunity."

“Failing actually goes with entrepreneurship; most, if not all entrepreneurs, have gone out of business and retooled and reinvested. Failing is only failure if you stop trying.”

“Share what you’ve learned with the people around you,” she said. Some Krupp wisdom: “Follow your instincts and your gut.

“Parlay. Parlay. Parlay. Never miss an opportunity; ‘no’ is not an answer.”

The F Word: Failure

One of the single biggest stumbling blocks to business owners is the 'F' word: Failure.

It's not so much what it is but rather what to do about it should it occur. Some call it resiliency, others refer to it as bounce or lessons learned. However you define it, failure is a necessary ingredient to running a healthy business.

Find out why here:

American Express OPEN Forum
Making the Most of Failure by Laurel Delaney

I Vote for Ginny Rometty to Run IBM

Sometimes you just have to put yourself out there and support a woman to advance in corporate America!

Read more here.

Pictured: Ginny Rometty, IBM

Posted by: Official Escape From Corporate America blog

Think BIG

Theresa Daytner (pictured) is running her third business, Daytner Construction Group, a Mt. Airy, Md. construction management firm that had 2009 revenue of $3.5 million. She credits much of her success to her willingness to seek out business relationships with entrepreneurs who think big.

Read the entire article here.

She is missing out on one important peer-to-peer learning organization: Women Presidents' Organization.

Full disclosure: I serve as the Chicago Chapter Chair for WPO.

Work: An Extension of Who You Are

To all working women, this one's for you.

Immediate download of PDF file: The Reality of the Working Woman

• With research partner JWT and Ad Age Insights survey on attitudes of today's working women.

Publish date: June 6th, 2010
By: Mya Frazier
Word Count: 12,000

Posted by: the official Escape From Corporate America blog

Women Rebels With a Cause = Entrepreneurship

Frances Osborne provides her suggestions on books about female adventurers (much like women entrepreneurs) that offer a thrilling ride. These are each worth a look.

1. Rebel Heart
By Mary S. Lovell
Norton, 1995

2. Mistress of Modernism
By Mary V. Dearborn
Houghton Mifflin, 2004

3. A Voyage in the Sunbeam
By Annie Allnutt Brassey
1878

4. To War With Whitaker
By Hermione Ranfurly
Heinemann, 1994

5. Gertrude Bell
By Georgina Howell
Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 2007

Go here for the entire writeup.

Great Business Websites for Entrepreneurial Women

Here's a list of personal favorites from our respected colleague and friend, Rieva Lesonsky who runs GrowBiz Media.

Go here to access.

We Interrupt This Blog to Bring You a Male CEO: Mark Palmer

Here's one male CEO's takeaway on a session he attended, "The Power of the Purse" about women leaders in our world, at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

The two-hour session was like an intellectual popcorn popper; one profound observation shot up after another, and I frantically took notes. The conversation ricocheted between social, sexual, business, and emotional topics. So rather than present them as one thought, I thought I’d list the tastiest kernels.

Read the entire commentary here.

Agree or disagree with his insights and observations? As always, we welcome your comments.

Illustration credit here.

Related resource(s) here.

Beat the Odds to Win

Women Push Forward

I refuse to focus on "what's holding women back" because I think there's absolutely nothing getting in our way.

Sadly enough though, some women still consider it risky to pursue power in the Corporate world and that's the emphasis of this contribution by The New York Times blogger Adriana Gardella.

All the more reason to start a business and become an entrepreneur.

The comments are worth a look.

Photo credit here.

Woman's Entrepreneurial Sweet Spot?

According to this roundup of the latest venture capital news and analysis across the Web, a woman's entrepreneurial sweet spot age is 40. Anyone wish to challenge that?

Does the world need a Y Combinator for women? New York-based entrepreneur Tereza Nemessanyi proposes the XX Combinator, a start-up accelerator focused on women in their 40s. The problem with Y Combinator, Nemessayni says, is that only seven of the 250 founders participating in the program have been female. She argues that Y Combinator participants are mostly in there early 20s but that a woman’s “entrepreneurial sweet spot” is around age 40. Venture capitalists Fred Wilson weighs in, saying that while there certainly is a shortage of women entrepreneurs, “a different model is required if this were to work” (though he’s not sure what that is.).

Original source on passage above can be found here.

Drink Up Ladies to a Powerful New Feeling of Well-Being

Julie Smolyansky is the chief executive officer, president and director of Lifeway Foods Inc. Its main business activity is the manufacturing of probiotic, cultured, functional dairy and non-dairy health food products (pictured above).

Smolyansky inherited (instant entrepreneur) the top spot at Lifeway Foods when she was 27 (2002) and not in a way in which she has fond memories.

Read her back story on how she has built the food company into a powerful force here.

Wave of the Future: More Women at the Business Table as Both Equal and Different Partners with Men

Learn what motivates women in the workplace (discover where companies go wrong and why many women leave Corporate America for entrepreneurship) and find out how companies that learn to adapt to women will be better able to respond to the challenge of an aging workforce and the demands of the next generation of knowledge workers.

"Why Women Mean Businesss" by Avivah Wittenberg-Cox (related post involving Avivah here) and Alison Maitland

11 Wild and Crazy Tips for Disruptive Thinking

What a practical article and we are so pleased to be mentioned in it. Read it and do something disruptive today as it relates to your business!

Here's the lead:

Stepping sideways to see things from another angle often leads to breakthrough thinking, which in turn creates new markets and topples traditional ones. Innovation is a top strategic priority for a large majority of companies today. As such, creativity — arguably the driving force behind successful innovation — is increasingly gaining recognition as the new capital in uncertain and challenging economic times. For people trying to innovate and work within a creative, adaptive culture, we offer 11 ideas for extreme outside-the-box thinking.

Read the entire article:
An Idea So Crazy it Might Work: Tips for Disruptive Thinking
IMT Industry Market Trends

Posted by: the official Escape From Corporate America blog

Happy Birthday No. 234 to America and No. 6 to the official Escape From Corporate America blog!

Freedom comes in many forms -- the best is when you choose it for yourself. We wish you a Happy Independence Day United States and a Happy Birthday No. 6 for the official Escape From Corporate America blog! Refresh your memory in terms of how it all began for us here.

In celebration of both birthdays, our gift to you is twofold:

1. A hearty thanks for your continued support and loyal readership. Without you, this blog would not be nearly as much fun to produce. We love what we do here (can't you tell?!), so we just keep doing it. Yet we never lose sight of the fact, we do it for you! Thanks for listening, for commenting from time to time and for reading our blog.

2. We just compiled a new (FREE!) e-book, "Entrepreneurial Obsession: 13 ways to a brighter future for your business." It's yours to do what you wish with. We hope it inspires you to escape from corporate America to start your own business.

Best wishes,
Laurel
July 4, 2010

Posted by: The Escape From Corporate America blog

Women Can Grow a Million Dollar Baby

According to Michelle Stockman who works with Little Rock-based Arkansas Capital Corp. to promote entrepreneurship development around the state, women may not be as active in entrepreneurship as men but they sure know how to grow a business to a million dollar+ baby.

Read more here.

You might also appreciate this related piece.

Posted by: Escape From Corporate America blog

Pulling Men Into a Woman's Entrepreneurial Universe

The old days used to be about women trying to get ahead in the working world of primarily men. Then entrepreneurship took hold, leveling the playing field and allowing women to jump out of corporate America to create their own world of work.

Now, there's a new twist on feminism (or what I call a woman's ambition):

Katrin Bennhold, New York Times: Historically, feminism has been "about women pushing into the world of men," but the future of feminism "is shaping up to be about pulling men into women's universe -- ...

Read more here and here.

There's the Official Escape From Corporate America Blog. Now, There's Corporate Mom Dropouts

We've seen and heard it all ... first by getting wind that there was a book out by the same name as our blog, "Escape From Corporate America" (hey -- we warned them well in advance that there might be confusion or a potential conflict but there's no stopping people who think they have a good idea at the time). Anyway, we started our escape blog way back on July 2, 2004 -- nobody can claim that idea! It was tied to an article I wrote for The Conference Board (2003).

Now there's a new blog, "Corporate Mom Dropouts" launched earlier this year (2010). Check it out here.

Best wishes and congratulations to all who support women interested in creating their own destinies! There can never be enough of us around helping other women achieve their dreams.

Posted by: The official Escape From Corporate America blog

Women Are the Solution

Find out why at Half The Sky.

Half the Sky lays out an agenda for the world's women and three major abuses: sex trafficking and forced prostitution; gender-based violence including honor killings and mass rape; maternal mortality, which needlessly claims one woman a minute. We know there are many worthy causes competing for attention in the world. We focus on this one because this kind of oppression feels transcendent – and so does the opportunity. Outsiders can truly make a difference.

Photo credit: Half The Sky homepage. Edna Adan's story here.

Setup a Save Yourself Plan

According to Suze Orman (pictured), women need to setup a "save yourself plan" that includes knowing everything there is to know about your finances, having credit cards in your own name and making sure that your financial foundations don’t have any cracks in them whatsoever.

This applies to all women, not just women entrepreneurs.

Read more here.

Side note: Interesting little article which mentions Orman but focuses on "10 membership worth the money."

Advice For Young Women Entrepreneurs

A Q&A with Maria Fiorini Ramirez (pictured), founder of the global economic consulting firm Maria Fiorini Ramirez, Inc — conducted by Reuters.

One key question:

Would you like to see more women starting businesses?

I think women are starting more businesses than men. In part, because they have to. It’s necessary to have a two income couple these days. The internet has unleashed infinite possibilities. But it is an individual choice. Not everybody can do it. Although countries like Japan are realizing that they have to make it attractive to keep women in the workforce.

Visit her company:
Maria Fiorini Ramirez, Inc.

Agree? Disagree? We welcome your thoughts!

Impulsive Entrepreneurship

It looks as though Ellen DeGeneres (pictured) is starting her own record label called eleveneleven. What triggered this impulsive entrepreneurial endeavor? Two things:

1. A season of judging on "American Idol."
2. A first act of 12-year-old Greyson Chance (pictured), who recently became a sensation on YouTube (25,000,000+ views!) with his piano version of Lady Gaga's "Paparazzi."

Read more here and here.

Photo credit: Michael Rozman/Warner Bros/Associated Press)