Little known about October is that it has been designated as National Women’s Small Business Month. Writing in Forbes, Moira Vetter noted:
“Female entrepreneurs seem to be bucking some of the stagnant growth trends, starting up a greater number of businesses. According to the National Women’s Business Council in 2012, women-owned businesses increased 26.8% from 2007. If women can master the issue of scale, a lot of people stand to win big.”
In this week’s Wednesday Five we honor our women entrepreneurs contributing to our economy! Here are five incredible and inspiring women who shared their stories and business acumen on TED Talks.
1. Kirsten Hall has a provocative question: is it time to stop celebrating women in business, just for being women in business? Maybe, she suggests, we can wind down the idea of corporate women’s groups – and position women in business as the new normal.
2. Dame Stephanie Shirley is the most successful tech entrepreneur you never heard of. In the 1960s, she founded a pioneering all-woman software company in the UK, which was ultimately valued at $3 billion, making millionaires of 70 of her team members. In this frank and often hilarious talk, she explains why she went by “Steve,” how she upended the expectations of the time, and shares some sure-fire ways to identify ambitious women.
3. Mellody Hobson is president of Ariel Investments, a value-driven money management firm — and an advocate for financial literacy and investor education. In this engaging, persuasive talk, Hobson makes the case that speaking openly about race — and particularly about diversity in hiring — makes for better businesses and a better society.
