How women entrepreneurs are changing the world
By Rhonda Abrams, USA TODAY
RIO DE JANEIRO -- Women entrepreneurs are changing the world.
While they're at it, they're making a lot of money -- sometimes a whole lot of money.
It's inspirational to see some of the women who are becoming economic powerhouses internationally, often overcoming huge obstacles and discrimination. I've just met many of them at the second annual Dell Women's Entrepreneur Network global conference here.
The conference was an inspirational coming together of women from diverse nations who are building substantial businesses, creating jobs and solving problems.
"About five years ago, we saw some of the opportunities around women and technology. When we looked at emerging markets, we looked at women entrepreneurs, and we saw this amazing opportunity," said Karen Quintos, Dell's chief marketing officer. Rapidly developing countries are the fastest growing part of their business, and women entrepreneurs like Leila Velez are a substantial part of the growth in those markets.
Velez grew up in the infamous favelas, the slums, here. She got a job at McDonald's and eagerly learned everything she could. Taking some of her newfound skills, she started a beauty salon, serving some of the lowest-income women in Rio.
"We had no money or investors because no one believed in salons specializing in curly hair serving women at the bottom of the pyramid," Velez said. "I had to sell a very old, beat-up car to start."
Now she has 11 salons, serving 1,000 customers a day. With 1,300 employees, she's doing more than just changing women's appearances; she's changing people's lives.
"Seventy percent of our employees are ex-customers, most coming from the favelas," she said.
But Velez has bigger plans.
"I've already chosen the street in New York where I'm going to open my first store," she said. "I know I'm going to reach my dream."
Having met Leila, I have no doubt she will.
But it's not just developing countries where women are building vibrant companies. Katherine Sampson, another conference attendee, mortgaged her house in 1992 to buy one small sandwich shop in Melbourne, Australia.
Sampson remodeled her store, renamed it Healthy Habits and focused in on healthy sandwiches. She worked like crazy to succeed, even while juggling as the single mother of a 2-year-old. In 1999, she was able to open a second store and soon she had two more -- all the time securing and paying back bank loans.
"When I wanted to open a fifth store, the bank wouldn't lend me any more money," Sampson said. "They said, 'You're a single mom. You've got four stores. That's enough.' They thought they were doing me a favor."
So she looked for ways to grow without bank financing, and she focused in on franchising. Today, she has 35 stores and has sold 80% of her company to Dymock's, a big retail holding company in Australia.
Why did Sampson come to women's entrepreneur global conference?
"For of me it's about pushing the boundaries even more. I'm very successful in Australia, but we're miniscule compared to what women do around the world," she said. "Being here is very powerful from an inspiration standpoint -- meeting women who've sold their companies for $35 million, $100 million and more."
Sampson got to meet inspirational women such as another attendee, Heidi Messer, who with her brother Stephen founded LinkShare, which she later sold for $425 million.
Messer now has launched another company, Cross Commerce Media, providing analytics to help marketing executives manage large advertising budgets on- and offline. Carly Roney, co-founder of the leading wedding website The Knot, now has a market value of $340 million.
For aspiring female entrepreneurs -- and males, too -- these women prove to all of us that women can overcome great obstacles to build great businesses.
"There are a few times in your career that you're part of something amazing and magical, and this is one of them," Quintos said. "I see the commitment (participants have) to one another -- to helping each other be successful."
She said that she left the conference even more committed to Dell's Women's Entrepreneur Network and to helping small business entrepreneurs reach the next level.
"And as the mother of two daughters, I take back to them the amazing things they can do," she said.
Rhonda Abrams is president of The Planning Shop and publisher of books for entrepreneurs. Her newest is the 5th edition of The Successful Business Plan: Secrets and Strategies. Register for Rhonda's free newsletter at www.PlanningShop.com and "like" The Planning Shop on Facebook for updates. For an index of her columns, go to smallbiz.usatoday.com. Twitter: twitter.com/RhondaAbrams. Copyright Rhonda Abrams 2011.
For more information about reprints & permissions, visit our FAQ's. To report corrections and clarifications, contact Standards Editor Brent Jones. For publication consideration in the newspaper, send comments to letters@usatoday.com. Include name, phone number, city and state for verification. To view our corrections, go to corrections.usatoday.com.Posted 6/9/2011 11:35:30 PM
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JollyRogers1
8:20 AM on June 10, 2011
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A little advice to Ms Velez. If you're coming to NYC research the taxes first and price your product accordingly.
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c laird478
9:10 AM on June 10, 2011
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One thing I have learned about working for an employer and with co-workers is that discrimination is everywhere and with everyone. Bosses and co-workers treat preferentially people they personally like and can be highly discriminatory against people they don't, no matter what race or gender they are.
I have found that investing in stocks online, however, is one area where discrimination isn't really possible. When you trade a stock online, nobody knows what race, nationality, religion, or gender you are, and nobody cares. The only thing they care about is what stock you are trading and what price you want to buy or sell your shares for.
There was a story I read in the news not long ago about a woman who had worked her whole life as a hotel maid. With her spare money she had been investing in the stock market over the years and, when she died, she left behind over a million dollars in her stock portfolio.
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Clown 43
9:35 AM on June 10, 2011
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Great news. The more women business owners, the more Republican voters as they learn how liberals burden them with unfair taxes.
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Excellent 1
9:44 AM on June 10, 2011
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Beware girls of your biggest obstacle....liberal politicians despise women and the free market.
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genius1248
9:50 AM on June 10, 2011
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with the rise of women demanding.. the fall of marriage, family and gov. one goesw up the other goes down look at the numbers.also abortion and birthrates and production nevermind . so thew way of rome and greece
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Keaters
10:06 AM on June 10, 2011
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With all the welfare handouts, regulations, entitlements, media support etc., I'm surprised women aren't further along then they are.
Women are the ONLY majority group on Earth that has minority status.
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forever-con
10:27 AM on June 10, 2011
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While they're at it, they're making a lot of money -- sometimes a whole lot of money.
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OMG, ladies you have given heart attacks to a lot of liberals.
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11:13 AM on June 10, 2011
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4:52 PM on June 10, 2011
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VickiDonlan
4:55 PM on June 10, 2011
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I coach many women entrepreneurs and most have dreams that aren't scalable, but will meet the needs of their families. Too much emphasis is put on entrepreneurs to build their companies to $M -- when in truth the average entrepreneur should be thinking about making enough to care for a family and save for retirement. Let's applaud all entrepreneurs for their guts and risk taking -- it has always been what America is all about..
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Tuesday 12 July 2011
How women entrepreneurs are changing the world
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