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Forget the Glass Ceiling: 3

Tips for Building Your

Business Without One

WBCS Austin Insights

October 9, 2014 Presented by: Geri Stengel

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High-Potential Female Entrepreneurship Conditions

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You Can’t Be What Your Can’t See

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3 Tips for Building Your Business Without a Glass Ceiling

• Networking fuels business

growth

• Certification opens access

to corporate and

government contracts

• Financing scales

businesses bigger and

faster – considering using it

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Networking Fuels

Business Growth

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10 Inspiring Women Entrepreneurs

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Larger More Diverse Networks Grow Larger Businesses

Photo by iconolith

• People outside your usual

circle are the greatest source

of new ideas, information and

opportunities

• Don’t assume people will

connect the dots

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Join Groups but Check Out

• Who is in the group

• How they communicate

• What’s the substance of

their communication

• What level are the

people in the group

Source: Athena Vongalis Macrow

Adapted from Flickr image by Noah Sussman

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Social Media Amplifies Your Message

Photo by luc legay

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Men Are the Powerbrokers:

Make Them Part of Your Network

• Men control vast majority of

leadership position

• Not us against them

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Build a Community of Supporters

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Certification Opens

Doors to Corporate

and Government

Contracts

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Companies Who Get It

Corporate (Sustaining) Members

1218, Inc. Dallas County Community College

District ( DCCCD ) IBM Corporation Shell Oil Company

Accenture Dallas Independent School District Interstate Batteries, Inc. Southwest Airlines

Acuity Training Systems, Inc. Dallas Zoo Management, Inc. Jackson Walker LLP Southwest Bank

Alcatel-Lucent Dell, Inc. JCPenney Company, Inc. Tarrant Regional Water District

Amegy Bank DFW International Airport Judd, Thomas, Smith & Company,

P.C. Texas A&M University - Commerce

American Airlines Diversity Connect, LLC Lockheed Martin Texas Instruments

Ameriprise Financial Energy Future Holdings Merico Abatement Contractors, Inc. TGI Fridays

Army & Air Force Exchange Service Entergy Corporation North Texas Commission The Beck Group

AT&T Ericsson North Texas Tollway Authority (NTTA) Transwestern

Bank of America & Merrill Lynch

Wealth Management ExxonMobil Novation Tyson Foods, Inc.

Baylor Health Care System Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas NRG Energy, Inc. UPS

Bell Nunnally & Martin, LLP Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas Omni Hotels Verizon

BNSF Railway Company FedEx Office OmniAmerican Bank Vertex Business Services

Brinker International Fluor Oncor Walmart Stores, Inc.

CenterPoint Energy Frost Bank Parkland Foundation WE - Women's Enterprise

Chevron GENCO ATC PepsiCo, Inc. Wells Fargo Advisors

City of Dallas GSD&M Raytheon - Space and Airborne

Systems Willbros Utility T&D

Cross Timbers Procurement Center HCL America, Inc. Republic Services, Inc. Windstream Communications, Inc.

Dallas Area Rapid Transit ( DART ) Hewlett-Packard Company Sandia National Laboratories Xcel Energy

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Financing Scales

Businesses Bigger

and Faster – Consider

Using It

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Money Is Key Ingredient to Growing Businesses

• Women start businesses

with 1/3 less capital

• Women business are

25% smaller

• Not a feminist issue. It’s

an economic one

Photo by Images_of_Money

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Research Is Mixed as to Why Women Raise Less Money

• Women don’t ask

• Differences in credit scores,

growth potential of the

industry and size of firm

• Discrimination

• Issues of control

• Women don’t dream big

• Women rely on reinvesting

profits

Photo by stevendepolo

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To Reel in Financing, Know Your Financing Options

WPO Fifty Fastest Growing

Women-Owned/Led Company:

• 4% bank loan

• 4% angels

• 2% venture capital vs 18%

for their male counterparts*

*National Business Women’s Council

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Women Are Having Early Success at Crowdfunding

48% of Indiegogo’s successful campaigns are run by

women. They have more contributors who give more

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3 Tips for Building Your Business Without a Glass Ceiling

• Networking fuels business

growth

• Certification opens access

to corporate and

government contracts

• Financing scales

businesses bigger and

faster – consider using it

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Resources

• Forget the Glass Ceiling: Build Your Business Without One

• Gender-GEDI

• Articles on Financing

• 11 Reasons 2014 Will Be A Breakout Year For Women Entrepreneurs

• 6 Ways Women Can Power Up Their Businesses With Networking

• How Social Networking Puts Your Business on Steroids

• 4 Ways to Leverage Who You Know to Grow Faster

• How An Advisory Board Can Grow Your Business

• NYC Encourages Growth of Women-Owned Businesses

• How Women Entrepreneurs Get Social When Selling to the

Government

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Connect With Me

• http://www.forbes.com/sites/geristengel/

• @ventureneer

• https://plus.google.com/+GeriStengel

• http://www.linkedin.com/in/geristengel

• http://www.facebook.com/Ventureneer

• geri@ventureneer.com

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Questions