A Connotation for Control: Women Business Owners

Seeking Balance AND Growth

2008 ISBE Conference Belfast, Northern Ireland

Julie R. WeeksPresident & CEO

Womenable

A Closer Look at a Unique Population

▲Women business owners seeking to grow their firms to the million-dollar level

▲“M3” initiative launched in 2006; size of community has grown from 15,000 to 60,000 in just the past year

▲Two online surveys: August 2007, April 2008

Three Key Questions (I)

Are women who seek to grow their enterprises to the million-dollar level concerned at all with the issue of work-life balance?

Three Key Questions (II)

How do balance-seekers differ from others in terms of personal/business characteristics and level of focus on growth?

Three Key Questions (III)

Do women business owners who are seeking or who have achieved greater work-life balance grow their firms at a different pace, or do their accomplishments lag those of others?

Greater Balance Most Prevalent Reason for Starting Firm

Less So, But Still #1 Even Among Larger Firms

Those Seeking Balance More Likely to be Married, Have Children at Home

* Pre-school, primary, secondary school aged

Balance-Seeking Not a Corporate Refuge Nor an On-Ramping Strategy

Seeking Greater Work-Life Balance Does Not Lessen Focus on Growth

Balance-Seekers Equal Achievements of Others

Achieving Greater Balance Does Not Dampen Business Growth

Level of Balance Achievement

Conclusions

▲Even women seeking to grow their enterprises desire greater balance in their lives

▲Quest for greater work-life balance IS related to life-stage

▲Neither desire for nor achievement of greater work-life balance negatively impacts business accomplishments

Implications▲Is ‘balance’ a connotation for ‘control’?

▲Has the growth of women-owned firms been dampened by a misunderstanding of terminology, incorrect assumptions about desire, capacity for growth?

▲Support for women business owners should examine ways to be supportive of growth goals in ways that are complementary to issues of ‘work-life balance’

Thank you for viewing and listening

Visit womenable.comto read and download the

research paper

Click on the link above, or go to womenable.com and click on “Publications”,

then on “Research Briefs and Reports”