Recently in the Policies Affecting Women Category

We have never had information before that relected the overall economic impact of women-owned firms.  Today we have it and it reveals the magnitude of importance that small business plays in the overall economy.

Women-owned firms produce employment for more than 23 million people in the United states, or 16% of our 2008 workforce.*.   This means that approximately 8% of the total labor force work directly for a woman-owned firm.  This is astonishing news.

But what really is remarkable, is that that 80% of the women businesses are NOT employer firms.

What would this mean to our national economic recovery if we increased the number of "employer" firms to 25%? To 30%?  How many more people would join the ranks of the employed?   

It is time to start focusing on strategies and policies to make this happen.  WIPP is asking these questions and addressing these issues directly.

*US Department of Labor, November 2008 national employment figures.

WIPP, The Center for Women's Business Research, The National Women's Business Council and Walmart announced exciting new data at the Economic Summit on Friday, October 2nd.

• If women-owned businesses were their own country, they would have the 5th largest GDP in the world, ahead of countries, including France, the United Kingdom and Italy.
• If women-owned businesses were their own country, they would have a greater GDP than Canada, India and Vietnam COMBINED.
• Women-owned firms have a total economic impact of $3 trillion, including creating and/or maintaining 23 million jobs, 16% of the total workforce.

The economic impact analysis explains the direct, indirect, and induced economic impact of women-owned businesses nationwide.  Moving well beyond the traditional number of women-owned firms, industries, and revenue levels, this research takes things to the next level by analyzing the economic ripple effect of the women-owned business communiety, i.e. what their direct spending is in addition to subsequent spending by their suppliers and employees.  

The survey data provides:

• industry specific data that can be used for programming and public policy;
• data that can drive private and public investments; and
• data that can illuminate the true production capacity of women-owned firms.

The objective of this important research was to broadly quantify the economic contributions of women-owned firms and is unprecedented.  This is the first time that this type of analysis has been undertaken for women-owned firms in the nation and the results will have significant and wide-ranging impact for policymaking, economic development, and private investment focused on women business owners and their communities.  Please go to www.cfwbr.org and www.wipp.org for further information and SBTV.com for a video recording.

  Chatter is beginning to heat up on the push for an open internet.   It sounds good - no question about it.   WIPP's small businesses definitely need more choice, higher speeds and lower prices, no doubt about that either.   However the focus must first be on building high speed networks and managing them properly so that we can access them.   With a network not properly managed, it will soon be very difficult for a small business owner to use technology to manage and grow their business because they will be competing with continuous video streaming and clogged networks.   I don't want that to happen - what I want is to be able to select the right product for my business needs from a provider that will provide me the best speed, security, reliability and value.   For sure, that is not either a highly regulated internet, nor an internet that is totally free and open and not managed properly.   Allowing the providers to manage their networks and meet consumer and business needs is the best strategy in the long run.

Usually government websites are dreary, outdated and hard to navigate.  WIPP says not so with the new website the White House has dedicated to tracking the stimulus money.  www.recovery.gov contains an incredible amount of information which allows small businesses to track the money to the states and to each individual agency. 

Check it out - it's not business as usual.

WIPP would like to invite you to join the Small Business Town Hall community on Facebook and to participate in the Intuit Town Hall Forum scheduled for 3/12 at 3 pm ET.

Intuit's Small Business United campaign is designed to bring America's entrepreneurs together and to fuel their growth by providing free products, services and resources that help them attract customers, save money and make money.

The Town Hall Forum will be hosted online:  http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http://crystal.semphonic.com%2Fquickbookscommunitycalendar%2Fhelios%2Fevents%2Findex.php%3Fcom%3Ddetail%26eID%3D3848%26year%3D2009%26month%3D03.

Don't miss it!