As we celebrate Women’s History Month, it’s also a great time to look at how women contribute to the business world.

Despite all the advances women have made, many still hit a glass ceiling and women still make less money than men (in 2005, women made 73 cents to a man’s $1). In the high-paying corporate executive world, that gap widens (full story).

Yet in the land of small business, women have a chance to dominate. Just here in Charleston, I can think of several women who own their own businesses and are quite successful. I found this book review interesting. It’s about Margaret Heffernan’s new book, “How She Does It.”

A former CEO herself, Heffernan points out 40% of all privately-held companies in the U.S. are owned or led by a woman.
Women are contributing to the economy, creating jobs and demonstrating business is anything but a man’s world.

Check out this quote from “How She Does It”:
In this respect, women entrepreneurs remind me of a wave of immigrants: driven out of a land they found hostile, taking big risks in their determination to create a New World where they can succeed on their own terms. America was built by such pioneers and, today, its economy continues to be enriched by the fresh thinking of women who don't accept defeat.

I like the idea of women in business being today’s pioneers, forging a New World and a new set of terms.

Share your stories about women forging a path in the business world.

Holly Fisher
Electronic Media Editor

Comments (1) >>

Doing well AND doing good
written by Meredith McPhail on March 07, 2007

I recently started working for a terrific Charleston company called Corporate DevelopMint. We are a for-profit consulting firm but all our clients are non-profits. So, every day, I get to make life easier for hospitals, schools, shelters, pet rescues, clubs, and environmental groups who make the world better for the rest of us.

I'm surrounded by very smart, very dedicated people who believe in excellence as a requirement, not an aspiration. No one more so than our boss and mentor, June Bradham.

She's been working with non-profits for some 30 years and 20 years ago, she stepped into, what Ms. Heffernen calls a "hostile world" with grace and boldness. While non-profits have certainly always had their fair share of women leaders, for-profit businesses were not always so welcoming.

But having been here for several months now, I can say with confidence that the foundation June laid when times were much more challenging has built a company that feels both homey and solid. Somehow, it's both the welcoming feminine touch combined with theconfidence and assertiveness once relegated to the old boys' club.

I'm amazed and inspired by any woman out there who's blazing that trail. If we all did what our mentors did, imagine what kind of world we'd live in!

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