Clearing the Hurdles
Women Building High-Growth Businesses
Published on 8. July 2008
Book
Paperback/Softback
304 pages
978-0-13-714115-9 (ISBN)
Description
Women Building High-Growth Businesses
"Even in the 21st century, much of the world still systematically excludes 50 percent of the smartest people from full responsibility. Entrepreneurship rewards excellence and results, not gender, and this book is a wonderful gift to women who would like to respond to corporate America by saying, 'Thanks, I'll do it myself'."
--Jim Collins, Author, Good to Great, and Co-author, Built to Last
"Savvy and inspirational, Clearing the Hurdles is an important book for women intent on growing new businesses. The team of talented authors provides information, insights, and advice that will educate, motivate, and challenge women aspiring to become successful entrepreneurs."
--Laura Tyson, Dean, London Business School
"With women creating new businesses at a faster rate than males, it is imperative that today's venture capitalists take an active role in mentoring and recruiting women to become venture capitalists, business owners, technologists, entrepreneurs, and government leaders. Clearing the Hurdles is not only a wake up call; it is a roadmap to start this long overdue project."
--Mark Heesen, President, National Venture Capital Association
"Clearing the Hurdles examines all elements behind the lack of access to capital for women entrepreneurs who want to build high-growth companies. If you are a woman who has a vision for a high-potential business, this book was written for you."
--Connie Duckworth, Kathy Elliott, Sharon Whiteley, Founders, 8Wings Enterprises, and Co-authors, The Old Girls Network: Insider Advice for Women Building Businesses in a Man's World
"Clearing the Hurdles debunks the myths and defines the barriers that entrepreneurs confront--a perfect roadmap for women embarking on the entrepreneurial journey."
--Kay Koplovitz, Founder, USA Networks, and former Chair, National Women's Business Council
Starting, funding, and growing a new venture are significant challenges for every entrepreneur. For women, the hurdles are even higher, due to widely held perceptions about them, their capabilities, and their businesses. Now, five leading experts on women entrepreneurs offer systematic solutions to the challenges, offering timely advice to women dedicated to achieving success and claiming the rewards.
Clearing the Hurdles draws on five years of original research, performed as part of the Diana Project--a major initiative that explores ways women grow businesses.
The authors identify key factors associated with funding, growth, and success: the founder's goals, expertise, and commitment; strategic direction; team building; effective use of networks; and access to capital. Most important, they offer concrete strategies for overcoming obstacles: strategies proven in the marketplace by women entrepreneurs.
Wealth creation: Don't get left out! Learn what it takes to build your high-growth business
Get credible Fill the technical and management gaps in your expertise
Get strategic Choose the right business, build the right plan
Get connected Link yourself to the right resources, networks, and people
Get over the funding hurdles. This book is a training manual for women who want to claim their place as winners in the entrepreneurial challenge.
"Even in the 21st century, much of the world still systematically excludes 50 percent of the smartest people from full responsibility. Entrepreneurship rewards excellence and results, not gender, and this book is a wonderful gift to women who would like to respond to corporate America by saying, 'Thanks, I'll do it myself'."
--Jim Collins, Author, Good to Great, and Co-author, Built to Last
"Savvy and inspirational, Clearing the Hurdles is an important book for women intent on growing new businesses. The team of talented authors provides information, insights, and advice that will educate, motivate, and challenge women aspiring to become successful entrepreneurs."
--Laura Tyson, Dean, London Business School
"With women creating new businesses at a faster rate than males, it is imperative that today's venture capitalists take an active role in mentoring and recruiting women to become venture capitalists, business owners, technologists, entrepreneurs, and government leaders. Clearing the Hurdles is not only a wake up call; it is a roadmap to start this long overdue project."
--Mark Heesen, President, National Venture Capital Association
"Clearing the Hurdles examines all elements behind the lack of access to capital for women entrepreneurs who want to build high-growth companies. If you are a woman who has a vision for a high-potential business, this book was written for you."
--Connie Duckworth, Kathy Elliott, Sharon Whiteley, Founders, 8Wings Enterprises, and Co-authors, The Old Girls Network: Insider Advice for Women Building Businesses in a Man's World
"Clearing the Hurdles debunks the myths and defines the barriers that entrepreneurs confront--a perfect roadmap for women embarking on the entrepreneurial journey."
--Kay Koplovitz, Founder, USA Networks, and former Chair, National Women's Business Council
Starting, funding, and growing a new venture are significant challenges for every entrepreneur. For women, the hurdles are even higher, due to widely held perceptions about them, their capabilities, and their businesses. Now, five leading experts on women entrepreneurs offer systematic solutions to the challenges, offering timely advice to women dedicated to achieving success and claiming the rewards.
Clearing the Hurdles draws on five years of original research, performed as part of the Diana Project--a major initiative that explores ways women grow businesses.
The authors identify key factors associated with funding, growth, and success: the founder's goals, expertise, and commitment; strategic direction; team building; effective use of networks; and access to capital. Most important, they offer concrete strategies for overcoming obstacles: strategies proven in the marketplace by women entrepreneurs.
Wealth creation: Don't get left out! Learn what it takes to build your high-growth business
Get credible Fill the technical and management gaps in your expertise
Get strategic Choose the right business, build the right plan
Get connected Link yourself to the right resources, networks, and people
Get over the funding hurdles. This book is a training manual for women who want to claim their place as winners in the entrepreneurial challenge.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Upper Saddle River
United States
Publishing group
Pearson Education (US)
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Dimensions
Height: 228 mm
Width: 156 mm
Thickness: 16 mm
Weight
440 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-13-714115-9 (9780137141159)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Dr. Candida Brush is Associate Professor in the Strategy and Policy Department, Boston University School of Management. She is the Founder and Director of the Council for Women's Entrepreneurship and Leadership and Research Director for the Entrepreneurial Management Institute.
Dr. Nancy M. Carter is the Richard M. Schulze Chair in Entrepreneurship at the University of St. Thomas, Minneapolis, MN, and is Leverhulme Visiting Professor at the London Business School. She previously held the Coleman Foundation Chair in Entrepreneurial Studies at Marquette University where she directed the Center for the Study of Entrepreneurship and the Center for Family Business.
Dr. Elizabeth J. Gatewood is Jack M. Gill Chair of Entrepreneurship and Director of The Johnson Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation at Indiana University. She has served as Executive Director of the University of Houston Small Business Development Center and was the founder of the Women's Roundtable Program. She founded and directed the Center for Business and Economic Studies at the University of Georgia.
Dr. Patricia G. Greene is Dean of the Undergraduate School at Babson College. She formerly held the Ewing Marion Kauffman/Missouri Chair in Entrepreneurial Leadership at the University of Missouri--Kansas City and the NJ Chair of Small Business and Entrepreneurship at Rutgers University. Prior to her academic career she was active in starting, growing, and managing long-term care facilities.
Dr. Myra M. Hart, Class of 1961 Professor of Entrepreneurship at the Harvard Business School, currently leads the school's Models of Success initiative and directs the writing of case studies featuring women protagonists. A founding officer of Staples, she participated in raising multiple rounds of venture capital, served as VP of Operations, and led the early expansion as Group VP of Growth and Development. She is also chair of the Center for Women's Business Research.
Dr. Nancy M. Carter is the Richard M. Schulze Chair in Entrepreneurship at the University of St. Thomas, Minneapolis, MN, and is Leverhulme Visiting Professor at the London Business School. She previously held the Coleman Foundation Chair in Entrepreneurial Studies at Marquette University where she directed the Center for the Study of Entrepreneurship and the Center for Family Business.
Dr. Elizabeth J. Gatewood is Jack M. Gill Chair of Entrepreneurship and Director of The Johnson Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation at Indiana University. She has served as Executive Director of the University of Houston Small Business Development Center and was the founder of the Women's Roundtable Program. She founded and directed the Center for Business and Economic Studies at the University of Georgia.
Dr. Patricia G. Greene is Dean of the Undergraduate School at Babson College. She formerly held the Ewing Marion Kauffman/Missouri Chair in Entrepreneurial Leadership at the University of Missouri--Kansas City and the NJ Chair of Small Business and Entrepreneurship at Rutgers University. Prior to her academic career she was active in starting, growing, and managing long-term care facilities.
Dr. Myra M. Hart, Class of 1961 Professor of Entrepreneurship at the Harvard Business School, currently leads the school's Models of Success initiative and directs the writing of case studies featuring women protagonists. A founding officer of Staples, she participated in raising multiple rounds of venture capital, served as VP of Operations, and led the early expansion as Group VP of Growth and Development. She is also chair of the Center for Women's Business Research.
Content
Preface.
1. Women Becoming Entrepreneurs.
No Glass Ceilings Here.
An Entrepreneurial Venture Begins.
Venture Growth Is a Choice.
Women-Led Ventures.
Slow to Grow.
Are There Changes in the Offing?
Private Equity-The Last Big Hurdle.
The Hurdle Analogy.
The Plan for This Book.
Notes.
2. Women Entrepreneurs: Pathways and Challenges.
The Entrepreneur.
Strategic Choices.
Resources.
Hurdles to Overcome.
Higher Hurdles for Women.
Why Are the Hurdles Higher?
Winning the Race for Success.
Notes.
3. Funding Sources for Businesses on the "Grow".
Money and the Start-Up Process.
Growth Capital versus Start-Up Funds.
Bootstrap Financing.
Sources of Equity Capital.
Angel Investing.
Government-Supported Investments.
Venture Capital.
Notes.
4. Motives, Aspirations, and Commitment.
The Entrepreneurial Choice.
Motives for Entrepreneurship.
Women's Aspirations Contrast with Entrepreneurial Reality.
Family Role Expectations.
Women's Self-Expression Leads to Perceptions.
Truths and Realities.
Moving Beyond the Expectations.
Summary.
Notes.
5.: Women and Human Capital.
What Do Resource Providers Look For?
Assumptions about Women Entrepreneurs.
Sorting Fact from Fiction.
Overcoming the Hurdle.
Enhancing Your Human Capital.
Summary.
Notes.
6. Financial Knowledge and Business Savvy.
Challenges Built into the System.
Do Women Underinvest in Their Businesses?
Do Women Have the Requisite Financial Knowledge, Skills, and Experience?
Separating the High Potential, High Performers from the Rest.
The Springboard Survey: A Study of Women Entrepreneurs Leading High-Potential Enterprises.
What Can Women Do to Clear the Financing Hurdles?
Notes.
7. Growth Orientation and Strategies.
Are Women-Owned Firms Smaller?
Why Are Women-Owned Firms Smaller?
Why Are Women-Led Ventures Perceived Differently?
The New Generation of Women Entrepreneurs.
Strategies for Growth.
Overcoming High Hurdles.
Summary.
Notes.
8. Building Useful Networks and Cashing in on Social Capital.
Are Women Unplugged from the Right Networks?
Formal Networks.
Informal Networks.
Benefits of Networks.
Network Boundaries and Barriers.
The Case for Homogeneous Networks.
The Case for Heterogeneity.
Social Capital-The Currency of Network Exchange.
Reputation and Trust.
Spending Social Capital within a Network.
Some Networks Are Like Foreign Countries.
Women Have Diverse Networks.
Women Benefit from Strategic Sponsors.
Creating Effective Networks.
Notes.
9. Women Building Management Teams.
Perceptions about Women.
Fact and Fiction about Women and Teams.
Building a High-Potential Team.
Challenges in Team Formation.
Summary.
Notes.
10. Networking for Venture Capital.
A Brief History of Venture Capital in the United States.
The Venture Capital Community Today.
Women in the Venture Capital Industry.
Getting Access to Venture Capital Investors.
A Connection or a Disconnect?
Missing Links between Women Entrepreneurs and Venture Capitalists.
Getting Connected.
Model Misfits.
What Can You Do to Change Things?
Notes.
11. In Conclusion.
Note.
Index.
About the Authors.
1. Women Becoming Entrepreneurs.
No Glass Ceilings Here.
An Entrepreneurial Venture Begins.
Venture Growth Is a Choice.
Women-Led Ventures.
Slow to Grow.
Are There Changes in the Offing?
Private Equity-The Last Big Hurdle.
The Hurdle Analogy.
The Plan for This Book.
Notes.
2. Women Entrepreneurs: Pathways and Challenges.
The Entrepreneur.
Strategic Choices.
Resources.
Hurdles to Overcome.
Higher Hurdles for Women.
Why Are the Hurdles Higher?
Winning the Race for Success.
Notes.
3. Funding Sources for Businesses on the "Grow".
Money and the Start-Up Process.
Growth Capital versus Start-Up Funds.
Bootstrap Financing.
Sources of Equity Capital.
Angel Investing.
Government-Supported Investments.
Venture Capital.
Notes.
4. Motives, Aspirations, and Commitment.
The Entrepreneurial Choice.
Motives for Entrepreneurship.
Women's Aspirations Contrast with Entrepreneurial Reality.
Family Role Expectations.
Women's Self-Expression Leads to Perceptions.
Truths and Realities.
Moving Beyond the Expectations.
Summary.
Notes.
5.: Women and Human Capital.
What Do Resource Providers Look For?
Assumptions about Women Entrepreneurs.
Sorting Fact from Fiction.
Overcoming the Hurdle.
Enhancing Your Human Capital.
Summary.
Notes.
6. Financial Knowledge and Business Savvy.
Challenges Built into the System.
Do Women Underinvest in Their Businesses?
Do Women Have the Requisite Financial Knowledge, Skills, and Experience?
Separating the High Potential, High Performers from the Rest.
The Springboard Survey: A Study of Women Entrepreneurs Leading High-Potential Enterprises.
What Can Women Do to Clear the Financing Hurdles?
Notes.
7. Growth Orientation and Strategies.
Are Women-Owned Firms Smaller?
Why Are Women-Owned Firms Smaller?
Why Are Women-Led Ventures Perceived Differently?
The New Generation of Women Entrepreneurs.
Strategies for Growth.
Overcoming High Hurdles.
Summary.
Notes.
8. Building Useful Networks and Cashing in on Social Capital.
Are Women Unplugged from the Right Networks?
Formal Networks.
Informal Networks.
Benefits of Networks.
Network Boundaries and Barriers.
The Case for Homogeneous Networks.
The Case for Heterogeneity.
Social Capital-The Currency of Network Exchange.
Reputation and Trust.
Spending Social Capital within a Network.
Some Networks Are Like Foreign Countries.
Women Have Diverse Networks.
Women Benefit from Strategic Sponsors.
Creating Effective Networks.
Notes.
9. Women Building Management Teams.
Perceptions about Women.
Fact and Fiction about Women and Teams.
Building a High-Potential Team.
Challenges in Team Formation.
Summary.
Notes.
10. Networking for Venture Capital.
A Brief History of Venture Capital in the United States.
The Venture Capital Community Today.
Women in the Venture Capital Industry.
Getting Access to Venture Capital Investors.
A Connection or a Disconnect?
Missing Links between Women Entrepreneurs and Venture Capitalists.
Getting Connected.
Model Misfits.
What Can You Do to Change Things?
Notes.
11. In Conclusion.
Note.
Index.
About the Authors.