• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
Big Ideas for Small Business logo

Barbara Weltman

Big Ideas for Small Business, Inc.

Whitepaper download

Subscribe and download our eBook, "150+ Tax Deductions for Small Business A to Z."

This field is hidden when viewing the form
Get the:

  • Home
  • About Us
  • Big Ideas For Your Business
    • Idea Of The Day ®
    • SMB Legal
    • SMB Taxes
    • SMB Financial
    • Small Business
    • Newsletter Archive
  • Services
  • Books
  • Blog
  • Multimedia
    • Videos
    • Radio Shows/Podcasts
  • Be a Guest Blogger

The State of Women-Owned Businesses

March 13, 2018 / By Barbara Weltman

March is Women’s History Month and a good time to reflect on how women are doing in business. According to American Express’ 2017 State of Women-Owned Businesses Report, women entrepreneurship continues to rise.

Here are some key statistics about women-owned businesses:

  • There are an estimated 11.6 million women-owned businesses in the U.S. (46% of which are owned by minorities)
  • These businesses account for 39% of all U.S. businesses.
  • They employ nearly 9 million workers (8% of the private workforce).
  • They generate $1.7 trillion in revenue (4.2% of total business revenues).
  • Over the past 20 years, the number of women-owned businesses has grown by 114% (compared with overall national growth of 44%).

Where it’s happening

“Economic clout” is the growth in the number of companies and growth in employment in revenues. Some locations have seen greater economic clout than others. According to the American Express Report, the 5 locations with the greatest economic clout by women-owned businesses are Nevada, District of Columbia, South Dakota, North Dakota, and Georgia. Those with the lowest economic clout: Arkansas, Illinois, Ohio, West Virginia, and Nebraska.

Looking ahead

The National Women’s Business Council (NWBC) 2017 Annual Report is about “Accelerating the Future of Women Entrepreneurs.” The Council studied supplier diversity programs, commercialization among women in STEM fields, incubators and accelerators, crowdfunding, social entrepreneurship, and millennial, Black, and Hispanic women entrepreneurship. It made several recommendations that could help to improve women entrepreneurship:

  • Increase funding to the SBA’s Women’s Business Center (WBC) program;
  • Extend the SBIR/STTR pilot programs through 2022;
  • Enlarge or make permanent the New Markets Tax Credit (NMTC) Program; and
  • Lift or raise the cap on SBA-backed loans for all small businesses, and, specifically, those from under-served communities.

Bottom line

Despite high visibility of women leading Fortune 500 companies (e.g., Mary Barra at GM, Mary Dillion at Ulta Beauty, Shira Goodman at Staples, Vicki Hollub at Occidental Petroleum, Indra Nooyi at Pepsi, and Phebe Novakoic at General Dynamics), some may argue that there’s still a glass ceiling (an intangible barrier within a hierarchy that prevents women from obtaining upper-level positions) in corporate America.

But women entrepreneurs haven’t let barriers—lack of access to capital, exclusion from the old boy network—keep them from starting amazing businesses. Who knows what great statistics I can share next year about women entrepreneurs?

Tags women entrepreneurship women-owned businesses Women's History Month

Primary Sidebar

Categories

  • General Business (506)
  • Guest Blog (113)
  • Homepage (25)
  • Small Business (1,005)
  • SMB Financial (329)
  • SMB Legal (67)
  • SMB Taxes (327)

Barbara’s Recent Posts

  • One Big Beautiful Bill: Checklist of Tax Changes for Small Businesses July 8, 2025
  • What the U.S. Supreme Court Told Small Businesses in This Term: Part 1 July 3, 2025
  • Mid-Year Business Planning for 2025 July 1, 2025
  • 10 Ideas for Coping with Cash Flow Challenges June 26, 2025
  • 5 Insurance Traps to Avoid June 24, 2025
  • Creating a Feng Shui Office Layout for Your Business June 20, 2025
  • Scaling Your Business by Optimizing Social Media Marketing June 19, 2025
  • The Timeless Value of Business Cards in a Digital World June 18, 2025
  • What Does the Latest IRS Data Book Tell Us? June 17, 2025
  • Business Advice from Famous Dads June 12, 2025
  • How Important Is Higher Education for Small Business Owners June 11, 2025
  • Business Planning in a Period of Uncertainty June 10, 2025
Awarded Top 100 Small Business Blog medal (link will open in a new window or tab)
Marquis Who's Who 2023 Badge
Top Small Business Blogs (Link will open in a new window or tab.)
8 Financial blogs small business Owners Need to Read. Invoice home.  (link will open in a new window or tab)
Best Small Business Blog, Expertido.org
Top 50 Small Business Blogs 2018
Best Small Business Blogs
BizHumm Top 100 Business Blog Award to Barbara Weltman
FitsSmallBusiness.com: Award for Best Small Business Blog 2017 (link will open in a new window or tab)
FitsSmallBusiness.com: Award for Best Small Business Blog 2016 (link will open in a new window or tab)

Footer

Big Ideas for Small Business logo

Small business ideas, business tax news and small business consulting from Barbara Weltman to provide business owners with the information they need to succeed. Visit our small business blog, Idea of The Day®, small business books and articles on small business taxes, small business finance and small business legal advice.

Contact Us

[email protected]

(772) 492-9593

gacor maxwin situs slot thailand terpercaya situs slot gacor situs gacor akun pro thailand slot bandar togel terpercaya

Latest Tweets

bigideas4sb Big Ideas for Small Business® @bigideas4sb ·
July 7

Yale psychologist: The No. 1 skill that the most creative and successful people have—'it's their superpower'

Reply on Twitter 1942307338083303854 Retweet on Twitter 1942307338083303854 Like on Twitter 1942307338083303854 Twitter 1942307338083303854
bigideas4sb Big Ideas for Small Business® @bigideas4sb ·
July 7

Print on Demand Design Trends 2025: What’s Actually Working https://bit.ly/4nlu3B9 #smallbusiness #printing #trends #Ecommerce

Reply on Twitter 1942260168785330487 Retweet on Twitter 1942260168785330487 Like on Twitter 1942260168785330487 Twitter 1942260168785330487
bigideas4sb Big Ideas for Small Business® @bigideas4sb ·
July 7

What the U.S. Supreme Court Told Small Businesses in This Term: Part 1 https://bit.ly/46sSKpd #smallbusiness #legislation #SupremeCourt

Reply on Twitter 1942247274320470502 Retweet on Twitter 1942247274320470502 1 Like on Twitter 1942247274320470502 2 Twitter 1942247274320470502
Load More

Copyright © 2008–2025 Big Ideas for Small Business, Inc  |  Designed by Hudson Fusion

  • Privacy Policy
  • Sitemap