Why Women Start 1200 Businesses Per Day

Why Women Start 1200 Businesses Per Day American women are starting their own companiesatrecord rates.This may explain themediainterestinwomen-in-technology and STEM professions, or the number ofcommunitiesand proliferation ofI dont have the data to back it up, but I have a different theory. I suspect thatthe boom times for female entrepreneurship is less about trying to become the next fruchtfleisch Zuckerberg and more about choosing between a rock and a hard place. Kathryn Gould, apioneering woman in venture capital, and an early employee at Oracle gave the University of Chicago MBA classcommencement speech a couple months ago (which you can watchhereor read highlights fromhere). Shes a tough lady who has had a great career, and Gouldadmits that her approach was to avoid talking aboutbeinga woman, at times evenpretending that women did elend face obstacles. However, in a rare concession during the commencement speech, she talks abouttwo obstacles she faced. The firstis overt discri mination she wanted to attend CalTech, but the school didnt admit women until 1970. The second challenge she faced is probablymore relevant to most women today despite being one of the top handful ofVCs in the business at the time, with a great track record under her belt, she wasnt able to finda new job when her former company disbanded. Gould says that she is pretty sure a guy in her position would have been snapped up very quickly. In order not to lose momentum, she tookmatters into her own hands and started her own firm. She then saysYou ambitious women will surely face something like this in your career. Just go around itI sympathize with this advice, even though I realize its impractical for many. Not everyone can, norhas the skills, circumstances and stomach to be an entrepreneur. But in my opinion, the boom in female entrepreneurship isat least partially drivenby the same things thatKathryn Gould faced in the 1990s. I believe women are starting companies in record numbers as a directconsequence of unappealing workplace cultures and policies in spite ofthe relatively safer, creature comforts of a corporate position.Being your own boss is often risky, financial and emotionally stressful, and is certainly no cake-walk. However, thealternatives can be unpleasant as well. Being an entrepreneur means you are, by definition, in control of your work-life balance, your hours, and the creator of your own corporate culture. In the meantime, for those who choose to stay the company course,Fairygodbosshopes to shed light on the best and worst places to work.