Washington, D.C.ˇXJuly 17, 2003ˇXWomen entrepreneurs now have a oneˇVstop resource guide to help them be successful in one of the nationˇ¦s largest business markets, corporate America. Methods that Work for Creating Corporate Clients, A Resource Guide for Women Business Owners, was prepared by the Center for Womenˇ¦s Business Research and underwritten by the PepsiCo Foundation to provide knowledge, tools and best practices to help women business owners successfully navigate the challenges of corporate markets.
The resource guide is the outcome of the study Access to Markets: Perspectives from Large Corporations and Womenˇ¦s Business Enterprises by the Center for Women Business Research released earlier this year.
ˇ§On average, nearly half (48%) of the revenues of the womenˇ¦s business enterprises surveyed came from large corporations,ˇ¨ said Myra M. Hart, Chair, Center for Womenˇ¦s Business Research and Professor, Harvard Business School. ˇ§Gaining access to this market has a very positive impact on the bottom line. The resource guide distills the findings of our comprehensive study into researchˇVbased intelligence that individual women business owners can use to be successful in this lucrative market.ˇ¨
ˇ§PepsiCo is committed to ensuring that womenˇ¦s business enterprises have every opportunity to participate in corporate markets,ˇ¨ said Bob Gonzalez, vice president of supplier diversity, PepsiCo. ˇ§We are so pleased to participate in a project which helps further this commitment, and we recognize the contributions that womenˇVowned firms make to supplying quality products and services at a good price.ˇ¨
The guide has five success strategies that serve as a roadmap for women entrepreneurs to gain access to corporate markets. Along with the core strategies, the guide gives realˇVlife examples of women business owners who have successfully marketed to corporations. It also gives women entrepreneurs the overall trends in corporate purchasing as well as stepˇVbyˇVstep guidance on how and where to become ˇ§certifiedˇ¨ as a womenˇ¦s business enterprise, and a list of useful Web sites, organizations and publications that can help create corporate clients.
How to get a copy
„h Download your FREE copy by going to the Center for Womenˇ¦s Business Research Web site at http://www.womensbusinessresearch.org/resourceguide
„h Purchase your personal hard copy for only $25.00. Call the Center for Womenˇ¦s Business Research at 202ˇV638ˇV3060 ext. 10 or email at info@womensbusinessresearch.org
###
Many thanks to the underwriters of the original study, Access to Markets: Perspectives from Large Corporations and Womenˇ¦s Business Enterprises, Womenˇ¦s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC), Women Entrepreneursˇ¦ Connection, FleetBoston Financial, Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. Center for Womenˇ¦s Business Research Center for Womenˇ¦s Business Research is the premier source of knowledge about women business owners and their enterprises worldwide. The Centerˇ¦s mission is to unleash the economic potential of women entrepreneurs by conducting research, sharing information and increasing knowledge about this fastˇVgrowing sector of the economy. Since 1989, Center for Womenˇ¦s Business Research has ˇ§painted the pictureˇ¨ of the womenˇVowned business landscape by providing original research documenting the economic and social contributions of womenˇVowned firms. This knowledge transforms entrepreneurial opportunities for women worldwide and is changing the face of the global business environment. The Center shares its knowledge with policy makers, financial institutions, corporate leaders, government agencies and the media through research reports, press releases, newsletter publications, seminars, speaking engagements and on the Internet at www.womensbusinessresearch.org.
