This is a great question, much appreciated and thoughtful.  I listened to a business woman at one of breakfasts talk about her business. She said it was easier to run her business with 35 employees than with just 3.  Once she was able to start to hire people, she could work on the projects that would produce the most revenue. She wasn’t tied down in the day-to-day details of running a business, or what we call working IN your business and not ON your business.  In addition, her company began to grow significantly in terms of revenue once additional people were hired. Of course expenses went up, but revenue went up more than expenses, plus consider the intangibles - not having to do everything yourself!  Being able to leave at 5pm, not 8 pm. And what if something happened to you or your partner and you couldn’t work for awhile. Getting some good back-up is the way to go.  So hire, have a 90 review period and at the end of the 90 days if the hire isn’t working, you can part ways.  Hope this helps. Consider taking our 1/2 day workshop on May 18 called “Listening To Your Business.”  This is about working on your business, not in it.  Here is the link to register if you are interested!https://www.chatham.edu/cwe/events/fasttrac/listen_workshop.cfm

Best, Rebecca Harris

As many of you know, CWE has generated some interest on the topic of women business owners and hiring since the White House Business Council Business Forward event February 14th. Below is a summary of some of the coverage we’ve received recently, and the post below contains our issue briefing on women business owners and job creation!

Jon Delano interviewed Rebecca Harris on TV during the KDKA Sunday Business Page (aired Sunday, February 26th at 8:30AM).

Editorial: Pittsburgh Business Times, by Rebecca Harris “Small businesses have both great opportunities and substantial barriers” (February 24th)

Interview: 90.5 Essential Public Radio, with Rebecca Harris “Pittsburgh Business Leaders Meet with Obama Administration in DC” (February 16)

To see pictures of the event, visit our Facebook photo album!

I’m on my way to the White House now, and wanted to share an overview of the issue briefing CWE has put out about women-owned businesses and job creation:

Women-owned small businesses are increasing at a faster rate than their male counterparts, becoming a key driver of small business growth. While the potential for new job creation exists in women-owned businesses, job creation among women-owned firms trends significantly lower than those of male-owned businesses.

While studies indicate that women business owners are interested in growing their businesses, they also show a significant disconnect between business growth and increased job creation. A recent survey of women-owned companies grossing between $150,000-$700,000 in revenue found that 87% had plans to grow, but over half believed they could do so without hiring.

The Center for Women’s Entrepreneurship at Chatham University (CWE) believes that these lower hiring trends for women-owned businesses can be increased with greater access to training, education and support to provide strategies and information specifically related to hiring in the context of business growth. Developing this targeted support network represents a unique opportunity for private and public investment that will ultimately increase job creation and contribute to short- and long-term economic growth.

If you would like to read more, check back later for a link to the full brief!

The Speakers: Chris Dilla, Owner, Bocktown Beer and Grill
Olga Watkins, Performer, The Olga Watkins Band
Donna Baxter, Founder & Web Mistress, Soul Pitt Media

The Topic: “Social Media Success Stories”
The Date: Friday, January 13, 2012

This morning at the Women Business Leaders Breakfast Series three amazing women and entrepreneurs talked about how they’ve used social media to build a customer base and maintain virtual relationships with customers and fans by engaging and informing through social media outlets. We heard first-hand what has worked.  From Donna’s LinkedIn connections, to Chris’s Twitter feed, to Olga’s song going viral on YouTube, all of these women spoke firsthand what they’ve tried, what worked, and what didn’t.

The bottom line, there is money to be made by being part of social media; participation requires constant attention and nurturing and updating; credentialed content is critical.

And having some type of smart-phone to stay connected has become a given.

So go for it – jump in, make mistakes but at least try joining the conversations.  These women did and their businesses benefited!

Check out the photos of the event at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Center-for-Womens-Entrepreneurship-CWE/116786651699018