One of the things I like to do is see how things fit together, sometimes connections that are intuitively obvious, and sometimes things that wouldn’t seem to make sense – but do.  I was visiting http:www.EscapeFromCorporateAmerica.blogspot.com and http://www.womenpresidentsorganizationchicago.blogspot.com

this morning and these connections definitely make sense (at least to me).  

On the Escape site they presented a quote from Lorrie Heinemann, Secretary of the State Department of Financial Institutions in Wisconsin, who said that female and minority entrepreneurs don't always get attention from male-only investor groups.

“Realizing the potential and success of women-owned businesses is very important,” she added.   This was followed by Tom Still,  President of the Wisconsin Technology Council who said,  ”At the end of the day, money is usually color- blind and gender-neutral. It should flow to where the best opportunities are.” 

I think most business people would agree with both of those statements.  So if we have gender-neutral dollars but women not generally in the conversation -  Houston we have a problem.  

Answers might be found at sites like that of the Women’s Presidents’ Organization spot.  This site provides many, many examples of women who have identified opportunities and organized the resources to build very substantial companies.  They not only have the examples of individual women, they also link to one of my favorite recent studies by the Center for Women’s Business Research  -  Women Demonstrate They Have What It Takes to Build Million Dollar Firms  

I hear so many conversations that people (resource providers?) don’t know much about women with larger businesses…. and that women business owners don’t have enough role models.   Now we have the data and the names, it’s up to all of us to spread the word.  But it’s also up to those involved in entrepreneurship education and training to understand what is involved in the design and delivery of better ways of teaching about entrepreneurial growth, and expand that conversation every way we can.  No one is saying that everyone should grow a business, but it sure helps if you understand how and then decide on what you want to build.