Press Alert: IGC on CNN!

We were thrilled to be featured on CNN's The Turnaround at the beginning of the month!

The clip can be viewed here

A special thanks to

Amanda Hofman of Urban Girl Squad
Emily Wolper of E. Wolper, Inc
Eden Abrahams of Clear Path Executive Coaching

for their time and thoughtful contributions!

Are women business owners really second-class entrepreneurs?

Read an excerpt from my new Huffington Post article:

...

In short, I am being asked: "how can we get female entrepreneurs to start those blockbuster businesses that are so often started by men?"

And I get very frustrated, because in my mind this is the wrong conversation.

These questions are problematic because they reinforce the strong dichotomy that exists in the mind of the general public between businesses that are fast-growing, capital-rich, and highly-visible (and undeniably mostly male) and businesses that grow more organically, remain closely held, have greater longevity, have less capital, and stay smaller.

The first group gets deemed the legitimate "real" entrepreneurs, while the latter group, especially if they are run by women, gets passed off as "lifestyle" or "lipstick" entrepreneurs. While in reality businesses in the latter group are run by both men and women, I've yet to see a man's business pejoratively referred to as a "lifestyle" business.

...Read More


Do you think women are cast as second-class entrepreneurs?

As an woman entrepreneur, have you ever felt like you were a legitimate or "real" entrepreneur? When & why?

Personally, when I first started out it took me a little while to warm to the word entrepreneur, even though I would talk about the process of starting my own business. I did a lot f research and read things geared towards entrepreneurs, but I didn't feel reflected in the literature.

However as the business became more involved, and complex, and strategic it was hard to identify as anything but an entrepreneur. I was also very encouraged by finding the right peers and resources. A very important book for me was Bo Burlingham's Small Giants, which profiles great companies that have other goals besides size. It was examples and stories like these that made me feel more comfortable taking up this new identity.

I really understand what it is like to wrestle with the title, but each time I hear the qualifiers lifestyle or lipstick, I cling to entrepreneur even more tightly!

I'd love to hear your experience.

-Adelaide Lancaster

Exciting News from IGC! Coming Soon to a bookstore near you…

We are thrilled to announce that we have confirmed a book deal with Portfolio, which is Penguin’s business imprint! We couldn’t be more excited about this new direction and to be in the company of so many other great books at Portfolio!

Our launch into this new stage was made official by this clip in Publishers Weekly this morning, listed under "Machinist Closes Two". (Thank YOU, Alexandra!)

Our book, tentatively titled, GOOD COMPANY: Entrepreneurship for the rest of us, offers women new thinking and sound advice about what’s really important when building a sustainable, rewarding and enjoyable business – by their own definition.

As we do in our consulting practice and through the In Good Company Workplaces, the book will focus on helping you determine what decisions and business direction is best for YOU based on your goals and needs.

There are so many reasons that we are totally pumped to be writing this book.

We have learned so much from the all women we have worked with over the last 5 years, and it is thrilling to have a vehicle that can share so many of those lessons.

And just as the workspace was one solution to pool resources, share knowledge, and create community, the book is another exciting avenue to accomplish these three goals with a larger group of women entrepreneurs.

We are also really looking forward to complementing the many startup resources out there by engaging in meaningful conversation about what’s important to think about as entrepreneurs after you’ve gotten launched. What are the keys to success in year 1, 2, or 10?

We, ourselves, have been hungering for a book that not only addresses the building business stage but that also highlights a wide range of ventures that are diverse in industry, size, goal, and location and that exhibit a variety of models of entrepreneurship.

GOOD COMPANY is scheduled to come out at the beginning of 2012. But in the meantime, we will be engaged in active conversation on this blog and twitter! We want your input and can’t wait to hear your thoughts.

We will be asking questions about your experiences, solicit feedback on our ideas, and updating you on the interviews and conversations that we are having!

Thank you again for your support!

image courtesy of one woman studio

Room with a Crew: The importance of peers in the process of “becoming an entrepreneur”

We were thrilled when Eden Abrahams of Clear Path Executive Coaching approached us nearly two years ago with the hope of using In Good Company as research site for her Masters’ Thesis. She was interested in looking at the process of “becoming an entrepreneur” for women.

We are so pleased that her results support the importance of peers, as this was obviously our entire premise and hope in starting In Good Company Workplaces back in 2007. Further, her study shows that safe space, collegial relationships, peer learning and truth speaking all seem to be critical elements in the process of “becoming an entrepreneur”.

Thanks to Eden for sharing the results with us. More about the research can be found on her website, in addition to an excerpt of findings listed below.

****
From “A Room with a Crew: How Coaching and Peer Support Are Experienced by First-Time Entrepreneurs”:

Three new and noteworthy findings also emerged from this study:

1. The normalization of negative feelings related to agency, including isolation and inadequacy, is one of the most important takeaways that participants gained from their association with In Good Company peers.

* The ability to see one’s struggles in the context of a universal reality (i.e., these are obstacles that most entrepreneurs routinely encounter in the early stages of building their businesses) rather than as failures due to individual shortcomings, is extremely difficult to do in isolation.

* Without access to peers, mentors or coaches who have first-hand experience with the situation and / or emotional state an entrepreneur is facing, or at least an awareness of typical elements of the entrepreneurial experience, a core ingredient in the “normalization” process is missing.

2. Both formal and informal peer-to-peer coaching interactions have the potential to foster significant – possibly transformational – learning, which is often a powerful catalyst for professional development.

* In Good Company initially appealed to all six study participants as a solution to largely practical problems (e.g., the need for affordable office space and network expansion opportunities), but became something much more vital and affirming, largely on the strength of their affinity for and relationships with other women in the community. Participants’ interactions with other members, both casual and structured, helped them to acquire tangible knowledge, skills, behaviors and new contacts that they considered valuable from a bottom-line perspective.

3. The ability to simultaneously engage in provisional role playing while observing others inhabiting their roles – all within a safe space – functions as a kind of protective scaffolding for individuals whose identities are in flux or evolving.

* Work occupies a central place in adult life and in shaping individuals’ identities. Supportive, information-rich professional environments, where individuals can safely experiment with new behaviors while observing and selectively emulating their peers, help to strengthen and reinforce professional identities that are newly emergent or still in flux.

****

We are so excited that this research mirrors our experience and hypothesis. Too often we find that women who have decided to work for themselves end up working by themselves. We believe that there is no reason to go it alone or reinvent the wheel. Peers and collaboration are the keys to success!

posted by Adelaide Lancaster

Women Business Owners Contribute a Total Economic Impact of $3 Trillion! And the Only Ones Getting Sold Short Are the Women.

(glass piggy banks by Roost from Velocity Art & Design)
(article in full posted on Huffington Post 12/1 - Adelaide Lancaster)

Apparently the independence we women entrepreneurs seek is coming at a big price. The benefits of entrepreneurship are driving more women than ever into self-employment, yet the financial rewards necessary to make this trend stick, still elude most of us.

In October the Center for Women's Business Research published the first ever study on the economic impact of women business owners in the US.

The following data were rightly heralded by many media outlets as a great triumph:

* There are approximately 8 million women-owned businesses nationwide

* Women-owned businesses employ 23 million workers (16% of total US jobs)

* Women business owners account for approximately $3 trillion dollars of total economic impact

Pretty impressive stuff.

As someone who strongly believes that entrepreneurship is an important economic and employment vehicle for both women and the US, I am thrilled to see the growing national economic contribution by women-owned businesses confirmed. Understandably then I was disturbed by one underreported statistic.

According to the study, 87.5% of all women-owned businesses are without employees - perhaps a dramatic majority, but not necessarily a problematic one. Let's not forget that flexibility is the third most motivating startup factor for women business owners, according to a 2006 MasterCard survey, and many such women feel that the responsibility of managing employees would impinge upon that.

What is disturbing upon further examination of these statistics, however, is that the projected average annual revenue of these non-employee firms is $27,000, compared to the average annual revenue for firms with employees of $910,000. This means that 87.5% of women owned businesses are only making 17% of the revenue.

READ MORE

In Good Company’s Ears are Burning

(Image courtesy of Tony Golding)



IGC has been mentioned on some really fantastic blogs recently. Each is a great resource for women entrepreneurs! Check out the articles and blogs below. Thanks for all the support.

OPEN FORUM:
Women Entrepreneurs Fight the Urge to Do It All
What Gen Y Entrepreneurs Have Learned and Can Teach You

Working in the New Economy:
How to Deal With Post Conference Overload
4 Reasons to Share Your Ideas

Game Change Ventures: Trouncing the Recession like an Upstart!
Gen Y Start Up

No greater compliment than shout-outs from those you admire!

Last week we had two really nice experiences. We received two very positive blog shout outs from blogs that we love, both of which are run by smart & interesting women that we didn’t know personally (yet!).

First, I was told about PatternPulp, a fantastic trend blog that focuses on patterns and design (yum) by Shayna Kulik. After I quick tour of the blog, I sent an email to Shayna professing my love only to have her tell me that she featured In Good Company in a post earlier this year!! Trend: Co-working Within Color Palettes

Second, Joanne Wilson, who writes the Gotham Gal blog (one we regularly follow), happened to meet one of our members at In Good Company and then wrote a really nice blog post about her impressions! In Good Company Workspaces

Big smiles all around.

It is always great to get press and mentions but it is even sweeter when it comes from folks of whom you are already a big fan. (like the time, we were mentioned by Springwise…).

It feels sweeter because in addition to being considered newsworthy, it validates that your concept appeals to the kind of people that you admire and it is impacting them in the way that you hope to.

Thank you, ladies, for recognizing our work! It means a lot.

Panel with Donna Fenn & Upstarts! @ IGC - Sept 21

The Upstarts are here!

Join us on Sept 21st for an interactive panel and book signing in honor of Donna Fenn’s new book:

Upstarts! How GenY Entrepreneurs Are Rocking the World of Business and 8 Ways You Can Profit From Their Success (McGraw-Hill, Sept. 2009)

Generation Y is starting companies at an unprecedented rate, and their approach to business is unlike anything you’ve seen. The generation described by the media as spoiled, entitled, even narcissistic, is proving these notions false every day. Inspired by the rock-star entrepreneurs of previous generations and driven by a burning desire to control their own destinies, GenY is rewriting the entrepreneurial playbook one cool startup at a time.

In addition to hearing Donna's key insights, a panel of Upstarts! from the book will discuss strategies for surviving in a tough economy, and positioning your company for recovery.

The panelists include:

- Kenny Lao of Rickshaw Dumpling Bar

- Ashley Robinson of JW Tumbles (recently merged with Kidville NY)

- Tina Wells of Buzz Marketing Group

Learn more about Donna & the Upstarts!

There will be ample time for questions & dialog. Copies of the book will be on sale (& Donna is on hand to sign) and the profits will be donated to an enterprising and charitable cause!

WHEN: Monday, September 21st, 7-9pm

WHERE: In Good Company Workplaces (honored to be featured in chapter 6 of Upstarts!)
16 W. 23rd St, 4th fl
New York, NY 10010
***There is NO fee to attend this event but an rsvp is required!***

RSVP: igcrsvp@gmail.com with "Upstarts" in the subject by Sept 18th to reserve your spot!

Upstarts! - Hot Off the Presses

I am so excited to be featured in the just released Upstarts! How GenY Entrepreneurs Are Rocking the World of Business and 8 Ways You Can Profit From Their Success, a new book by Donna Fenn, who is also a writer for Inc. and author of Alpha Dogs: How Your Small Business Can Become a Leader of the Pack.





It has been so wonderful getting to know Donna (thanks again to E.B. Moss for the introduction) and some of the other Upstarts! including:


Kenny Lao of Rickshaw Dumplings

Shazi Visram of Happy Baby Food

Justin Brown of FGX

You're sure to hear a lot more about the book this fall & IGCers, we will have a chance to meet Donna and some the Upstarts! really soon, but in the meantime you can learn more about the book on her website: http://www.upstartsrock.com/.

stay tuned,

Adelaide

Shout Out from Time Out!

In last week's "Make Money/ Save Money" edition of Time Out New York, In Good Company was listed alongside some great "shared space" peers in an article entitled Your Office Away From Home, including Brooklyn's 3rd Ward & Brooklyn Creative League and Manhattan's Rose Tech Venture Incubator and, of course, our favorite Paragraph!

We are so glad to be recognized as key resource for the self-employed!

Thanks to Jodi Glickman of Great On the Job for modeling!

posted by Adelaide