Women-Owned Businesses �" The Future is Now!
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
11:45 - 1:30
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Women-owned businesses are a critical part of America’s 21st century economy. The growth of women-owned businesses, and their performance as job creators at a time when other privately-held businesses are losing jobs, testifies to the importance of women-owned businesses to the economy. As of 2011, it is estimated that there are over 8.1 million women-owned businesses generating $1.3 trillion in revenues and employing nearly 7.7 million people. Even during these trying economic times, women-owned businesses added roughly 500,000 jobs while other private firms lost jobs.
At the same time, women-owned businesses have their own unique set of challenges and we must find the best way to solve these problems. What are the characteristics of businesses owned by women as compared to those owned by men? What are the measures needed to support women business owners?
Topics to be covered include:
• Types of businesses �" Product, Services, Franchise, Technology, Social Enterprise
• What does it mean to be an Entrepreneur
• Highlight of successful women entrepreneurs
• Making it personal �" Exploring your ideas and potential
• Women owned vs. Men owned �" Opportunities, Challenges
• Getting Started �" Timing, Resources, Next Steps
Join us to learn about new trends, challenges and opportunities that exist for women entrepreneurs that did not exist before!
Featured Speaker(s)
Yasmin Shah is a seasoned executive consultant and an entrepreneur with more than two decades of experience in launching, transforming and growing companies. Her experience includes working for Fortune 100 companies and fast growing mid-size businesses, owning retail stores and a consulting business, launching non-profits and mentoring startup companies. She is a visionary that excels in assessing the present and architecting the future. The common thread that runs through the colorful tapestry of her career is her passion to grow.
Yasmin graduated Cum Laude with a Degree in Electrical Engineering. Her career started in Information Technology evaluating and implementing new technologies at a Fortune 100 company. She moved on to IBM’s global services organization where she was a Principal with 11 state territory, she worked with companies such as Farmers Insurance, Lockheed Martin, American Express, Phillips and US Mint in the transformation of their IT departments. Next, she was a CIO (Chief Information Officer) with a high tech company, where she transformed their IT department to meet the needs of the rapidly growing business. She then worked for a public utility on a re-org and business case for transformational project.
The next few years, she owned and operated franchise hair salons where she was able to achieve employee retention unheard of in the industry. As the President of the San Diego co-op, she took leadership in launching on-line marketing for the Franchisor. After growing the business 25% month over month, she sold it for profit.
As a member of Tech Coast Angels and Entrepreneur-In-Residence with Connect, Yasmin has coached and mentored many San Diego based startup companies. Tech Coast Angels is the largest angel network in the United States and Connect’s Springboard Program provides mentoring to innovators at all stages from lab to transformation.
Yasmin has helped launch 2 non-profits in San Diego and is the president of the board for both of them. First is the Tierrasanta Village of San Diego, a non-profit whose commitment is to enable resident members to live life to its fullest in their own homes as they age. Second is the Society for Information Management San Diego Chapter, a networking group for CIOs and IT Leaders.
