A Business Guide for Women Entrepreneurs

Entrepreneurship can be a fast track to women's empowerment. Women should take advantage of every resource they can access when starting a new business. Even experienced female entrepreneurs trying to improve and expand an existing business can benefit from information about obtaining business loans and lines of credit or employing new business management systems. There are many grants that are set aside specifically for female entrepreneurs, too. Interpersonal connections are also key in the business world; joining business associations or professional development groups for female entrepreneurs increases women's access to social capital, which can be difficult to come by in a world that is still heavily male-dominated.

Women's Business Resources

• Statistics About Female Business Owners: Twenty percent of companies that generate revenues in excess of $1 million are owned by women.
• Women, Business, and the Law: There is a global push to expand women's property rights through legislation and treaties.
• Why Female-Friendly Companies Are Winning: Female-friendly businesses generally have better work environments.
• Why Gender Equality Matters in Business Success: Inequality in the workplace can actually harm the potential success of a business and a nation's economy as a whole.
• 15 Tips for Becoming a Successful Female Entrepreneur: Focus your energy in the right direction, hold yourself accountable, and don't be afraid to make mistakes and learn from them.
• Advice for Drafting a Federal Grant Proposal: Grant proposals are an effective way to get funding for your business, and this government resource explains what you should keep in mind when you apply for federal grants.
• Tax Tips for Small Businesses: Filing your taxes for the first time after starting a business can be intimidating, but the good news is that a lot of your initial expenses may be deductible.
• Center for Women & Enterprise Self-Assessment Tool: Use this tool to help you determine if you're prepared to start a business.
• The Best Countries for Female Entrepreneurs: Some countries, like the U.S. and Israel, are more supportive of women starting businesses.
• Mastering the Art of Self-Promotion for Female Entrepreneurs: It can be tricky to walk the line between self-promotion and bragging, but it's important to learn how to talk yourself up.
• 16 Popular Business Ideas for Female Entrepreneurs: The first step toward starting a successful business is finding a promising idea.
• How to Avoid Business Failure: Solid planning and careful attention to your finances are important elements of business success.
• Filing and Paying Business Taxes: Exactly what taxes you need to pay and when will vary based on your specific type of business.
• Tips for Saving Money on Office Supplies: Even small costs like binders and paper clips can add up fast for a small business.
• Grants for Female-Owned Businesses: Check into these five programs that may be able to help your business.
• Best States for Female-Led Startups: Some states are more welcoming for women looking to start a business.
• Three Big Challenges Female Entrepreneurs Face Every Day: It's important to know what you're up against before starting a business.

How to Start a Business

• Ten Steps to Start a Business: The first steps to starting your own business include drafting a business plan and funding it. Then, you have to complete the legal and financial procedures to make your business a reality.
• Simple Steps to Choose the Right Business Idea: It's important to choose a field that you know well or that you can learn about quickly.
• Seven Steps to  Start a Business Online: An online business is only useful if people know about it. Use search engine optimization and a navigable website to build your online business.
• Mistakes to Avoid When Starting Your Own Business: Starting a business without conducting any prior research and failing to learn from competitors are just a couple of the common mistakes people make when starting a business.

Write Your Business Plan

• How to Write a Business Plan: A strong business plan is practical, well-thought-out, and includes lots of details.
• How to Write a Winning Business Plan: Good business plans are geared toward analyzing the needs of both the market and potential investors and satisfying both.
• Revising and Refining Your  Business Plan: It's important to be flexible and willing to amend your business plan.
• What to Do Before Writing a Business Plan: Think through exactly what you want to do and how you can accomplish it before you put pen to paper.

Business Finances

• Small-Business Grants for Women: Check out these ten potential sources of grant funding for female entrepreneurs.
• 12 Smart Tips for Getting a Small-Business Loan: Be realistic about how much you should borrow and how you will pay it back.
• Loans vs. Lines of Credit: A loan gives you a large amount of money all at once, while a line of credit is a continuous credit account that you can access at any time when you need more funds.
• How to Deal With Small-Business Debt: Cut costs and talk to your creditors when you start to go into debt to prevent falling into a hole you can't get out of.
• Seven Ways to Save Money as a Small-Business Owner: Buying used equipment and going paperless are two ways to save money.

Miscellaneous Business Resources

• Women Who  Startup: Women Who Startup is a community for female owners of startups.
• Women's Venture Fund: The Women's Venture Fund has been operating since 1994, supporting women who start and own their own businesses.
• Office of Women's Business Ownership: The OWBO is a division of the Small Business Association that aids women who own businesses.
• American Business Women's Association: The ABWA has been promoting female entrepreneurship since 1949.