The presence of women-owned businesses in the United States is substantial, but they still continue to represent a minority. Though the 7.2 million majority-women-owned businesses – 1.2 million of those women of color – are a significant force in the economy, a number of factors remain to be addressed before those figures grow more quickly. However, revolutionary changes in technology may herald in an age where female entrepreneurs can get an edge on their male counterparts as relationships, a realm in which women seem to have an advantage over men, become increasingly important to a business’ success.

The customer speaks

Today’s woman goes into business for a variety of reasons: the desire to control her financial destiny, the need for autonomy, or perhaps the belief that her service or product will potentially enhance the current marketplace or make the world a better place.

For some, it took many years of planning and preparation before hanging out the “open for business” shingle. For others, this way of life came about “on the fly”. The result of being unexpectedly downsized and uprooted from a day job in the corporate arena.

Though the reasons for taking the entrepreneurial plunge may vary, there’s one undeniable constant: In the words of Donna Summers, “You work hard for the money!”

At some point in your career, you probably made a decision about what success looked like for you and how you were going to reach it. This is quite possibly one of the most important decisions affecting your future, however, if you are having issues reaching your goal, you may want to take a step back and re-analyze your process of attaining success.

When you begin to lose confidence about what you want, it does not necessarily mean that you aren’t going to get there. If you have made a plan that works and after reconsideration you still believe in it, you may need to practice some patience. A good plan for success, whether it is personal or professional, always takes time to implement and some goals take longer to reach than others.

Sometimes, as busy wives, mothers, workers, and responsible people, we hold ourselves to very high expectations. This can be a challenge when we realize there just isn't enough time in the day to do all that is on our to-do list. 

During times of stress and obstacle, I invite you to take a deep breath, relax, and realize that you are only human. 

You are here to do the very best you can do in the time you have on the planet. That's it. 

You don't need to perform superhuman tasks. You don't need to write the Great American novel. You don't need to patent a life-saving device. You don't even need to get the laundry done just this moment. 

What you can do is breathe, stretch, relax, and give yourself a few moments.

It’s no secret that most people approach New Year’s resolutions with a mixture of wildly fantastical notions about how to improve their lives, as well as a healthy dose of skepticism pertaining to their ability (or willingness) to actually follow through.  We all want to make changes, and a fresh start that coincides with a brand new year seems like an opportune time to do so.  But the problems that many people face are twofold: firstly, they set unrealistic goals, and secondly, they lack the proper motivation carry them out.  However, if you start by not only setting goals that are quantifiable and then listing the steps required to achieve them, you will be well on your way to success in your endeavors.  And for women seeking to improve and enhance both their perso