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Women-owned businesses \u2014 8.3 million of them, in total \u2014 are a crucial part of the U.S. economy. Growth by women-owned businesses is surging at a pace faster than that of any other group \u2014 over the past 15 years, 1.5 times greater than other groups. There’s much to celebrate, and yet there’s still work to be done and lessons to be learned.<\/p>\n
Over the past three weeks, we’ve shed light on women-owned businesses, spurred by American Express OPEN<\/a>‘s recent report, The State of Women-Owned Businesses<\/a> [PDF]. We’ve spoken with prominent female founders about their influences, their ambitions and challenges, in hopes of helping other aspiring female founders to embark on the journey, or to keep going. We’ve named 44 female founders who every entrepreneur should know, and it’s sparked quite a conversation in the comments and on social media. Now it’s your turn to ask a few of them your questions about the entrepreneurial journey and how to build your own business.<\/p>\n On Tuesday, August 21 at 2p.m. EST,<\/strong> Mashable<\/em> is hosting a panel of three female founders, and you are invited to join the conversation on Spreecast<\/a> \u2014 moderated by Allison Silver, VP Brand, Advertising and Advocacy at American Express OPEN<\/a> \u2014 with these accomplished women:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n In the meantime, brush up on your female founder knowledge with recent Mashable<\/em> content, from our Female Founders Series<\/a>. Also be sure to go on Twitter and tell us how you’re #PoweringTomorrow<\/a> in your community and with your business. Submit your questions for the panel with the hashtags #FemaleFounders and<\/em> #PoweringTomorrow.<\/p>\n 44 Female Founders Every Entrepreneur Should Know<\/a> The success of prominent female leaders such as Facebook<\/a>‘s Sheryl Sandberg<\/a> and Yahoo<\/a>‘s Marissa Mayer<\/a> are bringing more attention to women in the tech sphere. But beyond the Sandbergs and the Mayers, there’s a crop of women who are not only leading, but also launching<\/em> tech startups. Here, we highlight 44 accomplished female founders; with businesses ranging from fashion and ecommerce to careers and social networks, these movers and shakers are changing the face of tech.<\/p>\n The State of Women-Owned Businesses [INFOGRAPHIC]<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n This infographic is a compilation of statistics from American Express OPEN’s second annual study, The State of Women-Owned Businesses<\/a> [PDF]. From employment statistics to revenue growth, this infographic is chock-full of good information and eye-opening statistics.<\/p>\n 10 Things You Didn\u2019t Know About Women-Owned Businesses<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Understanding how women business owners are finding success is an important part of further growth, and the stories shared by today’s female founders will illuminate data and offer guidance and inspiration for fellow entrepreneurs. Click through for 10 facts about women-owned businesses, complemented by tips and insights from successful female entrepreneurs.<\/p>\n Mashable<\/em> has interviewed four female founders on camera, asking them about the challenges they’ve faced, how they grew their company and the things (if any) they would change about their journey. Click through to watch the whole video.<\/p>\n Ask Rachel Sklar<\/a>, and she’ll tell you that there are a lot of “dudes” in tech. Not that she doesn’t like dudes; she just thinks there are women in the industry who don’t get their due. So she founded Change the Ratio<\/a> in spring 2010 to bring awareness to all the great work women are accomplishing. Through Change the Ratio and TheLi.st<\/a> (her new media venture which just received funding from the Knight Foundation<\/a>) and her advisory duties to companies like Lover.ly<\/a>, The Daily Muse<\/em><\/a> and Hashable<\/a>, Sklar helps women \u2014 and she’s eager to point out, dudes, too! \u2014 navigate the testosterone-filled waters of tech.<\/p>\n Lisa Stone<\/a> co-founded BlogHer<\/a> with Elisa Camahort<\/a> and Jory Des Jardins<\/a> in 2005 after asking the question: Where are the women who blog?<\/p>\n After hosting their first BlogHer event \u2014 an IRL get-together of hundreds of female bloggers \u2014 the conference attendees asked for more from the startup, including a news service, an ad network and more events. As Stone and her colleagues suspected, bringing women together in real life is a pretty empowering thing. And now, seven years later, BlogHer reaches more than 40 million women a month through more than 3,000 premium blogs.<\/p>\n Amy Jo Martin<\/a> grew up in the world of sports, and while working as the Director of Digital Media and Research for the Phoenix Suns, she infused some new ideas into the marketing plan. In 2008, she coached Suns forward Shaquille O’Neal<\/a> on his Twitter<\/a> game, making him one of the first big celebs on the social networking site. But it wasn’t easy getting fellow NBA-ers on board; “innovation allergies” and an unwillingness to test new forms of marketing challenged the adoption of social media. But Martin proved the value of the platform to the Suns and the NBA<\/a> at large, which has since wholeheartedly embraced the medium<\/a>. Then she left to start her own social media consultancy, Digital Royalty<\/a>.<\/p>\n The personal finance site LearnVest<\/a> \u2014 a portmanteau of “learn,” “earn” and “invest” \u2014 launched in December 2009. Founder and CEO Alexa von Tobel<\/a>, left Harvard Business School, raised a $1.1 million seed round in June 2009 and launched the site, which has raised nearly $25 million to date. Von Tobel describes her business model as “Weight Watchers meets personal finance.”<\/p>\n Remember to mark your calendar for August 21 at 2 p.m. EST to chat with Rachel, Angela, Kellee and Allison!<\/p>\n Series presented by American Express OPEN<\/strong><\/p>\n The Female Founders Series<\/a> is presented by American Express OPEN<\/a>. For the full State of Women-Owned Businesses Report, visit openforum.com\/women<\/a>. American Express OPEN salutes, celebrates and wants to help fuel the future of women business owners. Join the conversation on Twitter and tell American Express OPEN how you’re #PoweringTomorrow in your community and with your business.<\/em><\/p>\n\n
Join us on Tuesday, August 21 at 2p.m. EST for an online panel with female founders!<\/h2>\n
\n<\/strong><\/p>\nVideo: Face to Face With Female Founders<\/h2>\n
Rachel Sklar: One Woman’s Quest to ‘Change the Ratio’ in Tech<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n
\nLisa Stone: BlogHer CEO: Women Are the Power Users of Web 2.0<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n
\nAmy Jo Martin: How This Woman Became ‘Digital Royalty’<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n
\nAlexa von Tobel’s Money Matters: Money Matters: LearnVest\u2019s Mission to Wrangle Your Personal Finances<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n
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American Express OPEN<\/h1>\n<\/header>\n
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<\/figure>\n\nThere are 8.3 million women-owned businesses in the U.S.<\/h2>\n
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<\/figure>\n\nWomen-owned businesses employ 7.7 million Americans<\/h2>\n
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<\/figure>\n\nThe top cities and states for women-owned businesses may surprise you.<\/h2>\n
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