Ep. 260 - If you’re a woman small business owner looking for the right support and mentorship from people in your industry, Liz Sara has the answer for you. She explains how women small business owners can benefit from mentorship and being in support networks within their industries.
Listen in to learn how women small business owners with the right support and resources can create economic impact, job creation, and diversity in their communities. You will also learn the importance of networking to get access to opportunities such as business capital and resources.
Key Takeaways:
- How women-owned businesses can bring economic impact, job creation, and diversity
- Why you need to have confidence when starting a business or get the right support
- How to make innovation and entrepreneurship accessible to everyone across the country
- The importance of having financial literacy to understand your numbers as a woman business owner
- How networking within your industry can give you access to opportunities as a business owner
"We don’t need to know every single facet of a business we’re interested in getting off the ground in order to make it successful.” - Liz Sara
In this episode you will learn:
Liz on her career journey from the early age of tech entrepreneurship to joining the SCORE family [1:40]
How SCORE matches people with free mentors plus the free business resources they provide [8:48]
The business programs that SCORE is involved with to empower women business owners [12:58]
Statistics on women-owned businesses plus the difference they can make in our communities [15:18]
Tips on how to start a successful business as a woman when you don’t know everything about it [20:28]
Why now is the right time to take advantage of the pandemic opportunities and start a business [24:15]
The challenges that are facing women small business owners in rural communities [27:47]
The organizations that help women over 50 in starting businesses [33:20]
The 3 areas that Liz advised the government to focus on to empower women in business [34:51]
How to be on the lookout for programs and networks that give you access to business capital [39:16]
The top takeaways and final words from Liz about SCORE and entrepreneurship [43:13]
How to become a mentor to aspiring women business owners in your industry [45:35]
CAREER
Liz Sara is the President of the SCORE Foundation and has over 30 years of experience in the national entrepreneurship community as a strategic business executive, non-profit manager, startup champion, and angel investor.
In January 2022, she became President of the SCORE Foundation, the philanthropic arm of SCORE which provides free mentoring and business programs to small business owners and entrepreneurs around the country.
Prior to joining the Foundation, she successfully ran the strategy firm, Best Marketing LLC, which she founded in 2001. During those 20 years, she provided expertise to more than one hundred early-stage and growth-stage tech companies on their go-to-market strategies, delivering increased revenue, market adoption, and brand awareness. In 2018, she was appointed by the President as Chair of the National Women's Business Council, a federal agency that advocates for female founders. She elevated the role of, and challenges faced by, women business owners during her tenure.
Sara has been an executive in a variety of companies, including SpaceWorks Enterprises, LexisNexis, United Press International, Thomson Financial, and Best Marketing, LLC. She has been an adjunct professor at the Smith School of Business and was the board chair of the Dingman Center of Entrepreneurship.
EDUCATION
Sara earned a bachelor's degree from the State University of New York and a master's degree from the University of Maryland.
RESOURCES
National Women Business Council
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