Female business owners use the 'princess' network to gain support
In the background, you can hear a little voice shouting for attention: "Mom, turn on my music!"
"Can you hold on a second?" asks Kelly King Anderson.
There's a pause in conversation as she sets down the phone and asks her daughter to be patient while she finishes talking to a reporter. Seconds later, Anderson is back on the phone, a mini-meltdown temporarily averted.
"She's wearing her princess dress right now," said Anderson, who explains her daughter wanted music to dance.
As a "mompreneur," it's not uncommon for Anderson to juggle both job and caring for three children. Just over two years ago, she launched a business called Startup Princess to help women entrepreneurs share advice, network, and also receive mentoring about how to start a new business.
It's a business based around her experiences trying to start a children's retail store while working full-time as a mother.
"We truly believe that every woman can create her dreams, but she needs mentors and she needs a community of support," said Anderson, the founder and managing director of Startup Princess. "There are some really great resources for women at the corporate level, but from the home-base, not as much."
Over 800 women worldwide are part of the Startup Princess network and at least 2,000 people visit Anderson's Web site, www.startupprincess.com, each day. Over the past six months, membership has more than doubled. Anderson is unsure if it's because more women are starting businesses as a result of the economy, or if she's marketing her site better.
Either way, women-owned businesses are becoming a powerful market force, even exceeding the growth of companies owned by men, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. In 2004, Utah was listed by the Center for Women's Research as the No. 1 state in the nation for growth of female-run businesses.
There are a total of 102,194 women-owned businesses in Utah, according to the Salt Lake City chapter of the National Association of Women Business Owners. That doesn't include some of the smaller companies run in-home by mothers.
"With what's available today with the Internet and social media, there's no excuse not to be great," said April Atwater, owner of the Utah County blog, sweetlifeinthevalley.com. "There's so much available and the costs are next to nothing."
Just two weeks ago, Atwater was at a Startup Princess networking lunch at the Provo Academy Library in Provo. They listened to speakers and then had a chance to chat and exchange business cards and ideas.
Recent comments
Love this article! I'm a new Mompreneur...and I love what you are...
Kristin | Feb. 10, 2009 at 11:13 p.m.
I am always interested in what is going on with the women, (moms) in...
Dawn | Feb. 10, 2009 at 12:21 a.m.
Wonderful article! Not a mom yet, but one day I will and...
Rachel Hagen | Feb. 9, 2009 at 10:48 p.m.
- Notre Dame fires Charlie Weis 7:39 p.m.
- BYU says Hall incident resolved 7:35 p.m.
- Man critically injured in accident 6:47 p.m.
- Trial begins in slaying 6:44 p.m.
- 2 families divided over slaying 6:22 p.m.
- Provo fire displaces 4 families 6:22 p.m.
- Brems outlasts 2nd round of votes 6:06 p.m.
- Boy's quick thinking saves life 6:05 p.m.
- Turner considers County Council run 6:00 p.m.
- Gifts for gamers 5:27 p.m.
- Hall's pain reflects self-betrayal
- Y. student vanished in China
- Max Hall issues apology
- Utes won't respond to Hall
- Hall reprimanded by MWC
- Cougs begin bowl preparations
- Boy shot following traffic stop
- Mitchell called intelligent, controlling
- Matthews passes new Jazz tests
- U. eyes bowl for redemption
- Hall mouths off about hate of Utah
898 - Cougars beat Utes in overtime
481 - Max Hall issues apology
374 - Hall reprimanded by MWC
352 - Hall's pain reflects self-betrayal
306 - Utes won't respond to Hall
241 - BYU is champion of the state
140 - Man trapped in Nutty Putty cave dies
121 - Cave to be sealed with body inside
119 - Religion in politics is tiresome
105
'Tis the season for giving gadget gifts. But which of these cute kitchen...
When I was a kid, I worshipped my grandpa. He was undoubtedly my hero....
I wanted to tell them not to go. I dropped subtle hints. "My money is on...
Brain Johnson should have said the exact same thing to BYU but he actually...
He is nuts, crazy, and morally disgusting, but he is competent.
BYU fans expect UofU fans to be classless: they meet all expectations....
That's it? No more to say? I'm stunned that a football rivalry, that...
Can't wait to hear how this plays out for the next month to a year. SNORE
The Utah organization and its fans at RES treat our opponents with the utmost...
A Church rule school that tolerates talk like that is not a school I would...
Sure but that was more then 50 years ago, a very different contrast compared...
I'm very disappointed in Max Hall's comments. But he was just reacting to...
@ 6:52, What do you mean, "How do I account for that?" I don't account...



