NYT starts blog on women-owned businesses

Adriana Gardella, the former Fortune small business editor, has started a new blog for the New York Times on businesses owned by women called “She Owns It.”

Gardella writes, “Why do these stories seem to slip through the cracks? Julie Kirk, a cashed-out technology entrepreneur and an instructor with a University of Maryland program that helps women start businesses by licensing technologies from universities and government labs, thinks she may know why: ‘We’re too busy doing what we do to go out and seek the publicity — our time is precious.’ She added that her students were bright but often lacked confidence, networks and role models. But they do have a common refrain, she said: ‘The thing we hear most often from program graduates is, ‘I didn’t know there were women out there just like me.’’

“The business media focus on fast-growth firms may also be hurting the cause of the women (and men) who start equally significant businesses but on their own terms. ‘I want to change the world and to do that I’ve got to be big,’ said Janice Shade, founder of True Body Products, a soap company. ‘But I need to grow in a way that is true to my values and mission. Often, a full-on pursuit of short-term growth leads to myopic decision making that proves detrimental in the long run.’

“With this blog, I hope to highlight the challenges and successes of women who are business owners and entrepreneurs across industries and disciplines, and at many different stages in the growth of their businesses. I think the women we highlight will be sources of information, inspiration and connections to your peers.”

Read more here.