Women’s Entrepreneurship Day

Celebrate, empower and support women in business.

We celebrate Women’s Entrepreneurship Day on November 19 every year. Approximately 85% of purchases and close to $20 trillion in global spending is credited to women. However, the workforce lacks women, and they earn only around 10% of the world’s income. We have seen a rise in women entrepreneurs making headway and owning profitable businesses. Women’s Entrepreneurship Day recognizes this contribution and seeks to promote a more conducive environment for business women.

History

Wendy Diamond, a social entrepreneur and humanitarian, volunteered with the Adelante Foundation that provides microcredit to locally impoverished women in Honduras. This inspired her to start a movement that empowers women and alleviates poverty, thus creating the Women’s Entrepreneurship Day Organization (WEDO) in 2013 as a non-governmental, non-racial, non-gender, and non-political volunteer non-profit organization. She established WEDO to bring light to the plight of 250 million girls living in poverty worldwide and deserve a chance. It also seemed to empower 4 billion women living in this world. In 2014, the organization held its inaugural women’s entrepreneurship day in New York City at the United Nations.

The United Nations celebrates the day annually. Additionally, the U.S. House of Representatives recognizes “A Day in Honor of Women Entrepreneurs”.

Ideas for Observing Women’s Entrepreneurship Day

Promote a female entrepreneur’s business – Do you know a female entrepreneur among your friends or family? Use social media to promote their business. Help them grow. Speak about her achievements and inspire others.

Support a small business owned by a woman – The next time you need to purchase a good or service, check whether a small woman-owned business sells it. You will be contributing to the success of a woman entrepreneur. If we don’t become each other’s cheerleaders, who will?

Read a book on entrepreneurship – Read a book on entrepreneurship. It will give you an insight into how challenging it is to build a successful business venture. Women have to face many more challenges.