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Like Oprah Winfrey, More and More Women are Starting their Own Companies
by Wesley Berry
Published on this site: October 4th, 2006 - See
more articles from this month
Oprah Winfrey is one of the best known businesswomen in America...perhaps
even the world. But, according to a recent study conducted by the United
States Government, the number of woman-owned businesses is on the rise.
To keep the numbers going in the right direction, women business owners
may want to consider judicious use of flowers.
The U.S. government report was compiled by the Office of Advocacy of
the U.S. Small Business Administration and used U.S. Census data. It showed
that while the total number of U.S. firms increased by seven percent between
1997 and 2002, the number of woman-owned firms rose by 19.8 percent.
The report also showed:
- Retail/trade businesses owned by women went up from 919,990 in 1997
to 944,682 in 2002.
- 28.2 percent of non-farm firms in the U.S. were owned by women in
2002. 14 percent of those women hired employees (totaling 7.1 million
workers) and paid out $173.7 billion in wages.
- 6.5 percent of employees in the United States worked at women-owned
firms in 2002.
- 86 percent of female business owners in 2002 were white, 8 percent
African-American, 8 percent of Hispanic descent, 5 percent were Asian,
1 percent were Native American or Alaska Native, and 0.2 percent were
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander.
There's no doubt business ownership is still a male-dominated world,
but women are gaining a toehold. Whether or not the trend of women-owned
businesses continues to rise will depend largely on the success of these
women and if they're able to remain business owners.
Though the floral industry may not have all the answers to keep these
women in business, there are certainly some great ways in which they can
use flowers to enhance their businesses and the morale of their employees.
Some of the ways businesswomen may consider using flowers are:
- Place flowers in high-traffic areas throughout the workplace. Studies
have shown that people who work in offices decorated with flowers and
green plants have higher productivity rates and more readily produce
creative solutions.
- Send flowers to employees on special occasions, such as the anniversary
of their employment date, birthdays, or to say "thank you"
for a job well done.
- Send flowers to important clients after a big sale or deal.
- Place flowers in areas where customers will see them. Flowers make
people happy and help them to feel welcome. Happy customers spend more
money!
Using flowers in the workplace may not turn every woman into the next
super-successful Oprah Winfrey, but it will help boost sales, productivity,
and employee morale.
Wesley Berry - is member of the American Academy of Floriculture
(AAF) and President of Wesley Berry Flowers http://www.wesleyberryflowers.com,
a successful multi-million dollar floral business that was established
in 1946. His shops provide flower delivery worldwide through
http://www.flowers-worldwide.net
and Flower Delivery Express http://www.flowerdeliveryexpress.com.
Visit Wesley Berry Flowers on the web at http://www.800wesleys.com
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