Conference aims to help women become entrepreneurs

Conference aims to help women become entrepreneursApril 18, 2003Cynthia J. Moritzcjmoritz@syr.edu

“Women Igniting the Spirit of Entrepreneurship” is the title of a day-long symposium to be presented at the Onondaga County Convention Center on April 24 by the SU School of Management’s Entrepreneurship and Emerging Enterprises Program. The WISE symposium aims to celebrate the accomplishments of female entrepreneurs, explore their challenges and opportunities and provide insights to help women along the road to entrepreneurial success.

“We are in the midst of an entrepreneurial revolution in America and throughout the world, and women are leadng the charge,” says Nola Miyasaki, director of the School of Management’s Falcone Center for Entrepreneurship. “The number of women-owned ventures increased by 78 percent in the past decade, which is almost twice the rate for all businesses. Today, there are more than 85 million women-owned businesses in the U.S., compared to 1 million in 1969. They constitute one-third of all businesses, a proportion that is on the rise.”

Michael Morris, Witting Chair in Entrepreneurship and executive director of the School of Management’s Program in Entrepreneurship and Emerging Enterprises, will kick off the day’s program with an address, “Entrepreneurship as Self-Empowerment.” He will be followed by Nancy Carter, Richard M. Schulze Chair in Entrepreneurship at the University of St. Thomas, speaking on “Entrepreneurship 2003: Women Taking the Lead.” Joline Godfrey, CEO of Independent Means, will give the keynote address, “Entrepreneurship as a Subversive Activity: Using Your Business to Make Money and Change the World!”

Other topics during the day will include: “So You Want to be an Entrepreneur – Finding the Courage to Take the Leap,” “Trials, Tribulations and Tactics for Dealing with Investors,” “The Biggest Bloopers: The Rise and Fall of Sassy Scrubs” and “Be Careful-You Just Might Succeed: Key Lessons of Successful Entrepreneurship,” among others. Closing thoughts will be provided by Deborah Freund, SU’s vice chancellor and provost.

The symposium is the first step in launching an ongoing initiative to connect women entrepreneurs with one another and with key resource providers. Miyasaki notes, “It’s time to replace the ‘old boys’ network’ with an ‘old and young girls’ network’, and we hope that WISE can make a difference in this regard.”

Sponsors of the conference include KeyBank, The Central New York Business Journal, Niagara Mohawk, Time Warner Cable, the Greater Syracuse Chamber of Commerce, the U.S. Small Busines Administration, Dellas Graphics, Leadership Greater Syracuse, Messenger Asociates, Inc., and Bond, Schoeneck & King, PLLC. Syracuse University sponsors include: the School of Management’s Program in Entrepreneurship and Emerging Enterprises, the Martin and Phyllis Berman Distinguished Lecture Series, the Office of the Vice Chancellor and Provost, the School of Management Alumni Club and the Women’s Studies Program.

The conference, which is limited to 300 participants, includes a resource binder and lunch. For more information, or to register, call Linda Manzano at 443-6899 or e-mail her at lwmanzan@syr.edu. Registration costs $35, with a special rate of $10 for students.