My Forsyth _ Spring 2023

By Julie Brennan
At the core of any relationship – business or personal – is the ability to have conversations with and rely on the
group of colleagues and friends with who you feel comfortable – and empowered – to share ideas, opportunities
and challenges. As a business owner, we need the support of others, not only for the economic success of our
business but for our survival in a most interesting journey – that of being a business owner.
Over the past 13 years I have met some remarkable folks, a great majority of them women business owners.
Reminiscing about conversations we’ve had over those years reminded me of how lucky we are to have the
opportunity to chat – to listen and mentor one another in this beautiful journey.
Currently, 43.1% of small business owners are women, according to the U.S. Small Business Administration. With
women-led small businesses employing 10.1 million U.S. workers in 2019, it’s unsurprising that in 2021 the U.S. Small
Business Administration launched 20 new Women’s Business Centers nationwide.
According to 2022 Guidant polling, the three most common reasons cited for women starting their businesses
were that they wanted to be their own boss (57.9%), were dissatisfied with working in corporate America (37.7%)
or wanted to pursue their passion (29.8%). Although being an entrepreneur is no easy feat, 73.7% of female
business owners said they were “somewhat or very happy.” The top industries for female small-business owners
were retail and e-commerce, followed by health, beauty, and fitness, as well as business services.
Forsyth County counts with a substantial number of businesses that are owned by women entrepreneurs.
Enjoy reading a little about a few of these tenacious brave women who are making it happen!