National Entrepreneurship Week runs through Saturday. In North Dakota, outreach continues to ensure women business owners face fewer obstacles in getting their operations off the ground. The Small Business Administration says nearly 43% of businesses around the state are women-owned. And development networks that offer technical support say they're seeing more women clients.
Christy Dauer, executive director of the North Dakota Women's Business Center, said that doesn't mean stereotypes and other traditional barriers haven't gone away, such as accessing loans, and even their own data gathering has revealed some eye-opening information.
"Over 50% of the respondents of our survey leveraged personal savings, and the second highest was credit cards," she said.
She added other challenges include societal expectations and work-life balance. The Center notes that women have a strong presence in operating Main Street businesses, and helping them thrive could do a lot to bolster local economies.
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Categories: North Dakota, Business