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Washington Watch
January 28, 2004
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Study Shows the Staying
Power of Women-Owned Businesses
In November,
NASE original research showed the tremendous
growth in women-owned businesses over the last decade,
especially since the turn of the century. The
National
Women’s Business Center (NWBC) recently added to
those findings with a new report revealing the
resiliency and staying power of these entrepreneurs.
The new report, “Trends
in Women-Owned Employer Establishments: 1997 to 2000,”
showed that women-owned businesses were just as likely
as all firms to remain in business over these years
(75.1 percent survived), and actually had a much lower
decline in employment. Across the United States,
survival rates among women-owned businesses were
strongest in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic, with New
York state showing the highest survival rate.
In addition to examining survival, business health was
also measured by employment growth. Looking at all
employer firms that were in business in 1997, there
was a net loss of employment of 6.7 percent between
1997 and 2000. Women-owned businesses proved to be
more resilient over the period, with a much lower 4.2
percent decline in employment. Much of this resiliency
is due to job growth from women-owned establishments
that expanded their employee base since 1997.
Women-owned businesses that expanded employment
between 1997 and 2000 outnumbered those that shed jobs
- fully 42 percent expanded their employment, while 29
percent saw their employment remain the same, and 29
percent contracted, or decreased the number of
employees. During this period five states (New Jersey,
Maine, New York, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island) also
saw growth in employment among women-owned
establishments, while no states experienced growth in
employment among all establishments.
For more statistics on the staying power of
women-owned businesses, read the NWBC “Issue in Brief”
at
www.nwbc.gov.
SBA Office of Advocacy Update
Saving Small Business Money; Impact on Technology
Regulatory Flexibility Act
Small business saved $6 billion last year that would have
otherwise gone to comply with overly burdensome federal
regulations, according to the Office of Advocacy of the U.S.
Small Business Administration.
The cost savings came from federal agencies finding
effective and less burdensome regulatory alternatives under
the Regulatory Flexibility Act. The Office of Advocacy works
with agencies to implement the act, which requires them to
consider the impact of their rules on small entities and
examine effective alternatives that minimize small entity
impacts. The Office of Advocacy follows agency adherence to
the law and reports on progress yearly to Congress.
Click here to read the full report.
Small Business Impact on Technology
Never underestimate the impact of small business, especially
when it comes to technology. The Office of Advocacy released
a study that shows that small highly innovative firms have a
big influence on many high tech industries. The report shows
that large firms in the biotechnology, medical electronics,
semiconductor, and telecommunications industries are citing
patents by small firms in higher than expected numbers.
The report, Small Firms and Technology: Acquisitions,
Inventor Movement, and Technology Transfer, can be found
online at www.sba.gov/advo.
NASE Scholarship Applications in
Latest SEA
Keep an eye out for the latest Self-Employed America, the
NASE member magazine, arriving in your mailbox soon. In it you
will find a full application for the NASE Scholarship Program,
where new and current college students can win up to $4,000
towards their education costs.
Read more about the Scholarship Program
Do any of these issues affect you? Visit the NASE Legislative
Action Center and “Tell Your
Micro-Business Story.” This will help the NASE understand -
on a personal level - how key legislative issues are affecting
your business and your bottom line.
For more information about any of the articles in
Washington Watch, contact Maureen Petron, NASE public
affairs manager, at (202) 466-2100 or
mpetron@nase.org.
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