Volume 2, Issue 8 Featuring the Entrepreneurial Women to Watch
Congratulations to the winners of our first ever Entrepreneurial Women to Watch Awards!
As we put out the call for nominations, we were overwhelmed with the emails that instantly started to flood in. We received over 400 nominations in just 10 short days, representing a wide range of industries and a variety of company sizes, from the solopreneur to companies with over 100 employees. The common theme with each and every application is that women leaders are all around us, are starting companies and are growing them at a rapid pace. In fact, women-owned businesses are growing at 1.5x the rate of male owned businesses.
Thank you to everyone that applied. Our selection committee had the extremely difficult task of choosing just 7 winners out of an applicant pool of over 100. Each and every applicant was deserving of recognition for a variety of reasons, from innovation and growth, to overcoming adversity and their commitment to Rhode Island. We look forward to honoring the winners and nominees at our awards ceremony at The Dorrance in Providence on Monday, November 4.
This issue highlights each of the winners and the stories of their success, and we hope it will inspire future entrepreneurs, both men and women. Entrepreneurship isn’t about age, race or gender; it’s about having a plan, a vision and the willingness to take a risk to create something from nothing.
The process of entrepreneurship involves recruiting every ounce of inner courage, passion (not to mention a lot of the time and money) and channeling it to develop a new sense of professional purpose. Entrepreneurship allows the opportunity to make your own rules, create your own playing field and share your passion. Entrepreneurship, though extremely rewarding, can also be crippling at times. Entrepreneurship is not for the faint of heart. We are pleased to be honoring these women for their plan, their vision and their courage. Congratulations Blythe, Lynne, Nancy, Alison, Jessica, Alayne and Lynsey. You are an inspiration to the entrepreneurial community!
