Why Remote Workers Are More (Yes, More) Engaged

Why Remote Workers Are More (Yes, More) Engaged

Women Changing The World - Forbes

Women Changing The World - Forbes

Being a Female Entrepreneur - Thoughts & Insights

Women and Entrepreneurship: Basics and Realities of the Trade Presented by Giadha De Carcer, President of GNI International, for Georgetown University

I'm a Female Entrepreneur - Do I need a college degree?!

By Giadha Aguirre De Carcer

I recently came across "10 Famous CEOs Who Think You Should Skip College", an article kindly shared by a fellow blogger, and could not help but question whether I would have done anything differently had I had this advice when I decided to go to college.  My story may or may not be common, but it does provide some valid reasons why women should strongly consider attending college, whether they intend to take on the entrepreneurial journey or not.

Let’s Make a Deal . . . Over Whiskey?

By Kadzi Mutizwa

Years ago, when one of my friends started a new job, her company dispatched its new hires to an etiquette clinic, where they were taught some of civilization’s most genteel niceties, such as the proper way of holding a red wine glass vs. a white wine glass. I got a real kick out of hearing about this (how come nobody ever sends me to these kinds of workshops?), but not as much as the one I got out of this Entrepreneur magazine article someone recently forwarded me about how to behave yourself when you’re having a business meeting over booze. I initially thought it was something out of the Onion - but it’s as real as business etiquette clinics.

Option A Career, Option B Baby - What Is Option C?

By Giadha DeCarcer

I was recently talking to a girlfriend about how demoralizing our situation seems given that in our mid to late thirties, after having being focused for so long to position ourselves professionally, we are now suddenly awakening to the cruel reality of a disappearing window of opportunity in terms of having children.  As noted in a recent article, Why Women's Pay Growth Slows At Age 30 And Peaks By 39: 

Women’s slowing wages at age 30 may correlate with having children. [Cornell University professor Francine] Blau notes that some women may drop out of the labor force for a time or reduce their hours when they have young children.

If I want to be a mom do I really need to trade it in for my work and jeopardize whatever professional success I have achieved thus far?  I need more time!  And I need more options!

Establishing an Enterprise: An Interview with Melissa Bernstein, Co-founder of Melissa & Doug, LLC

By Kadzi Mutizwa

As a child, Melissa Bernstein dreamed of becoming an international lawyer. After graduating from Duke in 1987 with a degree in Public Policy Studies, she accepted a financial analyst position with Morgan Stanley’s New York office—even though she never liked math, finance, Excel, or spreadsheets. In 1988, Melissa and her then-boyfriend/now-husband Doug launched Melissa & Doug, a Connecticut-based children’s toy company. Here’s how she/they did it: 

Sexy Chic in the Boardroom

By Giadha Aguirre de Carcer

"If looking my best and being particular about what I would wear, and trying to enhance my assets, equates with using my sexuality, then so be it. I’m not going to apologize."  Maseena Ziegler, Women Take On Alpha Male: Why Shouldn't We Use Our Assets To Get Ahead?  

Ladies, thank goodness we can finally say goodbye to those boring grey slacks and white button downs and embrace looking fabulous in the boardroom.  We spend 70% of our life in working clothes and I do not see why we should not express our femininity and sense of fashion while in them. 

'Bitch' At Work - Should This Be Our Female Generation's Legacy?

By Giadha DeCarcer

It is important for us women, especially those of us in the entrepreneurial environment or male-dominated industries, to face the less than rosy realities of the trade and talk about them in the hopes to, together, ameliorate working conditions for us and future generations.  That said, I am beginning to find serious issue with articles such as those written by Susannah Breslin, Why I'd Rather Work for A Man Than A Woman, and How To Be A 'Bitch' At Work.  

Mommies, Make It Stop!

By Kadzi Mutizwa

“Work” and “working” have become loaded words.

In the ongoing “Mommy Wars,” the latest shot has been fired by Democratic strategist Hilary Rosen. Last week on CNN, Rosen declared that GOP presidential hopeful Mitt Romney’s wife, Ann, “has actually never worked a day in her life.”

Of course, we all understand Rosen meant that Romney (as a stay-at-home mother) was never part of a payroll system or subjected to an all-staff meeting. But she chose (pretty instinctively, it seemed) not to couch her point in those terms.  Payrolls and meetings = work/working. Everything else = play?

Women & Entrepreneurship Webinar: Basics & Realities of the Trade

GNI International and Georgetown Alumni Career Services invites you to attend the following Webinar:

"Women & Entrepreneurship: Basics & Realities of the Trade"

Thursday, August 2, 2012 12:30 PM - 1:30 PM EDT

Click here to register

There are a number of truths and critical questions any aspiring entrepreneur should consider before taking the startup-plunge. 

Are We Ready to Talk About Attractive Women in the Workplace?

By Giadha Aguirre De Carcer 

"The fact is, I rarely go out to lunch or drinks with an attractive woman, unless there is a large group of us. I'm not proud of this, but it's the truth." Chris Herbert, The Daily Muse

I have been thinking about writing on the benefits and challenges of being a smart, yet [yes, 'yet'] attractive female in the workplace, and I am now extremely happy and relieved I have delayed doing so.  The topic is delicate and can become controversial if not talked about within the right parameters.  In fact, it seems that rather than bringing attention to uncomfortably real situations women have been experiencing for years, it can bring about the complete opposite reaction from readers who are quick to cry out "awwww, poor thing, so she is pretty AND smart?! yeah, tough..." 

Optimizing Opting Out

By Kadzi Mutizwa

In so many ways, on so many levels, the traditional full-time workforce kind of sucks. And by kind of, I mean really. From the cronyism to the bureaucracies to the monotony to those employee ID badges, the whole set-up can be spirit-crushing. Like most set-ups, it’s so not for everyone.

American women seem to get fed up with this scene more conspicuously than men.

Women Finally Helping Women?

By Giadha Aguirre De Carcer

A generational transformation is definitely taking place in terms of women networking.  I remember when being a young woman in the financial sector, especially in Manhattan, was an oddity at best, and if your boss was a woman, as was mine, you were more likely to get additional scrutiny than help. Women were too busy surviving to have time to help the few others around.  Elas, in most cases, even if they did have time, they felt too threatened by a younger version of themselves to be inclined to do so.

In fact a particular anecdote comes to mind -

Poorly Researched Business Propositions Stick Out Like Sore Thumbs

While my goal is to have this blog be a forum to shed light onto less talked about topics specific to women entrepreneurs, topics that may still be considered tabooish and should probably be demystified, a few friends suggested I also post tid bits of advice to coach new entrepreneurs.  So here goes today's thought.

A couple of weeks ago, I witnessed how an investor was able to ask one single question to decide whether the business proposition he was hearing about was worth looking further into - just one question - "what is your market?"

When asked the presenter jumped to what I am sure he believed was the obvious answer and proudly quoted a multimillion dollar figure relevant to his overarching industry sector.  He quickly followed the figure with another figure, the percentage of said market he was going to capture to reach x revenue per year.  Unfortunately the presenter's answer, completely unbeknownst to him, was a clear indication to most people in the room that he had not done his homework and, as far as the investor was concerned, sealed his fate instantly.

Had the presenter done the required research he would have started by describing the market in qualitative terms and then explained how and why he had defined the market for his product or service.  Such an explanation would have substantiated whatever figure he followed with, which at the end of the day is relatively inconsequential given that, let's face it, figures are a dime a dozen (no pun intended) if you know how to use a spreadsheet.

The link below is an excellent overview of the basic research any entrepreneur should do to avoid this type of scenario.

How To Research Your Business Idea