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2008 best women-owned companies
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Women are launching their own businesses in record numbers. If you’ve ever toyed with the idea, consider this: You’ve already got a distinct advantage. As a working mom, you spend your days honing the skills you need to become a business owner. Not only do you arrange complex group schedules weeks in advance, but you’re a pro at multitasking, wrangling difficult clients and running a small operation on a budget. You’re a workhorse, especially when it comes to pursuing security for your family. It’s no wonder that 65 percent of the women who are building million-dollar companies are also moms, according to a recent American Express/Count Me In survey. The women we feature in the following pages all started with a great idea and made the life-changing decision to follow up on it. Today, each one operates a thriving, mom-friendly company of her owwwwn. Read on to learn about these inspirational mompreneurs, including a new group that’s creating franchise businesses around their kids, and making millions doing it.
METHODOLOGY: Independent, women-owned firms with five to 100 employees are eligible to apply. This year’s winners were chosen for their flexible schedules, creative family-friendly benefits and dedication to their communities. Winning companies also support the advancement of female employees. The Entrepreneur Mom Award winners embody that same spirit, leading innovative firms that champion work/life balance.
Click here for the 2008 Entrepreneur Mom Awards
For more information on how you can become one of our Best Women-Owned Companies,
email Jennifer Owens, at Jennifer.Owens@workingmother.com
—Anuradha Koli, Melinda Dodd and Rhea Saran
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Associated Speech & Language Specialists
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This all-female firm supports the parents of special-needs children, organizing group volunteer efforts to raise money for autism research and advocating for kids with Down syndrome. Staffers’ school-aged children may volunteer as peer motivators for the clinics’ language-impaired and autistic kids.
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Big Dog Taekwon-Do
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Staffers who work 30 hours a week receive health insurance, while everyone is eligible for half-price memberships at a local gym. As pioneers in a male-dominated field, the owners (who hold very rare second- and third-degree black belts in taekwon-do) happily offer free teacher training ...
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BTW Informing Change
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All six of the firm’s top leaders have kids, which may be one reason the company offers such generous paid time off: ten sick days and 20 to 28 leave days, to be taken in hourly or daily chunks. Pregnant staffers get 12 weeks of ...
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Buttoned Up
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Kids love hanging out at the office, thanks to a cupboard full of dolls, toys and coloring books and a television loaded with children’s DVDs. Stock options make their parents just as enthusiastic about work; the company sets aside a tenth of its shares for ...
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Cheryl F. Callahan, DDS
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Getting ahead is encouraged here: The office manager started as a receptionist, while all the dental assistants were hired without experience and then trained. Staff getaways give employees a place to discuss professional goals and are capped by a special treat, which in the past ...
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Clockwork Active Media Systems
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Management often rewards employees for their hard work by doling out cash bonuses, gift certificates or dinners for two. Come summer, family members are invited to group “happy hours” that feature everything from barbecues to biking events. ...
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Corecubed
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In lieu of a bricks-and-mortar space, this all-female firm operates a virtual office, allowing employees to connect via computer from the comfort of their own homes. Full-time staffers receive free Internet access, software and external hard drives. Their hours are flexible and negotiable, too. Pregnant ...
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Crawford Ellenbogen
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After 67 years in business, this CPA firm is still more progressive than many of its younger peers. Working moms may telecommute, work part-time or compress their hours to accommodate their kids’ schedules. Company laptops and reimbursed Internet access give all staffers a measure of ...
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Defywire
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Having kids is no barrier to advancement here. New moms get FMLA benefits with eight weeks paid, and all staffers have access to mentoring and free tuition for relevant courses. In fact, one pregnant employee recently received her third promotion. Kids are often seen at ...
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Employmoms
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The CEO’s own inability to find flexible work, coupled with similar struggles faced by other working moms she knew, inspired her to start the firm. To make sure her company stays on the right course, she has named four management industry pros to its advisory ...
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