women holding a coffee cup
Allison Long Pettine

As we’ve been spreading the message of the book that I co-wrote with venture capitalist Seth Levine, one of the pleasures has been meeting and being inspired by entrepreneurs who are women of color. As we write in our book, they are the fast-growing group of entrepreneurs in the country, starting businesses at more than four times the rate of the general population in recent years. (American Express has the best statistics on this.)

Meeting women business owners in person (or over Zoom) is to catch a glimpse of what might be in the economy if we were to figure out how to support more women that want to open businesses. They are creating the lives they want and meeting often-surprising goals, like employing people in their community or serving as a voice and advocate for other owners.

— Elizabeth MacBride

This story and others on New Builders Dispatch are made possible by a sponsorship from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation is a private, nonpartisan foundation that provides access to opportunities that help people achieve financial stability, upward mobility, and economic prosperity – regardless of race, gender, or geography. The Kansas City, Mo.-based foundation uses its grantmaking, research, programs, and initiatives to support the start and growth of new businesses, a more prepared workforce, and stronger communities. For more information, visit www.kauffman.org and connect with www.twitter.com/kauffmanfdn and www.facebook.com/kauffmanfdn.

A business journalist for 20 years, am the founder of Times of Entrepreneurship and the co-author of The New Builders.