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She's the boss
(Fresno Bee (CA) (KRT) Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge) Mar. 19--When Joan Fee's 25-year marriage fell apart, she was frustrated, heartbroken and angry.
She went from living in a 2,700-square-foot home in Santa Barbara County to a two-bedroom apartment in Fresno.
But after crying many tears and doing much soul searching, the 48-year-old Fee had an epiphany. Divorce is difficult no matter what the circumstances, she thought, so why not try to make it easier by giving women special gifts, cards, music and other tools to make it through.
She turned her personal trauma into a new business: "It Will Be Alright." The online company -- www.itwillbealright.com -- will soon sell divorce survival kits, priced from $19.95 to $49.95. "Everything that has happened up to now has led me to this point in my life," she said. "I have turned the divorce into something positive for myself and other women."
Fee joins a growing number of women -- 10.6 million at last count -- who own their own companies.
Driven by a desire for independence, flexibility, a need for fulfillment or just economics, women started their own businesses at twice the rate of men from 1997 to 2002, according to the most recent U.S. Census Bureau data.
Fresno is no exception.
The U.S. Small Business Administration office in Fresno reported a 26% increase in the number of loans to women-owned businesses and a 65% increase in the dollar value of those loans from 2004 to 2005. The 196 SBA-backed loans issued to women-owned businesses in the Fresno region last year represented $52.1million.
"Traditionally, women-owned businesses have been a little bit smaller in sales and size," said Ron Truly, deputy district director of Fresno's SBA office. "But what these numbers are telling us is that loans are getting bigger and the size of the operations are getting bigger."
Low interest rates, access to information and a network of support organizations are all helping fuel the growth.
Experts now estimate that one in 11 adult women in the nation are entrepreneurs, and that women-owned companies employ 19.1million people and generate nearly $2.5 trillion in sales.
"The numbers don't lie," said Ja-Nae Duane, founder of Wild Women Entrepreneurs, a women's support and networking organization based in Boston. "We are growing and growing fast."
Duane's organization serves as an example. Formed just nine months ago, it already has more than 1,000 members in the United States and several foreign countries.
A Fresno chapter was formed earlier this year.
"We even have a member from the island of Malta [off the coast of Sicily]," she said.
Duane said members include everyone from corporate climbers who feel stifled to stay-at-home moms wanting to make some extra money.
She and other industry watchers also have begun seeing more women graduating from college with the intention of being their own boss.
Tim Stearns, director of the Lyles Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at California State University, Fresno, said about 40% of the students in the college's entrepreneur classes are women. He said that is a vast change from when he went to college in the 1970s and business schools were largely male.
"The fact is business schools are becoming more female, and as women make choices they also see entrepreneurship as an option," Stearns said.
Among those driven to entrepreneurship is Sandra Kirk, the 33-year-old owner of Elements Design Studios in Fresno.
Kirk knew from an early age that she wanted to run her own company. She grew up in the family business and saw the freedom and flexibility shared by her parents, Alfonso and Yolanda Espinosa. The husband-and-wife team run a farm-labor contracting business and are orange growers.
With a talent in art, Kirk focused on a career in interior design. She worked for a well-known design firm for two years, gained experience and ventured out on her own.
Along with business partner and fellow interior designer Tracy Dere, Kirk started her own company a year ago.
For now, she works out of her home but may move to a storefront next year. She has about a dozen clients, many of whom own high-end homes or vacation residences.
"Thank God we are doing very well and are very busy," Kirk said. "And we have done it without any marketing. I like to say it is because we are pretty talented."
While many of the new businesses created by women are traditionally on the smaller scale, others launch in a big way. Such is the case with the Muses Spa & Wellness project on the northwest corner of Cedar and Teague avenues.
The owners of the 4,200-square-foot spa said they are sparing no expense to give women and men a relaxing and memorable experience. Muses is expected to be open in early April.
Inside the Greek-inspired interior will be the latest in French spa products and high-tech equipment. The operation will include 15 employees, including medical personnel, who will attend a client's every whim from pedicures to Botox.
Three sisters -- Beverly Workman, Pamela Barnes and Sherri Elrod -- started the operation. They said they shared a common vision for creating a luxurious spa and new professional challenges for themselves.
Their background was in publishing, accounting and medical office management.
"We just kept thinking how nice it would be to be able to run our own business," Elrod said. "We were working long hours and long weeks and were looking for something different."
Fortunately for the sisters, Barnes was looking for a business to invest in, and her husband, Ray, along with a partner had recently completed a building project at Teague and Cedar.
"It all just came together," Workman said.
The sisters financed the project with a mixture of loans and personal investment and have immersed themselves in the new venture. Workman even took a course to become an esthetician.
"We really wanted to fully understand how this business works so we can provide our clients with the best service," Workman said.
Karen Graff, a consultant with the Small Business Development Center in Fresno, said she no longer is surprised at the growing number of female business owners. The center provides free business counseling for new and existing businesses.
These days, Graff estimated, 60% of her clients are women. Although not all follow through with their plans, many do, she said.
"I think what we are seeing is an overriding desire by women to be in control of their own destiny," Graff said. "I see women who are frustrated with their options and who think that being in business for themselves will give them more options. They want to be in charge."
Ethel King spent years as a computer software designer in the Fresno area but wanted to do more. Like others, King wanted more control of her life.
Combining her knowledge of technology and a business background, King created the Internet-friendly Cyber Sub Cafe on the northeast corner of West and Shaw avenues.
The idea was part of her Master's of Business Administration thesis.
But unlike other Internet hot spots where people spend hours online and drink only a few dollars worth of coffee, King offers a variety of fruit smoothie drinks, desserts and a variety of homemade sandwiches. A fair share of her customers come in just for the sandwiches, including her trademark tri-tip sandwich.
"I knew I needed to give the customer something more to bring in additional revenue, because computers and coffee wasn't going to cut it," King said.
Along with free wireless Internet connection, King also rents out computers inside the cafe for $7 an hour.
The Cyber Sub Cafe employs four part-time workers and has been open nearly two years. King said sales are up nearly 100% over last year.
If all goes well, she plans to open a second cafe later this year or early next.
Although she works long hours -- the cafe is open six days a week from 9 a.m. to 9p.m. -- King would not have it any other way.
"I really do enjoy what I am doing now," she said. "This is something I have created, and it is still challenging and that is what I like."
The reporter can be reached at brodriguez@fresnobee.com or(559) 441-6327.
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