Business growth for women entrepreneurs: An applied project and program evaluation

Women make up a rapidly growing section of the population of entrepreneurs however, there are fewer women owned businesses that break into the higher revenue levels compared to men-owned businesses. Growing and sustaining a healthy small business is a challenge for most with many going out of business in the first five years. Much of the research to date has included a majority of male owned businesses and little research has been focused on women entrepreneurs. The need for identifying methods to support business success for women entrepreneurs is a growing interest for researchers and practitioners alike.;This applied research study included the development of an online learning program to support women entrepreneurs in growing their business. The data collected, addressed the program's efficacy through feedback gathered from 15 evaluators, 12 of which were entrepreneurs and 3 of which were educators. 15 entrepreneurs and 6 educators were invited to participate in providing feedback. The design of the program was unique in that it focused on existing businesses rather than start-up businesses and was created specifically to meet the needs of women entrepreneurs.;A multiple methodology was utilized to gather quantitative and qualitative data in order to determine the perceived effectiveness, appropriateness, and importance of the content and the program elements. Educators and entrepreneurs were invited to review the program design and curriculum outline and provide feedback on the program's effectiveness and provide recommendations for improvement.;The results of the feedback from the educators and entrepreneurs substantiated that the program outline, the topics, and the content was appropriate to the intended audience. Educators also provided feedback in support of the interactive elements which included: one on one coaching, question and answer sessions, and an online discussion group community. The entrepreneurs particularly shared support in the one on one coaching as an important element but were slightly less positive in support of the remaining two interactive elements.