Women-owned businesses are the fastest growing segment of today’s economy, employing more than 13 million people and generating $1.9 trillion in sales. In fact, they are expected to generate more than half of the 9.72 million new small business jobs expected by 2018.

Barbara FranklinAs one of the first women to graduate from Harvard Business School, I experienced firs

Memphis has heralded recognition on many fronts. According to Entrepreneur magazine, Memphis is one of the Top 10 cites to start and grow a business. And, Memphis ranked 11th on Forbes’ 2011 “Best Cities for Minority Entrepreneurs” list.

How many female executives are in the S&P Midcap? How many female CEOs? How does a female executive’s pay compare to male executive’s pay in the S&P Midcap? Our research addressed these questions but opened up even more questions to answer.

We are living in a new era of business, one where international trade and e-commerce have almost completely taken shape. This new era of business and innovation has opened up the world to an entirely new demographic of invigorated and inspired business leaders: women.

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