The financing gap for women-owned micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) businesses in India is about Rs.6.37 lakh crore ($116 billion) or 73 per cent of their total demand, according to a study by World Bank Group member IFC.

The study, in partnership with the Government of Japan, said that financial institutions (FIs) meet only 27 per cent of the financing demand of women-owned MSMEs in India. “The total supply of formal finance to women-owned MSMEs in 2012 was around Rs.2.31 lakh crore ($42 billion).This resulted in a finance gap of Rs.6.37 lakh crore ($116 billion), or 73 per cent of total demand,” the report said. FIs can meet the demand through products and services tailored for women entrepreneurs, it said. The total financing demand was $158 billion (Rs.8.68 lakh crore) for women-owned businesses. The formal sources of credit supply included public sector banks, non-banking financial companies, and self-help group-bank linkage programs There are an estimated 3 million women-owned enterprises across industries, representing about 10 per cent of all MSMEs in India and employing over 8 million people. Collectively, these enterprises contribute 3.09 per cent of industrial output. Approximately, 78 per cent of women enterprises belong to the services sector. Women entrepreneurship, the report said, is largely skewed towards smaller sized firms, as almost 98 per cent of the businesses are micro-enterprises.

“Over 90 percent of finance requirements being met through informal sources,” the IFC report added. The study further said that FIs can tap this ‘profitable segment’ with products and services tailored to the needs of women-owned MSMEs. It also said FIs should consider options such as advisory desks at selected bank branches to offer information on products and services tailored to women-owned enterprises. Providing non-financial services (NFS) and training, along with access to financial products, will offer holistic growth opportunities to women entrepreneurs, it added.

The financing gap for women-owned MSME businesses in India is about Rs.6.37 lakh crore ($116 billion) or 73 per cent of their total demand, according to a study by World Bank Group member IFC.

The study, in partnership with the Government of Japan said that financial institutions (FIs) meet only 27 per cent of the financing demand of women-owned micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in India.

This resulted in a finance gap of Rs.6.37 lakh crore ($116 billion), or 73 per cent of total demand,” the report said.  The formal sources of credit supply included public sector banks, non—banking financial corporations, and self—help group—bank linkage programs

Women entrepreneurship, the report said, is largely skewed towards smaller sized firms, as almost 98 per cent of the businesses are micro-nterprises.  “As with the broader MSME sector, access to formal finance is a key barrier to the growth of women—owned businesses, leading to over 90 percent of finance requirements being met through informal sources,” the IFC report added.

Is it the scarcity principle?  The Atlantic reports:  If scarcity imparts value, male babysitters have it all figured out.  Less than 3 percent of all babysitters are men, but they still earn $15 an hour.  Females going rate is $14.50.more than their female counterparts.  The gender-wage gap penetrates even the most feminine of feminized professions. Even female administrative assistants, teachers, and nurses—three fields that are dominated by women—still make less than their male colleagues by about 10 percent.

Is it because men are more confident and can command higher wages? Or because there are so few male babysitters that the ones who are drawn to this sort of work are uniquely qualified in some way—maybe they’re beloved, master fort-builders, for example, or actual child-rearing specialists.

The best paid babysitters are actually in their late 20s, rather than their teens or 30s. And if you want to make some serious change watching other peoples’ kids on occasion, move to New York, where the going rate is $17.50 an hour, which is more than the average income Mississippi and nine other states.

Angela Priestley reporting from Australia in Women’s Agenda:

Measuring productivity by time rather than work achieved can be difficult for the flexible worker, especially when such billable units are expected to be completed during traditional work hours.  According to a major report released by the Law Council of Australia on Friday, women have accounted for almost 60% of all solicitors admitted over the past decade, yet are still half as likely as men to reach partnership. The billable hour still drives them away.

Fiona McLeod SC went so far as to describe the profession as a “men’s only club” while discussing the new research, with the report also highlighting an alarming rate of bullying, discrimination and harassment.

Nimble women lawyers are forming start-ups in the legal space. Many are being formed by women who’ve rejected the big law structure to work their own way. Others by those who’ve recently had children and are looking to supplement part-time work or earn an income while managing the bulk of the child caring duties.

Lawyers Jane Wright and Lauren Barel launched Workdynamic Australia in 2013.  They jobshare in their firm specializing in workplace investigations, employment and advisory work. Laura VIckers launched an online law firm run from her kitchen table. She meets clients on Skype and drafts will and does conflict resolution.  Technology has long been evening the playing field for those looking to run businesses on their own time and in their own way.

In Australia, the legal profession is finally catching up – and women are leading the change.   Legal Profession Report

Introducing Astia, Astia is a curated, global community of experts committed to the success of world class women-led, high-growth startups. For over 14 years the 4000+ members of Astia’s connected community have provided startups with access to capital, business networks, and opportunities to become dominant market players. The organization is a non-profit with distinct focus and mission.

Research indicates that if women were to fully participate in high-growth entrepreneurship we would see a significant and measurable benefit to the economy, innovation, and society. Astia’s mission is to provide access to the networks and expertise that women high-growth entrepreneurs need to succeed, and ultimately to impact today’s global economy.

Lynette Mayne always give her clients what they ask for. DHL said please tender on this gear and had a corporate design and corporate colour. We gave them that, but recommended they slightly change the colour to a brighter orange so it will meet Australian safety standards. They said that is one of the reasons they gave us the tender. We are extremely flexible in the way we go about things.  Making a Success of Work Wear

Dolls are big business.  Since she was first created, Moms have worried that their daughters would feel diminished by Barbie’s spectacular and unrealistic dimensions.  Contemporary artist Nicolay Lamm got dimensions from the US Center for Disease Control for the average 19 year old in the US.  And guess what?  She borders on obesity.  Lamm attributes Lammily’s physique to her athleticism. Will girls like her as much as her Kickstarter supporters who have contributed $370,000 in pre-orders?  Virginia Postel reports in Bloomberg.  The Anti Barbie 

The most high profile woman to fall is Jan Cameron, who was previously number five on the list.  Cameron proved her entrepreneurial nous by founding outdoor retailer Kathmandu and then heading up competitor company MacPac.

But Cameron’s next move has misfired, as she spent most of 2013 battling her creditors and suppliers, attempting to regain control of Retail Adventures.

The company (which owns discount brands Go-Lo, Sam’s Warehouse, Chickenfeed and Crazy Clark’s) was placed into receivership in October 2012 with debts to unsecured creditors of $165 million before Cameron, in a controversial move, bought it back from administrators for $58.9 million in February 2013.

The decision cost Cameron $215 million of the $247 million fortune she amassed after selling her 50% share of Kathmandu in 2006.

Despite implementing various cost-cutting measures, the business racked up $144 million in losses between 2010 and 2012, according to The Australian Financial Review.

It currently has sales of around $600 million, a severe drop from the days it was generating close to $1 billion in annual revenues.

Another top entrepreneur to tumble is Amber Ferguson.  The solar energy business collapsed last year in Australia.

Ferguson’s companiesCarbon Management Solutions and Aussie Solar Installations were placed in voluntary administration, with Ferguson saying a new, single entity would be formed to focus on the commercial market instead of residential installations.

Ferguson stresses the company is not disappearing through the voluntary administration, and is instead forming a new group, Carbon Management Solutions Group, which will trade as Aussie Solar.

“We’re merging the two companies together in order to reduce overheads, costs and minimise the pressures on running the business,” she says.  “But we’re opening up into different fields as well.”

The company has been working on a battery technology for the past two years, which is now ready to be released to the market.  “It’s been a huge investment,” says Ferguson.

Both women are working hard to try to turn their respective companies around and we hope we’ll see them back on SmartCompany’s top 30 female entrepreneurs list in years to come.

But their fall is a word of warning for all entrepreneurs, male and female, as a quickly made fortune can be lost just as quickly.

Each year, Smart Company celebrates the Australian female business owners who have been exemplary in their industries, are trailblazers and demonstrate inspiring and aspiring business journeys. This year the list generated a combined revenue of $6.127 billion.

That’s slightly down from last year’s list where the combined revenue was $6.452 billion last year and largely reflects the decline in the fortunes of Australia’s wealthiest person, Gina Rinehart. While Rinehart may have fallen from revenue of $2.37 billion to $1.986 billion she is still far and away the list leader. However, there are some extremely impressive business women in this year’s top 10.

There’s a new top 10 entrant this year, Sue Hollis, who has shot onto the list with a bullet and a revenue of $250 million from her corporate travel company TravelEdge.

Here’s the top 10 for 2014:

The list of Australia’s top female entrepreneurs is ranked according to revenue. Where possible, revenue has been provided by the entrepreneurs; if not, SmartCompany has sourced the revenue from publicly available sources, industry contacts or internal estimates.

An asterisk (*) denotes where revenue has been estimated.

Goldman Sachs and the World Bank will invest $132 million to push banks in developing economies to lend to women-owned businesses.

The money will fund a new facility run by the World Bank’s private-sector arm that will extend lines of credit and share risks with local banks to ensure they give female entrepreneurs access to financing for their small and medium-size companies. The two contributors plan to raise an additional $468 million from other investors, the World Bank said today in an e-mailed statement.

“Gender equality is smart economics and a key driver of development,” World Bank President Jim Yong Kim said “We need to do more so that investing in women becomes mainstream by businesses and financial institutions alike.”

The bank estimates that women-owned companies face a $300 billion credit gap, made worse in some countries by unfavorable regulation. Closing that gap would raise income per capita across the main developing economies, with Brazil and Vietnam gaining the most, according to Goldman Sachs research.

The World Bank’s International Finance Corp. unit will invest $100 million in the so-called Women Entrepreneurs Opportunity Facility, with Goldman Sachs providing $32 million, the World Bank said.

“Another day. Another eighty cents.”

VERA Community is the first Dutch organization aimed at female entrepreneurs. It aims to attract equity-funding online. To offer this service, VERA Community started a partnership with Symbid, the largest equity-crowdfunding platform in The Netherlands. VERA Community launches its own website the 8th of March. Here, female entrepreneurs can start a crowdfunding campaign. The financial and legal round-up will be taken care of by Symbid.

The Netherlands has approximately 350.000 female entrepreneurs; a number constantly on the rise. The last years a lot of networks for female entrepreneurs have been established. However, VERA Community is the only company to offer funding for these female businesses.  VERA Community is aimed especially towards Dutch female entrepreneurs who create a positive impact and social value.

Nicolete Loonen, founder of VERA  says, “The cooperation with Symbid actually allows bringing this goal into practice. Besides support and advice during the different phases of the company, we can now introduce the entrepreneurs to interested investors. There are a lot of women who want to create a positive impact with their company and we help them find the right funding. On top of that we notice investors want to know how their money is being spent and that they’re looking for companies that are both commercially and socially responsible. Therefore crowdfunding is very well suited for both the female entrepreneur as well as the investor.”.

VERA Community officially starts the 8^th of March; in the week of International Women’s Day. The Symbid-Group for VERA Community will open funding requests for female entrepreneurs and investors interested in their companies. Additionally, in cooperation with WomenInvest, VERA Community has arranged several female speakers who will share their vision on and experience with entrepreneurship during International Women’s Day at “De Baak” in Driebergen,

More information about VERA Community can be found on: www.veracommunity.nl