Diverse News 2007®

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Women Entrepreneurs Say Technology Is Key to Their Success
 National Survey Reveals How Female Entrepreneurs - Soon to Represent Half
  of All Small Businesses - Want Control Over Their Careers; Use Database
                 Software to Manage Important Business Data

    SANTA CLARA, Calif. /PRNewswire/ -- Women entrepreneurs, who
will represent half of all new small businesses in the U.S. by 2009, say
that technology is a key factor in the success of their businesses and that
they are comfortable with the digital era.
    In a nationwide survey commissioned by FileMaker, Inc., maker of
FileMaker Pro database software, 83 percent of women-owned businesses with
less than 100 employees reported that technology is key to the success of
their business, and 51 percent use database software to organize and manage
important business information.

    "Many women entrepreneurs find that FileMaker Pro is the perfect
business tool to help ensure their success," said Ann Monroe, Product
Marketing Manager, FileMaker. "Millions of small business owners have
embraced FileMaker Pro for many years because of its legendary ease of use
and ability to get new users comfortable with creating and managing
databases."
    Businesswomen react to FileMaker survey results
    "Women small business owners instinctively know that technology
solutions that help them become more efficient or access data more
productively can provide a competitive edge," said Ginny Wilmerding,
entrepreneur and author of "Smart Women & Small Business"
(http://www.smartwomen-smallbusiness.com). "Among the main reasons women
are in business for themselves to begin with are flexibility and
independence. Using the right technology is a prime example of ways that
women can "work smarter" and maintain control of their businesses and
lives."
    "The key to being a successful entrepreneur is to take advantage of all
of today's technological opportunities in order to stay in the game," says
Marilynne Eichinger, president, Museum Tour Catalog,
(http://www.museumtour.com), a successful retail catalog company marketing
quality, entertaining educational products for children, parents and
educators based in Milwaukie, Oregon.
    Research firm IDC projects that by 2009, 97 percent of U.S. companies
will be small businesses. Many recent studies indicate than more than half
of new businesses are started by women.
    FileMaker Pro, the #1-selling easy-to-use database software is widely
used by millions of small businesses throughout the world. Solutions built
with FileMaker Pro are used for a wide range of functions to help small
business run smarter -- from customer and inventory management all the way
to email campaign management and much more without the need for IS/IT
support and extensive training. FileMaker also offers the Business
Productivity Kit, a solution for managing all aspects of a growing
business, available at no cost when downloaded with the free 30-day trial
of FileMaker Pro (http://www.filemakertrial.com/bpkpr).
    Major Survey Findings
    The survey of women small business owners uncovered trends in
technology, entrepreneurial issues and work and family, including:
    Technology Important to Success, But Many Entrepreneurs Still Use Paper
Files
    -- 83 percent agree or strongly agree that "technology is an important
       factor in my business' success."
    -- About half (51 percent) of women-owned businesses use database software
       to organize and manage important business information.
    -- 70 percent say they "know enough about how technology can help improve
       my business."
    Want to Be Own Boss
    Women entrepreneurs start their businesses to give them more control
over their career.
    -- 61 percent said the primary reason they started their own business was
       "independence/to be my own boss."
    -- 13 percent said they started their own business because they "needed
       more convenient hours because of my family."
    -- Only eight percent said that "making more money" was the primary reason
       for starting their own business.
    More Time, Less Money

    Running a small business has had some unexpected results for women
entrepreneurs.
    -- Nearly 4 out of 10 women entrepreneurs (39.3 percent) said "the
       business takes more of my time than I expected."
    -- 43 percent said they have "made less money than I thought I would."
    -- 36 percent (35.8) said their business "requires more capital" than
       expected.
    -- 35 percent said that running their own business "is more stressful than
       I expected."

    Women entrepreneurs embrace technology

    -- 82 percent of women business owners said their two leading sources of
       information about new technologies are websites (68 percent) and
       publications (55 percent). Only 15 percent cited a technology
       consultant.
    -- 77 percent say "most business software is easy enough for small
       businesses to use."
    Background and Methodology
    The nationwide survey of 201 small business owners and CEOs was
conducted in March 2007, by Greenfield Online
(http://www.greenfieldonline.com), an independent data collection firm, on
behalf of FileMaker, Inc. Respondents to the survey included women who
owned their own business or were the CEO, whose companies' employed less
than 100 people. Quotas were set regionally, to ensure nationally
representative results.
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