We know our slice of the Texas Hill Country is known for many great things. Yes, the Live Music Capital of the World consistently sits atop practically every “Best Of” list for living, working, eating and playing in the United States. What you might not know is it ranks highly as a great city (and state) for female entrepreneurs.
When we began our Lake Travis Local series in November 2014, we had every intention of writing about men and women, yet all of our articles have featured women. We actually joked about it internally because we felt bad for the fellas. Our local ladies like Wendi Aarons, Heather Campbell-Green, Holly Mills-Gardner, Karen Killough, Jenny Cokins, Candace Thrash and Whitney Hengstebeck (just to name a few!) were snagging the spotlight.
But at Lake Travis Lifestyle, we go where the stories take us and if you dig deeper into the female entrepreneurial success stories in Austin and Lake Travis, as well as Texas as a whole, you can begin to see why this is the case.
7 Reasons to Smile if You’re a Female Entrepreneur:
- In 2015, women-owned businesses generate nearly $1.5 trillion in revenues in the US.
- Texas ranks second nationally in economic clout of women-owned firms, up 116 percent compared with 18 years ago.
- As of August 2015, Austin ranks eighth as a best city for female entrepreneurs.
- Women-owned businesses account for 26 percent of the Austin area’s privately held firms, generating $5.3 billion in sales.
- In Austin alone, four out of ten new businesses are started by women.
- Some of the world’s most powerful female entrepreneurs include Sara Blakely, founder of SPANX (worth $250 million in annual revenue), Arianna Huffington, J.K. Rowling and Tory Birch.
- Austin’s celebrated female entrepreneurs include Tiffany Taylor Chen (co-founder of Tiff’s Treats), Patti Rogers (founder & CEO of Rallyhood), Kendra Scott (Kendra Scott Jewelry), Camille Styles (camillestyles.com), Rochelle Rae (Rae Cosmetics) and Linda Asaf (Design Lab).
What makes Austin and Lake Travis such a great environment for these women? Heather Campbell-Green, founder of Celebrity Style Guide and Lake Travis resident explains, “The wonderfully creative and supportive community I have found here has helped my business thrive and expand. The energy in Austin is motivating, inspiring and exciting, with no shortage of opportunities for growth.”
Lots of these women are known in the Lake Travis community, not just because they’re businesswomen, but because they’re moms, philanthropists, neighbors and friends.
We can shop Kendra Scott’s new jewelry collections at Adorn Boutique in Lakeway and we can experience Linda Asaf’s unique concept boutique, Design Lab since it’s located nearby in Oasis, Texas. If you watch UT football — and we’re guessing you do! — you’ll see LT resident Holly Mills-Gardner hosting Longhorn Football’s LIVE Game Day Show.
Many of our local entrepreneurs will be participating in the upcoming 16th Annual Texas Conference for Women in Austin on October 15 featuring keynote speakers like Robin Roberts, co-anchor of ABC’s “Good Morning America,” and Patricia Arquette who recently starred in Richard Linklater’s 12-year project, “Boyhood.”
This conference hosts thousands of women from across the state for a full day of inspiration, professional development and personal growth. Lake Travis resident and recognized humorist, Wendi Aarons who is involved in the conference says, “It’s a day of learning, networking, and growing. Plus, sometimes there are cookies.”
Do you know a female entrepreneur in the Lake Travis area we should be writing about? Let us know in the comments section on Facebook!
Source: The 2015 State of Women-Owned Businesses Report commissioned by American Express
