Elizabeth's Women-in-Business Wisdom

Today I had a tremendous phone call with Elizabeth Jarosz, a PR and communications whiz who was also one of the second-year contestants on "The Apprentice," the popular can-you-make-it-in-business? TV program featuring real estate mogul Donald Trump. Elizabeth is a ton of fun and full of insights about women in business. Our call was part of a series of telephone interviews that Elizabeth is conducting with women in business - I'll post more information when I have it, but Elizabeth's site is here.

A couple of the nuggets of wisdom I picked up from Elizabeth are these:

Women are starting businesses at FOUR TIMES the rate of any other group.
Women executives are leaving their jobs at the rate of THIRTEEN PERCENT per year.
Working women report that WORK-LIFE BALANCE is their number one issue or obstacle.

I can relate to that last one. My five kids keep me hopping, but I have a lot of confidence in them and I see them learning from my experiences out in the world, every day. They know that when I'm with them, I put the business stuff aside. And they know (except for the four-year-old, who pretends to understand nothing) that when I'm working, I'm not available.

I have huge respect for women who create businesses and professional personas that suit who they are rather than fitting into someone else's mold or expectations. Elizabeth Jarosz is one of these women who's doing what is fun for her and can help other women. What about you? What are your business-and-life priorities? Leave a Comment below to share your wisdom with us.