Clearing the Hurdles: Women Building High-Growth Businesses

CHAPTER 1•WOMEN BECOMING ENTREPRENEURS 7

was also creating the operating infrastructure: setting up policies, sys-

tems, and information flows for managing the business transactions

(e.g., sales, purchasing, banking, inventory); training and supporting

human resources (e.g., hiring, recruiting, work rules, benefits, etc.);

and managing customer relationships. The growth process was

dynamic, requiring constant invention because there was no organiza-

tional history to fall back on.

Every one of these activities requires skill and ingenuity, but their

success also depends on financial resources. For most entrepreneurs,

by far the biggest challenge to growth is getting the money. Few entre-

preneurs—men or women—have sufficient personal assets to fund

growth ...