Kitchen Table Entrepreneurs: How Eleven Women Escaped Poverty And Became Their Own Bosses [Hardcover]

Martha Shirk (Author), Anna S. Wadia (Author), John Kerry (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 17, 2002

Over the last five years, the number of women-owned businesses has grown at twice the rate of all U.S. firms; in 2002, the number is expected to surpass the six million mark. Kitchen Table Entrepreneurs tells the inspirational stories of eleven low-income women who have marshaled the creative energy, confidence, and capital necessary to start their own small businesses. These women, who have used their entrepreneurial skills as a route out of poverty, give an American face to an economic empowerment tool that has enjoyed great success in developing countries. And by becoming their own bosses, they are not only providing for their children but also inspiring them. Though each of their businesses is unique, all eleven of these women have discovered previously unknown strengths as they’ve struggled to overcome personal and bureaucratic obstacles. All received important assistance from nonprofit organizations supported by the Ms. Foundation for Women, a pioneer funding entity of microenterprise programs in the U.S. Accompanying each profile are photographs by documentary photographer Earl Dotter, which capture the unique, hardworking American spirit of the entrepreneur and her family.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In Kitchen Table Entrepreneurs: How Eleven Women Escaped Poverty and Became Their Own Bosses, journalist Martha Shirk and Ms. Foundation program director Anna S. Wadia celebrate women who went from low-income employees to small business owners. Their stories are inspiring: America Ducasse immigrated from the Dominican Republic and eventually launched a home-based day-care business in Massachusetts, while Lucille Barnett Washington started working as a clerk at an auto parts store in Detroit in 1961 and today runs an auto parts and repair business. Each of the women received assistance from nonprofit organizations supported by the Ms. Foundation for Women. Photos.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

In the United States, the number of women-owned companies is growing at twice the rate of all firms and will reach six million this year. This trend is exemplified by the 11 entrepreneurial or micro-enterprise case studies covered here. These female entrepreneurs worked their way out of poverty, often balancing the obligations of single parenthood and work and taking risks to achieve the dream of success for themselves. Their enterprises encompass many different industries, including retail, restaurant, and small manufacturing, and are located throughout the United States. These women were assisted by various nonprofit organizations, like the Ms. Foundation for Women, that support economic development through micro-enterprises. Documentary black-and-white photographs capture the hard work and spirit of the women and their families, and two appendixes provide additional data on micro-enterprise research and resources available to help new businesses. These studies by journalist Shirk and Wadia, a program director at the Ms. Foundation, should be included in business and women's studies collections in academic and public libraries.
Susan C. Awe, Univ. of New Mexico Lib., Albuquerque
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: Basic Books (September 17, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0813339103
• ISBN-13: 978-0813339108
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,275,824 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Encouraging stories for entrepreneurs, January 18, 2004

By 

Lisa Peet (Bronx, NY USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Kitchen Table Entrepreneurs: How Eleven Women Escaped Poverty And Became Their Own Bosses (Hardcover)

So whaddya know, turns out I'm a sucker for inspirational literature after all. This book was sent to me by a friend who's been following my dreams of starting my own business, and I have to say it was extremely encouraging - both the act of his sending it to me and the stories contained herein. Even if you're not coming from a place of poverty or disenfranchisement, each one of these stories has a good nugget of truth in it: the obvious value of hard work and believing in oneself, but also seeing what people go through in the process of applying for a loan with tenuous collateral, or looking to expand an existing business, or taking a second job to secure health coverage. There's something good in each of these stories, and - yep - they're heartwarming. It's a nice collection.

5.0 out of 5 stars Inspirational, December 8, 2003

By 

ExiledinParadise "mrs8468" (San Francisco, CA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Kitchen Table Entrepreneurs: How Eleven Women Escaped Poverty And Became Their Own Bosses (Hardcover)

This book really brings to life the struggles that women entrepreneurs face as they try to turn an idea for a business into a profitable reality. The real-life women whom the authors profile are truly memorable, from Roselyn Spotted Eagle, the Sioux beadworker and quilter who has had an unimaginably hard life, yet doesn't complain, to Yasmina Cadiz, the stylish, edgy creative type in Chicago who you just know will end up being famous some day. The book reads like a novel, even though it contains lots of useful advice about how to get a small business off the ground. I recommend it highly to any woman who dreams of being her own boss one day.