CELEBRATING 30 YEARS OF SERVING THE WOMEN BUSINESS OWNERS OF PHOENIX
Winter 2020 • nawbophx.org
Is It the System?
by Angela Garmon, NAWBO Phoenix President 2019-2020
ABOUT NAWBO
Most systems are fallible at conception because they are not designed for everyone to excel. Systems are generally created to reinforce beliefs or constructs that already exist. And in some cases, concerns for the minority, meaning those who are not represented in the decision-making, are not part of the equation. This lack of consideration leads to oppression if gone unchecked, which ultimately creates divides and can lead to war. These missteps are riddled throughout American history, forcing people to fight for basic rights since the States were formed. Frustration of being oppressed leads to revolutions. Activists rise up to fight injustices, which leads to movements and then forced changes in legislation. America’s history has been an evolution of movements. Now here we are in 2020, the year America celebrates a century of women’s suffrage. We continue to be reminded that every movement comes with a price and concepts like “gender equality” and “gender parity” are still being fought for today. It is something to note and a reality that cannot be ignored. It cannot be used as an excuse for immobility on our part but recognized as a system that needs to be addressed. There are modern-day activists such as Melinda Gates, who picked up the torch that was blazed by courageous women like Elizabeth C. Stanton, Susan B. Anthony, Sojourner Truth and Ida B. Wells — activists of their times who fought for the women’s rights, which ultimately led to the 19th Amendment. Recently, Gates has written articles and appeared on interviews for Harvard Business Review to address the question “How long will it take the United States to close the gap on gender equality?” In the interview, “When Will We Reach Gender Equality” (www.youtube.com/watch?reload=9&v=HchyqPO8K0I), HBR indicates that reaching gender equality will take 208 years at this current rate of change. Gates identifies that women are not represented equally in key sectors and we must continue to shift status quo because this lack of representation impacts our ability to get a seat at the table where decisions are being made. One key sector that she mentions is entrepreneurship. As president of National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO) – Phoenix (www.nawbo.org/phoenix), it is a concern for me as I talk to women every day as they plan to scale and grow their businesses but run into barriers while doing so. I see the struggles regularly, and as a State and a community we must work together to close the gap and address the needs for WBOs in the State. Looking at the stats for woman-owned businesses in the State of Arizona, you see that while the number of firms is increasing annually, they are not growing equally in revenue and employment vitality. A recent article in the Phoenix Business Journal, “Women-owned businesses in Arizona make gains but employment slows, report shows” (www.bizjournals.com/phoenix/news/2018/08/30/women-owned-businesses-intoarizona-make-gains-but.html), indicates that woman-owned firms have increased by 53.6 percent from 2007 to 2018. However, employment for WBOs grew only by 1.9 percent and revenues by only $3.5 million over the same period of time. Interesting, right? What is causing this lack of growth?
NAWBO® prides itself on being a global beacon for influence, ingenuity and action and is uniquely positioned to provide incisive commentary on issues of importance to women business owners. NAWBO Phoenix propels women entrepreneurs into economic, social and political spheres of power.
nawbophx.org
We host networking and education events throughout the valley each month, open to both members and guests. Check out our calendar at nawbophx.org and join us! Take advantage of this great networking opportunity by bringing business cards and making connections.
Angela Garmon
NAWBO Phoenix President Angela Garmon is founder and business strategist at ARG Coaching & Consulting Group (www.argccgroup.com). She uses her 20 years of change management experience to help her clients build their businesses and increase profits by focusing on three key areas: enhancing leadership effectiveness, building team cohesion, and improving processes. Garmon has a master’s degree in human dynamics and holds several certifications, including Six Sigma Green Belt and Executive Coaching. Among the many roles she has in the community, Garmon is proud to support other women business owners as they tackle the business ecosystem. She is president of the National Association of Women Business Owners – Phoenix Chapter. As a visionary, she looks forward to making a positive impact on the chapter that will promote future growth strategies for the association as well as women business owners.
For more infomation, visit www.nawbophx.org.
Phoenix Metropolitan Chapter of the National Association of Women Business Owners 7729 E Greenway Rd. #300, Scottsdale, AZ 85260 480-289-5768 • info@NAWBOphx.org
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