A Futuristic Vision Put this article in a drawer and save it 25 years. We bet these experts get it right.

What will the next 25 years hold for women business owners? Weasked five business leaders for their forecasts.

Hedy Ratner

Co-president of Chicago-based Women's BusinessDevelopment Center, the oldest and largest women's businessassistance program helping women develop and expand theirbusinesses

"[Women-owned businesses] will be well beyond the majorityof businesses in this country. We [women] will be growing larger,more successful, more diverse businesses-diverse in terms of thepeople with whom we work, and in terms of the nature of theindustries we will be in.

"Financial institutions' consciousness will be raisedin terms of the imperative of investment in women-owned businesses.Government and the private sector will not look at women-ownedbusinesses as a token involvement. Instead of being considered thedregs or smallest piece of the pie, [women-owned businesses] willbe considered an integral part of both their market and theirsuppliers."

Susan Phillips Bari

President of the Washington, DC-based Women's BusinessEnterprise National Council (WBENC), a third-party certifier ofwomen-owned businesses

"Businesses run by women face the same challenges as allsmall and midsized companies: access to capital, market position,managing growth, hiring and retaining employees. I don't seethose factors changing over the next 25 years, as I've seenlittle change in the past 25.

"People live within a comfort zone. The major impedimentwomen-owned businesses face is 'business as usual.' If nospecial effort is made to expand the universe of suppliers toinclude women- and minority-owned firms, progress will continue tolimp along."

Nell Merlino

President and CEO of Count Me In, a New York City-basednonprofit organization that makes microloans to women-ownedbusinesses

"Access to capital will continue to be a challenge, butshould improve as more women run major companies, cities, countriesand global financial institutions.

"The women-owned businesses will be more profitable, createmore jobs and be great places to work. In 25 years, they willredefine success for women and men."

Muriel Siebert

President, CEO and chair of Women's Financial Network atSiebert, a New York City financial institution created for womenand by women, offering mutual funds, stocks, bonds, college savingsplans and retirement accounts

"[Women-owned businesses will be] larger, and [there willbe] more of them. I do not believe that there is much of adifference between men and women when it comes to the challengesfacing entrepreneurs. The biggest issue all entrepreneurs will haveto face in the next 25 years is the rapid changes in technology.Entrepreneurs must stay ahead of technology or try to beatit."

Sheila Wellington

President of Catalyst, a New York City-based nonprofitresearch and advisory organization that works to advance women inbusiness and their professions

"We can expect that [women-owned] businesses will be verysuccessful in the future because of the flexible work environmentthey offer, which Catalyst has learned is a key retention tool. Inour study 'The Next Generation of Leaders: Today'sProfessionals, Tomorrow's Leaders,' more than half of menand women reported that they would like to telecommute or work acompressed week. This generation of professionals is looking forflexible work arrangements that allow them to juggle the demands oftheir jobs and families. Women entrepreneurs are the leaders whowill push open new doors and create the workplaces oftomorrow."

Aliza Pilar Sherman is an Internet pioneer, e-entrepreneur,speaker and author of the book PowerTools for Women in Business: 10 Ways toSucceed in Life and Work.

Contact Sources

• Catalyst
  (212) 514-7600, www.catalystwomen.org
• Count Me In
  (212) 691-6380, http://www.count-me-in.org
• Women's Business Development Center
  (312) 853-3477, www.wbdc.org
• Women's Business Enterprise National Council
  (202) 872-5515, http://www.wbenc.org
• Women's Financial Network at Siebert
  (212) 644-2400, www.wfn.com