Girl Talk A former Oscar winner changes her focus to games for girls.
By Janean Chun
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
After winning an Oscar for Best Short Film and an MTV VideoAward, Laura Groppe decided a career transition was in order. So inMay 1994, she left the Hollywood limelight, took her $75,000 lifesavings, and started an Austin, Texas-based media company, GirlGames Inc.
"It made perfect sense to stay in the entertainmentindustry and yet move in the direction I saw entertainment goingin, which is interactive," says Groppe, 33. "I saw therewas nothing for women and girls and decided this was the perfectniche."
Though the medium is indeed hot, Groppe's first project, aCD-ROM series called Let's Talk About ME!, is "focusedmore on the girl than on the platform," she says."We're entering an era where nine out of 10 of these girlswill be income earners. We have an opportunity to feed these girls,give them the tools, and tell them to go for it."
Offering everything from a diary with a "panic button"for privacy purposes to in-depth interviews with 23 role models,the series takes on the considerable task of trying to makeadolescence fun. "It's a treacherous zone," Groppeadmits. "I want to say, `You'll make it--you'll get tothe other side and be all the better for it.' "
With the second version of Let's Talk About ME! due forspring release, Groppe reflects on entrepreneurial moments thatrival the thrill of receiving an Oscar, like "seeing the boxon the shelves, knowing this was just an idea a year and a halfago. And, at a [computer store], when a 12-year-old girl playedwith the game, bought it, and said to me, `Thank you so much fordoing what you do,' that was a very cool moment."
Look Whos Cooking
Women are stirring up the restaurant industry: They now ownapproximately one of every three restaurants. According to theCensus Bureau, the number of eating-and-drinking establishmentsowned by women increased 41 percent between 1987 and 1992. In thesame period, the number of restaurants owned by men decreased 6percent.
Women restaurateurs also outpaced men in total sales, doublingreceipts over that five-year period, while men's establishmentsgrew by 29 percent. Where women restaurateurs lag behind men is inaverage sales, which were $215,400, almost 40 percent lower thanthe $343,100 average earned by men.
The National Restaurant Association confirms women entering theindustry is a long-term trend. "There aren't as manybarriers to entry in this business. You can start a smallrestaurant, which may attract women who traditionally haven'tbeen able to get large loans," says the asso-ciation'sCaitlin Storhaug. "It's one of the last industries whereyou can really fulfill the American dream."
Madame President
If you were president, what would you do?" That was thequestion posed to top businesswomen in a recent study by TheExecutive Committee, a San Diego-based organization ofentrepreneurs and CEOs. Among the responses:
"Balance the budget immediately. No one would go onvacation until it was done."
"Privatize many government services and stress alternativeeducation."
"Have the courage to say `I don't know.' "
The study found the female political figures respondents mostadmired were: 1) Elizabeth Dole, 2) Rep. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA),3) (tie) Hillary Clinton and Gov. Christine Todd Whitman (R-NJ),and 4) Margaret Thatcher. Almost half the women believed therewould be a woman president in 12 years; the rest said a womanwouldn't hold the office until after 2008. Only two respondentsanswered "Not in my lifetime."
Even if a woman doesn't take the Oval Office soon,respondents aren't complaining. About 68 percent rated the U.S.economy either excellent or good, and 53 percent said it'sdoing better today than when President Clinton was firstelected.
Contact Sources
The Executive Committee, (800) 274-2367;
Girl Games Inc., 221 E. Ninth St., #302, Austin, TX78701, (http://www.girlgamesinc.com);
National Restaurant Association, 1200 17th St. N.W.,Washington, DC 20036, (800) 424-5156.
