Women To Watch 10.12.25 - Flipbook - Page 9
Why own your own business?
Multiple female business owners who spoke to The Baltimore Sun said they went
into entrepreneurship to solve problems, have flexibility and pursue creative
interests.
Jenni Hoover founded Frederick swim school Serenity Swimming three years ago
after noticing a need for lessons that prioritize children’s individual needs.
"Know your why," Hoover said, is her top advice to fellow entrepreneurs.
Prince George's County resident Paulette Mpouma started working for herself out
of a desire to create that wasn't being fulfilled by 9-to-5 jobs as a French teacher
and hospital secretary.
An immigrant from Cameroon, Mpouma made what became her product, the
Africa Memory Game board game, to teach her own children about Africa. Since
starting the business in 2009, Mpouma has sold games around the world
and has developed games with Howard University and other institutions.
“It's not only a passion, but it's something that can be rewarding if
it's done properly,” she said.
However, business owners were clear that owning a business isn’t for
everyone.
People tend to glamorize entrepreneurship, said Sofia Tapias, who
started a jewelry business called Dov Jewelry with her sister during the
pandemic. While cherishing the agency of being her own boss, Tapias said owning
a business can be emotionally consuming and destabilize owners' lives.
Maryland tied for eighth-lowest wage gap in US
Freepik
Roadblocks
Alongside universal challenges, women can face obstacles that male
counterparts do not. According to a Harvard Business Review analysis
of academic studies from around the world, women are less likely to be
approved for small-business loans than men and are more likely to
receive smaller loans than they request.
When Hoover was applying for loans and talking to contractors, she
said, she had to stop bringing her husband to meetings, so men would
talk to her instead of him.
Getting funding was the largest hurdle Mpouma said. Investors, she
said, seemed reluctant to believe she could sell enough games.
When Tapias and her sister launched a physical store in 2024, called
Dov & Co., they decided to include areas for other women-owned small
businesses to sell their products to support the community of other
female entrepreneurs.
Map: Staff
Source: National Women’s Law
Center analysis of 2023 American
Community Survey data
Created with Datawrapper
Of the 41.9% of Maryland
businesses that are owned by
women, almost 92% are small
businesses that do not have
direct employees. About 82%
of men-owned businesses
are nonemployers.
Maryland tops US and neighbors for share
of businesses that are women-owned
