Sharon McSwain didn't plan on contributing to a mushrooming economic trend when she formed her company in 1996. She just wanted to build houses.
But when she left her family's home-building company that September to set up her own construction trailer next to a lot in west Cobb's Macland Forest subdivision, she joined a growing number of female business owners in Georgia.
The U.S. Bureau of the Census reports that the number of new businesses owned by women in Georgia grew by 35 percent between 1997 and 2002 -- a higher increase than in any state except Nevada. And the Center for Women's Business Research says that, as of 2004, an estimated 301,582 businesses were privately held firms with a majority-woman ownership.
Although these are the latest figures available, demographers have no doubt that the trend continues. A little less certain is why this is happening.
Bart Lewis, head of data research for the Atlanta Regional Commission, says a likely explanation for the growth of woman-owned businesses is the increase of women in the labor force in general and of single mothers who need to work.
Georgia Department of Economic Development spokeswoman Allison Tyrer says the agency hasn't pegged a specific reason for the trend but believes that policies and support systems for entrepreneurs in general are helping women start businesses.
And while many women in Georgia are launching enterprises long associated with female owners, such as restaurants and clothing shops, others are venturing into fields long dominated by men, including home building and information technology.
Claire Arnold said that, although she doesn't run into many other female CEOs in the tech industry, "it's a field that is very open to women."
Arnold's Leapfrog Services -- which provides equipment, management and support for small to mid-sized computer networks -- is her second go at business ownership. After 10 years at the Coca-Cola Co., Arnold managed a leverage buyout of NCC, a privately held delivery firm.
"When I was head of my distribution business, I was the only woman doing that," Arnold said. "And when I was on the industry association's board, I was the only woman around. I am often the only woman on a [corporate] board, but I never felt uncomfortable."
Leapfrog Services caters primarily to offices with groups of professionals, such as lawyers or financial consultants. Arnold also counts several nonprofits among her clients.
"We want to give back to the community, so we provide them service at a discount," she said.
Arnold said she specializes more in business/math than in computers, so she focuses on Leapfrog's numbers. She proudly ticks off the company's recent year-over-year revenue growth: 60 percent in 2003, 48 percent in 2004 and 34 percent in 2005.
She is quick to note that the percentages drop because the pie -- total revenues -- gets bigger every year.
McSwain said that she has encountered few obstacles as her home-building business grew from just herself, a trailer and a few contractors to the 71 current employees of Sharon McSwain Homes.
In the beginning, she said, lenders were a little wary because they weren't used to seeing a woman in the bricks-and-mortar trade.
But she discovered that she enjoys some competitive advantages over her male counterparts.
"While [building is] male-dominated, the purchase is typically driven by a woman," McSwain said. "I think when [women] tour one of my homes, they can feel the difference."
She said design features geared toward the female homebuyer have helped push her annual sales up to about 500 houses a year.
"I like to think about the kitchen and about how women who work can come home and cook dinner while they talk to their children," McSwain said. "So we build a lot of open kitchens in our homes."
Like Arnold, McSwain said she's often the only woman around during business networking events, but even that can be an advantage.
"I go out on golf outings, and many times I'm the only woman," McSwain said. "The last time we had a longest-drive contest, I won because I was the only woman playing."
Although economic development experts couldn't cite programs exclusively for women to explain the growing number of women taking out business licenses, several organizations provide information and support for female entrepreneurs:
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