Mothers of invention: as home-based
businesses grow, moms find their creative niche
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WHEN Donna Maria Coles Johnson left her
job as an attorney at a reputable law firm, it was to start a family,
a decision she was convinced that corporate America wouldn't fully
support. In January 2000 she began the Handmade Beauty Network,
which offers a wide range of services, including products liability
insurance, logo design and legal options to small businesses.
Two years later (and a few months after the birth of her first child),
Johnson, who once charged $400 per hour, was operating her business
from her home office in suburban Washington, D.C. "I trademarked
the term 'lifestyle CEO' to describe people who start businesses,
not solely for financial gain, but also to enjoy the personal rewards
of entrepreneurship, independence, flexibility and fun," says
Johnson, 42. She is married to her high school sweetheart, Darryl,
and they have two children, daughter Vanessa, 3, and son Brooks,
18 months.
In 2003, Johnson was named Home-Based Business Advocate of the Year
by the Small Business Administration in the Washington, D.C., region.
She is just one of a growing number of women who are leaving lucrative
careers in order to start home-based businesses. The Center for
Women's Business Research in Washington, D.C., reported that as
of 2004 an estimated 414,472 majority-owned, privately held U.S.
firms are owned by African-American women, and such companies employ
254,000 people and generate $19.5 billion in sales.
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