Chasing their entrepreneurial dreams in greater numbers, women are ditching corporate America in favor of their passion projects

By Abby Hopkins, Illustrations by Jessica Wetterer

90 Percent

More young women are quitting their corporate jobs to cash in on entrepreneurial endeavors, according to a recent study from consulting firm Real. Of the 246 millennial female entrepreneurs surveyed, 90 percent said they left their corporate jobs specifically to start their own businesses, with 43 percent noting they resigned from corporate America because it wasn’t giving them the opportunity to follow their passions.

No. 2

Maybe we should revise the capital city slogan to Keep Austin Woman-owned. According to Seek Business Capital, Austin ranks second among U.S. cities for the highest percentage of woman-owned startups, at 32.7 percent, behind only St.Louis. The majority of woman-owned startups in Austin are in the real-estate, rental and leasing industries, whereas nationally, the majority are in health care and educational services.

3 Out of 4

Passion projects are at the top of many Americans’ to-do lists, with nearly three in every four people seemingly valuing purpose above job security and leaving a stable job to pursue their true passions, according to insurance company NetQuote. However, on average, Americans weigh the risks of such a move for 19 months before committing to pursuing that dream

Six Winners

Some of Austin’s biggest female players in tech, hospitality, education, professional services, real estate and activewear were honored recently during the Austin Business Journal’s 2019 Profiles in Power event. Though more than 100 candidates applied, only six rose to the top as the creme de la creme of influential women in Central Texas. They include Esolvit’s Usha Boddapu, Leigh Christie of the Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce, Nicole Conley of the Austin Independent School District, Accenture’s Tamara Fields, BuildFax’s Holly Tachovsky and Outdoor Voices’ Ty Haney. Congrats, ladies!

17,000 Austinites

BossBabesATX, an Austin-based nonprofit that celebrates and connects female creatives and entrepreneurs, hosts a variety of women-centric programs attended by more than 17,000 Austinites each year. BossBabesATX programs like CraftHer Market, #Work and Babes Fest are focused on creative entrepreneurship, arts empowerment, diversity and equality, all while providing spaces for curiosity to flourish.


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