Why Women Are Dominating These Important 5 Business Trends

It's a man's world, but it ain't nothing without a woman.  This sentiment is shifting.  It's actually becoming more and more of a woman's world: in education, startups and leadership roles.  

It's not quite Even Steven (or Even Stephanie, Steven's female counterpart), but it's getting closer.  Nowhere is this more apparent than in the following five trends:

1. Women are Winning the Pitch

As a women run agency, going up against the big firms for gigs is a daily occurrence.  In the past, you used to show up in the lobby, sit across from a sea of men in suits and know that this probably wasn't going to be your day.

Nowadays not only are women run agencies receiving more requests for proposals (RFPs), which means they get to compete, but the suit stigma is loosening its tie and women are winning more pitches compared to just a decade ago.

2. Corporations Require Diversity Vendors

More companies, especially those that are publicly traded, are required to award a percentage of their vendor contracts to "diversity" vendors.  The term used to be "minority owned", but in an overly PC world, the business community has accepted "diversity" as the current term of art. 

Organizations like WBENC and WOBC are furthering this trend by offering certifications making women owned businesses eligible for a seat at the table.  While this is a positive trend, the unfortunate truth is that not enough companies understand how to get certified and the certification process is quite cumbersome but worth it. 

This post was originally published for INC. Magazine, check out the other three trends in the article here.

Stay tuned for more from Laurel through her Inc. column 'On Brand'.