Discovering the Core of Entrepreneurial Women in America

As I traveled along the interstates, highways and more often than not the dirt roads of America I  watched the scenery pass through my windshield and I thought about the women I have encountered in the small and sometimes unknown communities I visit. I reflect on the women who have made their small town a better place to live because of their commitment to prosper and be enterprising in America. This commitment to success is a phenomenon I have seen over and over again, and each time I come across it I’m truly astonished.

It is the enterprising and productive women of America who are paving a new and powerful approach to supporting life in a small town. These women are a strong and often subtle presence in every state. Each one enjoys an absolute passion for their community and an unwavering drive for success in their businesses. Their sustainability in an environment where small business enterprise can be daunting and unreliable brings a sense of strength to many towns on the verge of extinction. As I visited with these amazing women in each new community, who ranged in career diversity from Icelandic Sheep Farmer to Highway Patrolmen, I realized the women of rural America are some of the finest gems we possess.

A day spent traveling along these roads takes my mind down many thoughts and to many questions. Why are they thriving in rural America? Were they born in these communities? If not then what brings them there? What keeps them there? And what inspires them to stay there? Is it their commitment to small town America where living is safe and secure or is it the love of the land and the wide open spaces? Maybe on a broader scope is it just a strong sense of themselves and the passions they possess. What gives them the confidence they have to see their passions come to fruition? Even in the face of a harsh and brutal economy, and in many cases seclusion in a small town where a shopping center can be many hundreds of miles away and the closest social gathering spot runs into the next county. It must be that they have discovered the core of entrepreneurialism, a place not many are willing to go but those that do achieve great rewards.

These women are pioneering new and industrious avenues to create a sustainable living in rural America. Trust me when I tell you what remarkable lives they live. Upon meeting one of these outstanding women who has made a success of her small business or who has accomplished great things in a non-traditional sense, it is truly an enchanting experience. One common factor all these women have as a collective entity is their passion. A passion about what they do, a passion for where they live and a passion for the people they do business with. They are truly an incredible and remarkable feature of the American landscape.