When the Recession finally lifted between 2014 and 2016, it never lifted for millions of women over 40. The pundits would have you believe that unemployment has decreased due to the job market opening up, however this is just not true. You can get employment as long as you are willing to holding down a job with no power, low pay, and absolutely no social prestige! The real reason that unemployment is down is that millions of Americans have left the workforce to strike out on their own as small business owners - specifically middle aged people - and leading the charge are Women Over 40!
BusyGal HELPS Foundation is a new 501(c)3 non profit located in Dallas, Texas. We are creating a national organization that spearheads the development of a ROKU Television channel featuring original programming designed to inspire and encourage women to make the leap to entrepreneurship and provide them with a platform of affordable business services. These services include entrepreneurial education, access to capital, licensing and business opportunities, as well as coaching, mentorship and community building. BusyGal HELPS Foundation is a solution for millions of Women Over 40 in this nation. Please consider either making a tax deductible donation or getting involved with the work that we are doing here, because ultimately,... Her Enterprise Lifts People Significantly!
EVIDENCE OF SYSTEMIC AGEISM
They say “life begins at 40”.
Unfortunately for most women of first world nations, this is also the time when age discrimination in the workplace starts to occur. At the Longevity Forum in London in November 2018, Professor Lynda Gratton said,
"Ageism at work begins for women at 40 and 45 for men when these employees are no longer considered for promotion or training"
By law, one should not suffer discrimination because you are too old, too young, or even too middle-aged, but employers pay little heed to this in the knowledge that the risk of legal action is small.
According to a March 2016 article in Harvard Business Review, older women are being forced out of the workforce. In fact a study that came out in the fall of 2015 by economists at the University of California at Irvine and Tulane University found “robust evidence of age discrimination in hiring against older women.” The data shows that it is harder for older women to find jobs than it is for older men.
There are two possible theories for why older women may suffer from age discrimination more than older men: one is that age discrimination laws do not deal effectively with the situation of older women who face both age and gender bias; the other possibility touches on society’s focus on the physical appearance of women, a scrutiny that does not seem to similarly impact men.
ADD RACISM MULTIPLY DESPAIR
According to the Economic Policy Institute's (EPI) findings in a February 2019 article, the black woman’s experience in America provides arguably the most overwhelming evidence of the persistent and ongoing drag from gender and race discrimination on the economic fate of workers and families.
The American labor system has been shaped by historical White' male domination that continues to subordinate people of color and women. Working women of color are more vulnerable to racist and sexist employment practices than either working White women or working men of color. This is true because women of color have traditionally worked in employment positions lacking power, equal pay, or social prestige.
To add insult to injury, if women of color want legal redress, they are forced to use a legal construct that does not recognize the bias they face because of the combination of their race and gender.
The struggles to achieve social equality for women and people of color have repeatedly sacrificed the particular concerns and needs of women of color for the advancement of the larger group. Let's not even mention if the women are over 40!
Even as the economy has improved, existing disparities have kept black women at a perpetual disadvantage.
Additionally, not only do Black and Hispanic women have much higher unemployment rates than do white women, they have far less wealth than white women regardless of level of education. Dishearteningly, single white women without a college degree have $3,000 more in median wealth than single black women with a college degree! Single white women with a bachelor’s degree have seven times the wealth of their black counterparts, $35,000 and $5,000 in median wealth, respectively!
Entrepreneurship Out of Desperation Rather than Inspiration
Yes, unemployment is down now, but based on the research, we see that many women over 40, especially Black women over 40 are simply walking away from the job search now because they just can't find one!
The New Normal these days, is that these women are starting businesses of their own - in record numbers.
However, most lack the fundamental access to capital, practical knowledge, and business ownership experience needed to really generate massive scale-ability for their businesses and wealth for their futures.
A Second Chance in the Second Chapter of Life
With such rampant ageism and sexism that seems to be part of businesses today, if women are passed over for career progression in favor of younger candidates, they are being denied a future and being condemned to a life of poverty!
Older women have soft skills, life experience coping strategies, empathy, intelligence and energy, which is of significant value to the workplace. However should the marketplace continue to deny these women a living - then striking out on their own is the most logic solution to the problem.
Program #1
THE BGTV DEVELOPMENT AND PROGRAMMING INITIATIVE
BusyGal Television (BGTV) is a new 24/7 streaming channel on The Reewind Network. BGTV is part of the ZTV Network Family, owned and operated by Zeds Corporation. BGTV is part of the ZTV Network Family, owned and operated by Zeds Corporation.
BGTV is on all the major streaming platforms, such as Amazon Fire; ROKU; Apple TV and Chromecast just to name a few. BGTV has a potential reach of over 800 million viewers. Additionally, because BGTV is in association with the The Reewind Network with ZTV, programming will also be aired on Comcast Cable in several regions in 2019 and positioned to be nationally syndicated by the end of 2020 thus giving BGTV an even larger audience share.
Program #2
THE 40 WOMEN OVER 40 INITIATIVE
Entrepreneurial education and the opportunity to develop a business must be made simpler and more convenient, if not mandatory, for all. The U.S. Constitution says “We the People…” and our economic future is ultimately the responsibility of “We, The People”, not just the government, not just the wealthy and educated, or the privately owned small business sector.
BusyGal HELPS Foundation will create an annual national initiative over the next 10 years, designed to teach and financially empower Forty Women Over 40 in every state in the United States. This initiative will ultimately prepare these women with the tools, resources and entrepreneurial education, necessary to start and run successful businesses. Additionally, each woman will be pre-approved to apply for and receive an SBA backed $10,000 Start-up Loan three months AFTER successful completion of a self paced online curriculum approved by HELPS to get their individual businesses started.
THE 40 VETERAN WOMEN OVER 40 INITIATIVE
When women raised their right hands and swore to support and defend the Constitution of the United States, they understood it could mean sacrificing their lives, if need be, and would require placing this duty above their personal well-being. As a result of this oath and their service on our behalf, women veterans—like all veterans—want to establish successful careers and relationships after service and have their service to our nation acknowledged. The sacrifices they make are not always recognized or acknowledged, and women work hard to reconcile their societal roles as caregivers, mothers and wives with the warriors they are. BusyGal HELPS Foundation recognizing these sacrifices and struggles, honors the service of women and is working to support and empower women-over-40 veterans to lead high-quality lives with respect and dignity.
Navigating the transition back into civilian life is difficult for any veteran.
The veteran mindset is mission oriented. This mindset can position veterans as excellent entrepreneurs due to the many life and death decisions and hazards they've had to navigate in their military careers.
Working with such veteran organizations such as Veteran Women Enterprise Center, V-WISE, IGNITE, CVOB, Boots to Business, and Center of Excellence for Veteran Entrepreneurship, BusyGal HELPS Foundation will create an annual national initiative over the next 10 years, designed to teach and financially empower Forty Veteran Women-Over-40 in every state in the United States.
THE WE/40 IGNITE INITIATIVE
Women are constantly being exhorted to lean in, to push the corporate envelope, to push their careers higher.When the going gets tough and being a founder becomes difficult, there is a way to combat loneliness:
Find an entrepreneurial community.
Other women entrepreneurs will understand the feeling – and know the importance of investing time and energy into a startup. Until an entrepreneurial women-over-40 starts actively building her business, it is only then that she starts experiencing the loneliness.
There is power in social connection; it is the greatest predictor of success and happiness - especially for women.
The importance of relationships, especially relationships between women can not be under estimated in its overall benefit. Anyone who's been successful in their careers can attest to the power of networks, friendships, and communities of support.
THE RUBY SLIPPER INITIATIVE
One of the most popular ways to start a business is to pursue home based business opportunities, and especially online business opportunities.There are 38 million home-based businesses in the U.S. — this means that starting a business from home is more common than one might expect! According to survey data, U.S. home-based business opportunities are surprisingly plentiful and prosperous.
Neighborhoods all around the United States are full of home-based entrepreneurs who are succeeding in business on their own terms, working from home and perhaps selling online working from home.
Home-based companies are generating big bucks — with total annual revenue of $427 billion per year!
Many people have the misguided idea that home-based businesses aren’t “real” businesses — like you’re somehow “less” of a success if you work from home instead of having a brick and mortar storefront. But according to this survey data, business is booming for home-based entrepreneurs. 20 percent of home-based businesses make $100K-$500K per year — that’s a very comfortable income for anyone working from home!
