Ladies Who Launch aids new careers

DANIELLE FOX of Oakland came to Ladies Who Launch, a company that assists female entrepreneurs, with a project — and walked away with a new career.

"I had done academe, the corporate world and the nonprofit sector, and I knew I wanted to be my own boss," says Fox, a petite powerhouse who zips through the halls of her Berkeley office, Danielle Fox Design, at warp speed in high heels and jeans. Doing it alone seemed daunting, so she turned to Ladies Who Launch.

The New York-based group is having a day-long event Thursday in San Francisco at Cafe Cocomo. Speakers include Beth Ann Catalano and Tina Hedges, founders of Twist, a beauty brand incubator that recently launched the Jonathan Product hair-care collection from celebrity stylist Jonathan Antin. More information is available at http://www.ladieswholaunch.com.

Women-owned businesses are literally a big deal. As of 2006, there were an estimated 10.4 million privately held, 50 percent or more women-owned firms in the United States, accounting for 2 in 5 of all businesses and generating $1.9 trillion in annual sales, according to the Center for Women’s Research. In the Oakland metropolitan area, women-owned firms jumped from 88,000 in 1997 to 95,016 in 2004, the center said.

By Janis Mara, BUSINESS WRITER

Full Story: http://www.insidebayarea.com/business/ci_4360771