Training Women for Success: An Evaluation of Entrepreneurship Training Programs in Vermont, USA‪.‬

INTRODUCTION Before delving into the case at hand--the effects that two training programs have had on women aspiring to be entrepreneurs in Vermont--it behooves us to recognize the greater significance of micro-businesses in the American economy. According to Census Department data, ninety percent of all U.S. businesses employ fewer than five workers, the basic definition of micro-businesses (SBA, 2005). The Association for Enterprise Opportunity (AEO) defines micro-business as a business with five or fewer employees, which requires $35,000 or less in startup capital, and does not have access to the traditional commercial banking sector. For the purpose of this study, micro-business is defined as a business with five or fewer employees, including the owner. The AEO estimates that there are over 20 million micro-businesses operating in the U.S. and that micro-business jobs represent 16.6% of all private (non-farm) employment in the United States. This percentage is higher in rural communities, where micro-businesses are the primary creators of jobs (Birch, 1987). Recent economic trends heighten the need for micro-businesses in the American economy: in particular, lower paying jobs and less secure jobs are increasingly common in America, which pushes individuals to supplement their low-paying and often insecure jobs with self-employment (Klein et al., 2003; Edgcomb&Klein, 2005; Servon, 2006).