Special section: How to create and sustain more women-led businesses

THE ASSIGNMENT: This four-story section from 2018 highlights some of the unique challenges facing women entrepreneurs.  

THE LEAD: It is, in one sense, a golden era for female entrepreneurs in America: There are 11.6 million women-owned businesses nationwide, or nearly 40 percent of all companies. The 114 percent increase in women-owned businesses over the last two decades far outpaces the overall growth rate of 44 percent, according to a 2017 American Express report.

But for women hoping to build those businesses into behemoths, the data is far more challenging. Women-owned businesses account for only 4.2 percent of revenue and 8 percent of employment, according to the report. There's a corresponding gap in funding, where women-led businesses accounted for less than 5 percent of venture-capital deals in 2016—and just 2 percent of venture-capital dollars—according to Pitchbook data.

THE STORIES: 

• How to create and sustain more women-led businesses. This roundtable conversation took place at an actual conference-room roundtable, where I joined Katlin Smith of Simple Mills, Dee Robinson of Robinson Hill, and Bailey Moore of Wintrust Ventures.
  
• A marketing exec on sexism—and it's not just from men. Kris Martinez, owner of Martinez Creative Group, addressed workplace sexism and shared a powerful, personal story of harassment. 
• An entrepreneur on funding and motherhood at a startup. Marie Tillman, founder of kids clothing brand Mac & Mia, shared her experiences with fundraising, and also juggling the challenges of parenting and entrepreneurship. 
  
• A millennial on why there are so many 'white-dude' companies. Claire Lew from Know Your Company offered insights on why startups can struggle to build diverse workforces, and suggested some remedies.