• She’s Next, Empowered by Visa,
launches to support the advancement of women-owned small businesses
around the world
• Next phase of multi-million dollar marketing
campaign – “Money is Changing” – to feature real female business owners
SAN FRANCISCO & NEW YORK-Friday 18 January 2019 [ AETOS Wire ]
(BUSINESS WIRE)--
As part of its ongoing commitment to support female entrepreneurs, Visa
(NYSE: V) is launching a global initiative – She’s Next, Empowered by
Visa – to encourage women small business owners as they build, sustain
and advance their businesses.
The global rate of female entrepreneurship has been increasing more quickly than that of male entrepreneurs,1 with more than 163 million women around the world starting a business since 20142.
She’s Next will champion this growing trend, with additional support
from leading small business advocates, including Square and Yelp.
“Starting
and growing a business can be both incredibly rewarding and daunting.
That is why Visa is committed to empowering women business owners
through a year-long program of education, cutting-edge digital payment
technology and a powerful peer network,” said Suzan Kereere, global head
of merchant sales & acquiring, Visa. “There is never enough time or
enough resources, but when we work together to support each other,
amazing things can happen.”
Inspiring Female Business Leaders
She’s Next, will be supported by the Female Founder Collective (FFC)
– a network of businesses led by women, supporting women – that
launched in 2018 and quickly grew to over 3,000 members. From
streamlining payment methods to linking women small business owners with
like-minded peers and experts, Visa and FFC will together offer
unmatched resources and opportunities for female entrepreneurs.
“As
women, we have the power to shape and transform our communities—through
our purchasing power and also through the leadership and employment
opportunities we offer as business owners,” said Rebecca Minkoff,
founder of Rebecca Minkoff and the Female Founder Collective. “By
joining forces with Visa, we will help build awareness of women-owned
businesses, provide them with more opportunities and invest in women
across the socioeconomic spectrum around the globe.”
Going Global
She’s
Next was unveiled at a preview event at Hudson Yards in New York City
today, coinciding with the National Retail Federation’s (NRF) Big Show.
Over the course of 2019, Visa will create pop-up events around the world
that offer a range of practical tools, resources, insights and
networking opportunities for female entrepreneurs, including:
- Interactive Workshops: Beginning with an inaugural event in Atlanta on January 30, alongside Super Bowl LIII in Atlanta, Visa will host a series of interactive workshops to tackle business challenges specific to each community. Future events are planned for the FIFA Women’s World Cup France 2019™ and beyond.
- Access to Experts: Each workshop will include experts from Visa, local and national subject matter experts, and partners to maximize benefits to female business owners. Specifically at the inaugural workshop in Atlanta, leaders from Visa, Square and Yelp will bring their own expertise and innovation to the workshop.
- New Research: Initial
insights from a forthcoming survey commissioned by Visa of US-based
female small business owners will help to inform the issues that matter
most to women entrepreneurs. Select findings include:
- Key Motivators: The top three things women cite as motivators in starting their own businesses are: pursuing their passion (48%), having financial independence (43%) and having flexibility (41%).
- Money Matters: Nearly three quarters of women (73%) report that it was difficult to obtain the funding they needed to start their own business. In fact, six in ten (61%) self-funded their business.
- Digital First: When asked to identify top workshop topics they would like to learn more about, respondents said improved social media and digital marketing skills to promote and grow their businesses.
- Advertising Campaign: In 2019, Visa will launch phase two of its multi-million dollar Money is Changing marketing campaign in the United States, building on its millennial women focus and featuring real-life female business owners. Visa will feature a diverse spectrum of women in the campaign who will highlight the practical steps they have personally taken to change the game and challenge existing taboos when it comes to money.
Visa, Women and Small Businesses
She’s Next
builds off the success of Visa-supported programs focusing on small
businesses, as well as female business owners. Recent examples include
Visa’s sponsorship of the Great British High Street program in the United Kingdom and Visa’s Money is Changing marketing
campaign in the United States. In addition to Visa’s efforts, the Visa
Foundation made its first financial commitment of up to $20 million to Women’s World Banking.
As
a market leader in the small business segment in the United States,
Visa provides a full suite of payment services designed for virtually
every need, whether businesses are accepting payments from 3.3 billion
Visa accountholders worldwide or making secure, seamless payments to
their own providers using Visa Business credit, debit or prepaid cards.
For more information on Visa’s small business solutions, please visit https://usa.visa.com/partner-with-us/info-for-partners/info-for-small-business.html.
About Visa Inc.
Visa
Inc. (NYSE: V) is the world’s leader in digital payments. Our mission
is to connect the world through the most innovative, reliable and secure
payment network - enabling individuals, businesses and economies to
thrive. Our advanced global processing network, VisaNet, provides secure
and reliable payments around the world, and is capable of handling more
than 65,000 transaction messages a second. The company’s relentless
focus on innovation is a catalyst for the rapid growth of connected
commerce on any device, and a driving force behind the dream of a
cashless future for everyone, everywhere. As the world moves from analog
to digital, Visa is applying our brand, products, people, network and
scale to reshape the future of commerce. For more information, visit About Visa, https://usa.visa.com/visa-everywhere/blog.html and @VisaNews.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190115005241/en/
Contacts
Visa Inc.
Caylah Novak
cnovak@visa.com
+1(415) 805-1984
