|
BY MARSHA FIRESTONE
 I was very honored to have been invited to be part of the official delegation from the private sector for the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development Conference (OECD; www.oecd.org) in Istanbul, Turkey this past June. Six of us were asked to participate and, of the six, four were women: Marilyn Carlson Nelson of the Carlson Companies, Susan Phillips Bari of the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council, Terry Neese of Women Impacting Public Policy, and myself.
We were very excited to learn that the 2004 OECD Conference was focusing on SMEs (small and medium-size enterprises), as well as on accelerating women’s entrepreneurship. Looking forward to an opportunity of a lifetime, I flew to Istanbul May 26 with my husband, Monroe Firestone, and Susan and Dick Bari.
Given world circumstances, we all were a little nervous about traveling to a Muslim country and being with large crowds of ministers of finance and economic development and their delegations. However, rather quickly after our arrival in Istanbul , we recognized that security was very firmly in place.
No matter what time of day or night it was, you could not approach the driveway of the Intercontinental Hotel without first having the car’s trunk checked. It’s funny that I am writing first about security, but it is the question that I am most frequently asked since returning home.
I had left for the conference with a certain amount of worry about attitudes toward Americans. I was not sure how we would be perceived. I, in fact, had anticipated substantial negativity. I am happy to report it was quite the opposite.
Everyone we met seemed very impressed with what the United States has done in the small business sector and women’s entrepreneurship. We are, indeed, a role model for the world and one the countries come back to for advice and counsel. In the women’s entrepreneurship arena, it was interesting to recognize that most of the countries, even those who are part of the European Union, are some 15 to 20 years behind us. The United States has definitely set the trend for Best Practices in small business, as well as women’s business ownership.
Time for Being a Tourist
Before Susan, Dick, Monroe, and I attended the conference, we had six days to tour Istanbul . Thanks to the suggestion of Women Presidents’ Organization member Deb Carstens, we found an incredible guide, Sevil Conka, who has an MA in archeology. Sevil secured a mini-van and a driver named Mr. Nadia to take us to all the important sites, as well as a few less important ones, such as the covered bazaar where we caused the local economy to increase substantially.
Istanbul is a city of some 15 million; people are everywhere at all times of the day and night, and traffic there is worse than on the LA freeway or in New York City. Still, there is much to offer, including all kinds of delicious Mediterranean fruits and vegetables to be found on every street corner. Our first night in Istanbul, we wandered into a restaurant near a university, and we had a delicious meal, including some delicious baklava, for the sum total of about $5 a person.
We enjoyed many wonderful tours. Among the highlights was a boat trip on the Bosphorus (the continental divide between Europe and Asia ), during which we gazed at the most magnificent homes lining the river’s banks on either side. At the end of the trip, where the Bosphorus reaches the Black Sea, we got out, took the mini-van for a return trip on the Asian side, and stopped at a wonderful seafood restaurant overlooking the water.
As you are probably aware, Istanbul is the only city in the world that spans two continents. Most significant sites are in the old city, which is on the European side. Some of the extremely impressive sites include Hagia Sophia, which took nine years to build and is one of the architectural marvels of the world, and Topkapi Palace. I am pleased to report that Turkey ’s minister of commerce served as our host for a private tour of the palace. We visited the reception rooms of the Sultans, the Harem, and the fantastic jewel collection. Emeralds the size of large eggs gleamed at me from behind the glass cases. (Since my birthstone is emerald, they were quite appealing, but I had no way to get to them.)
Our visit was topped off with an impressive performance by an Ottoman marching band, which performed for 45 minutes for the OECD delegates. I’d never seen a band like this, and it was delightful. Another wonderful highlight of our visit was a fabulous reception at the Chirgan Palace, which at one time was an Ottoman Palace but has now been turned into the most magnificent hotel, one of the prettiest I have ever seen. A 10-piece string orchestra greeted us as we enjoyed the beauty of the ballroom and the view of the Bosphorus, where we could see the sun setting and which later served as the setting for fireworks in our honor.
Perhaps the most extraordinary site we visited during our travels was at Ephesus . It is one of the largest and best restored Greek ruins. It was an overwhelming experience to find oneself walking for hours through such magnificent and well-reconstructed old ruins. The library is almost in its original construction, as are the amphitheater and the baths. Perhaps most humorous was the ruins of the public bathroom with some of the first toilets. Our guide Sevil explained that not only did they burn incense to decrease odors, but they also had musicians present to drown out unpleasant sounds.
On the way back form Ephesus, we stopped at a roadside gas station and had one of our most delicious meals of the trip at a cost per person of about $8. Susan and Dick had a more expensive experience — their visit to nearby Sultankoy (the “Williamsburg” of Turkey) was made memorable by the purchase of two magnificent Turkish carpets. While in Sultankoy, we witnessed demonstrations of silk being spun from cocoons, colored with natural dyes, and rugs being made by Turkish women from throughout the country who are trained in traditional techniques. Distinguishing the Turkish carpet is the double knot technique that was demonstrated for us.
After touring for almost six days, the U.S. delegation met with the U.S. Counsel General for a briefing on Turkey and its relationship with the United States. Virginia Littlejohn, who put together the Accelerating Women’s Entrepreneurship Forum as part of the Project Tsunami mission ( www.projecttsunami.org ), just happens to be the sister-in-law of the U.S. counsel general of Turkey. It was so nice to meet him and spend our last night in Turkey as a guest at the U.S. consulate. What a wonderful treat to be invited to his home in such a beautiful setting overlooking the Bosphorus and to be part of such stimulating and exciting conversation.
We Lead the World in WBE Support
 To this point, I have not said too much about the actual meetings. The OECD Conference itself was a rather formal series of presentations, with as many as 18 panelists in a given workshop. Most of the business was transacted in English. Both Melanie Sabelhaus, the deputy administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration, and Marilyn Carlson Nelson, chair of the National Women’s Business Council, made formal presentations to the gathered ministers. We were very proud of both of our representatives, who were extremely well received by the attendees and equally as well versed on small and medium-sized enterprises.
Perhaps more significant than the OECD meetings were the three days we spent on accelerating women’s entrepreneurship. This three-day session was made possible by private corporate contributions, notably by IBM.
One of the most important realizations was how far ahead women’s enterprises in the United States have come in comparison to the rest of the countries who participated. Most of the programs available to women in the European Union and other countries are for pre-start-up and start-up businesses.
A number of the countries were asked to present their best practices and with the exception of the United States and Canada, over and over again, all focused on training sessions that helped the start-up or young business. The activities in the other countries seemed to be quite similar to those that our women’s business development centers here in the United States have been doing for 15 years. But, of course, we have evolved to a level that now offers education and support for businesses in all stages of development.
In 1998, the women’s business community collaborated on a summit called Accelerating Women’s Entrepreneurship. Out of that collaboration among five constituencies of business owners, nonprofit organizations, government, academics, and corporations, a master plan for promoting the growth of women’s businesses was developed. Four major goals were identified: 1) access to credit; 2) access to training and information; 3) access to markets; and 4) access to the women’s agenda.
Since that conference, four major organizations in the U.S. women’s business community have evolved to address each of these goals: Springboard (www.springboardenterprises.org), the Women Presidents’ Organization (www.womenpresidents.org), the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (www.wbenc.org), and Women Impacting Public Policy ( www.wipp.org) .
All of these organizations, along with the National Women’s Business Council (www.nwbc.gov) and the Association of Women’s Business Centers (www.womensbusinesscenters.org), were asked to present best practices at the women’s conference in Istanbul .
Our presentations were extremely well received and with all due modesty, were one of the most influential segments of the conference. I was very proud of what we have achieved, both individually and collectively, in our country, and I was especially proud of the collaboration that now exists among these important groups.
Fundamental Research is So Important
Two key problems that our international sisters are facing relate to funding for non-governmental associations, as well as the absence of statistical research on women’s enterprises.
In the United States , we are all indebted to the Center for Women’s Business Research for helping us open the eyes of corporations, government and academics with the results of ground-breaking research on the status of women’s business ownership. Without these numbers, we would not have the influence or recognition that we have achieved today.
Internationally, women business owners in just about every country except Canada (where they have just completed an excellent study on the status of women-led and women-owned businesses) are suffering from the lack of research and numbers to bolster their arguments about what they contribute to the economy. Until they have the dollars to invest in research in this arena, they will probably continue to lag behind in size and revenues of their business.
Additionally, although corporations have been so important to the non-governmental organizations in the United States by stepping up the plate to help support our endeavors, that has not been the experience in other countries. I would expect that only when there is statistical evidence to demonstrate what these women are contributing to their respective economies will that be changed.
In Conclusion
I can’t help commenting that women are more alike the world over than they are different. So many are faced with supporting themselves because of dissolution of the family structure, divorce, alcoholism, or illness.
Over and over during our time in Turkey, we heard stories about women needing to gain more confidence in their skills and to find ways of supporting themselves financially. I saw that our U.S. model for women’s business ownership was one that fostered great respect among the women attendees and that could really help address their personal development.
This trip to Istanbul was extraordinarily interesting. It was an eye-opening experience — one that reminded me how very lucky I am to live in the United States.
MARSHA FIRESTONE, PhD, is president of the Women Presidents’ Organization. She can be contacted at 212-688-4114 (e-mail: Marsha@womenpresidentsorg.com).
(This article is reprinted from the 2004 Enterprising Women of the Year edition of Enterprising Women magazine. Copyright 2004 Enterprising Women Inc. Reproduction in whole or part is prohibited, except by express permission of the publisher.) |
