New Survey Reveals Despite a Shaky Economy, Women Willing to Take the Risk of Opening Home-Based Businesses to Have Greater Control in their Lives

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--National Entrepreneur Month brings good news to a country hungry for economic relief. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, women-owned businesses grew by more than 20% from 2002 to 2007. A new national survey surprisingly reveals that the majority of women home-based business owners were motivated to open their business not as a result of downsizing, loss of income, or need to care for the family. Instead, the desire for control was the powerful motivation driving women to their businesses.

Commissioned by JAFRA Cosmetics International, the survey conducted by Impulse Research in August 2010, found that 52% of the respondents said they wanted “more control over their life” and 56% said they desired to be “their own boss.” Half of the respondents said “greater flexibility” was a major motivator for their start-ups.

The survey found that women face a number of challenges which include:

• Generating Sales Leads: Almost half the women surveyed -- regardless of age, ethnicity or geographic region -- cited creating sales leads as their greatest challenge.
• Juggling Home and Work: Forty percent of women in our survey felt they faced greater challenges in starting a home-based business than men because women also were responsible for home and child care. More than half of Latinas believe it is more difficult for women to have a home-based business for those reasons – more than any other ethnic group.
• Managing Time: Mastering time management is a challenge for all women home-based business owners we surveyed. More than any other ethnic group, 38% of Latinas said time management was their biggest challenge in running their businesses.

In the accompanying video, Connie Tang, U.S. President of JAFRA Cosmetics International addresses the survey findings and shares advice for home-based business owners.

For more information about the survey, visit www.myownbusinessinstitute.com

JAFRA is the leading direct-sales producer of beauty products, marketing in 17 countries throughout Latin America, North America, Europe and now in Asia. Over 550,000 independent Consultants generate sales in excess of half a billion U.S. dollars, marketing the JAFRA brand of skin and body care, color, cosmetics, spa, men’s skin care and grooming products, and fragrances. Headquartered in Westlake Village, California, JAFRA has been a member of the Vorwerk group since 2004. Vorwerk & Co. KG is a multibillion-dollar family enterprise with headquarters in Wuppertal, Germany. Established in 1883, Vorwerk is one of the world’s largest direct selling companies. To learn more, visit www.jafrausa.com.

Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=6490672&lang=en