Purse Strings: Helping Women Make Sound Financial Decisions

Barbara Provost and her daughter Maggie Nieman created Purse Strings, a platform dedicated to helping women make better financial decisions. They joined The Savvy Entrepreneur Radio Show recently to share how they got started, and some of the challenges they’ve faced along the way.

Barbara spent many years working with financial institutions as a consultant. She felt their really was no part of the sector that was truly serving women’s needs. The focus was on sales, and the assumption was that the man of the household was making the decisions.

And then she went through her own divorce. She spoke with lots of other women going through the process, and realized how poorly prepared many women are to make sound financial decisions. She realized again how financially disadvantaged most women are because they earn less and are out of the workforce more.

Barb launched Purse Strings as a side business, but when Covid struck and her consulting business dried up, she decided it was time to dedicate herself full-time to Purse Strings. And at that point, her daughter Maggie had finished her MBA, and they decided it was time to team up.

Like most platforms, the business has gone through some different iterations to find the right delivery and pricing model. Today, Purse Strings offers a paid membership to vetted financial experts of all types, along with lots of free financial education for women.

It’s a great story, and a business filling a huge need. Click on the arrow to take a listen!

Pathways to Entrepreneurship: Buying An Existing Business

When people think of entrepreneurship, usually they assume it means starting a new business. But there are other pathways to entrepreneurship.

The Savvy Entrepreneur has previously looked at entrepreneurship in non-profits, as well as franchise ownership.

In this episode, Deb Curtis, founder of Curtis Business Solutions, shares another pathway: buying an existing business. It’s a path that many don’t think about. But Deb shares insights on how it can be done — especially with the aid of an SBA loan.

She talks about the kind of person that might make a great fit, the likely costs, and some of the ins and outs of SBA loans. Is this an option for you? Listen in to find out!

Annual Wisconsin Governor’s Business Plan Contest

Since 2004, Wisconsin’s Annual Governor’s Business Plan Contest has been fostering startups. More than 4500 startups have participated. Category winners have gone on to raise more than $300 million, win more than $2.5 million in prizes.

Even more amazing, 77% of the competition finalists are still in business, a statistic that defies the notoriously high failure rate for startups.

The contest is organized by the Wisconsin Technology Council, a non-profit that services as the science and technology advisor to Wisconsin’s Governor and Legislature. Join Tom Still, President of the Tech Council, as he shares with The Savvy Entrepreneur the details of how to apply.

He also provides plenty of tips for winning or becoming a finalist — tips that will help startups not only with this competition, but with other startup pitch competitions, so be sure to listen!