Norine Camen, Amy Arrigali, Regina Bonolo, Mary Oranoto, and Elizabeth Iannicello speak about their experiences being female entrepreneurs. They are just five of many women who live and work in Nassau County and have found success in running their own businesses. They each share insight as to why they chose to start a business and what benefits they have found in doing so. (NNL video by Nicole A. Wright)

Despite the collective blues being sung by Americans during these trying economic times, many women in Nassau County are finding great success in their professional lives. They don't have to worry about layoffs or pay cuts because they are the ones in charge; they are entrepreneurs who have taken job availability and security into their own hands.

Some women have taken the initiative to start up their own companies in light of the recent state of the U.S. economy, while others were ahead of the game and knew that being self-employed was the way to go decades before the employment rates fell. Whatever the situation, however, these are the people who are calling these tough times an opportunity for growth instead of a fate of failure and woe.

The number of small business firms that are owned by women in Nassau County has grown dramatically in the past eight years. In 2002, 25 percent of all small businesses were owned by women and although official data has not been collected since then, the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO) Long Island chapter speculates that the percentage has grown significantly.

These numbers are not surprising considering the proven benefits that come with being a women who owns her own business. New York State has a program called Minority and Women in Business Enterprise and “typically 5 percent to 10 percent of a government project must be assigned to an MWBE,” according to allbusiness.com, which means huge opportunities for those who are certified and listed in the program.

This is not to mention that females who have taken the initiative to start up a company find it very rewarding in and of itself. As Regina Bonolo, a woman who has started a successful business called Aspire Higher and whose goal is to support and coach other females with the same ambitions for success points out, "I love being an entrepreneur because of the freedom and flexibility ... I'm able to set my own schedule and I'm passionate about what I do. I don't feel like I'm in a 9 to 5 grind, and when you're passionate about what you do and you are an entrepreneur, you can really enhance people's lives... "

A survey done by Global Market Development Center (GMDC) found, “of 1,227 women consumers between the ages of 35-55…79% said knowing a company buys from women[-owned] businesses would compel them to try a company's product or services…[and] 81% said awareness of a company's mission to buy from women's businesses would moderately or significantly solidify their brand loyalty.” National organizations and female entrepreneurs hope statistics like these will increase their share of government contracts in the near future.

Long Island women are doing everything from making jewelry and herbal beauty products to designing websites and coaching other female small business owners in their endeavors in order to put some money in the bank. Shops and boutiques are opening up in local neighborhoods and online and many are making what may be surprisingly large profits to some.

As demonstrated by the driven women highlighted in the above video clip, many citizens are arguing, despite tough times, prosperity and profit is still possible with some creativity and hard work.

This is the individual final project for Prof. Mo Krochmal's JRNL 80 (Online Journalism) class for Spring 2010.