Being an entrepreneur was a lifelong dream of mine. I've always wanted to be my own boss and run my own company ever since I could remember. While I am not quite there yet, it's encouraging to know that in 2016 there were "9 million women-owned businesses in the U.S." according to Entrepreneur and that women owned businesses have increased at 1.5 times the rate since 2001. These are amazing numbers to hear for any woman entrepreneur, however with our current social atmosphere and the US being one of the only countries with no paid maternal leave, it seems like we still have a long way to go.

Diversity is Important, but What Does it Have to do with Stock Photos?

Whether you are using your them for your website or just a regular social media graphic, if you want to brand your business, it's important to have good stock photos in hand. It is also important for you to keep your message consistent with your branding. For example, if your business sells products or services that would only market to minorities, then the stock photos on your website would have to be consistent with that. In fact, a recent survey done by Shutterstock says that "34 percent are using more images with racial diversity and 24 percent with more females". The survey also notes that there is a trend for marketing professionals that prefer stock photos with non professional models, as they will make a photo much more relatable to audiences.

What's with the rise of women entrepreneurship? Many believe it is because of the shrinking opportunities in the workplace for women, especially women of color. Sexism and racism has been a hot topic in the news for the last five to ten years, even more so with our current president. A combination of the market crash in 2008 and institutional racism has made it harder for women of color to break the glass ceiling in technology.